If you don’t want to go with the traditional Christmas dinner foods, feel free to think outside of the box for your menu. If you’re still aiming to capture the Christmas spirit, though, you’ll probably want to go with hearty, moist foods that seamlessly blend in flavors of sweetness and umami. Also, try and stick to the meat-starch-vegetable-drinks-dessert menu plan I laid out in my first tip for preparing Christmas dinner on a budget. Last Christmas, I prepared a buttery garlic shrimp with rice dish, sweet biscuits with gravy, a green bean and squash casserole, Christmas cocktails, and a selection of gingerbread cakes. It was a huge success!