Christmas Inspiration: My Favorite Ideas for Connection, Fun, Food & Gifts

I want to share some of my favorite Christmas inspiration in one post. My very favorite ideas I’ve gathered through all my years of Christmases.

Christmas is the BEST time for gathering. It gives us such an incredible opportunity to both create stronger connections and to give from our hearts as we remember Jesus. Both of those things in turn have the power to make us happier. And bring us so much joy.

But all that gathering can also run us mamas ragged, am I right?

So here’s a roundup of my favorite Christmas ideas you might find valuable. From favorite recipes, ways to connect including game ideas for big gatherings, stories and gift ideas. Last week I included many of these ideas in my email, but I keep thinking of more! So here we go!

Ideas for Connection

First let’s start with my two very favorite Christmas traditions. Because man alive, traditions are the best to facilitate connection!

These two happen to be traditions passed down to Dave and me from my growing-up family. And I love them so much because they focus on the true meaning of Christmas. The reason why we are going through all the hoopla to get to December 25th: back to that baby Jesus born to save us all.

Jerusalem Supper

There is something so special about ushering in the holiness and stillness of Christmas Eve when you have what we call a “Jerusalem Supper.”

Having a Jerusalem Supper on Christmas Eve is something my Eyre family always did. And something that Dave and I have incorporated into our own family. Personalizing it for what works for us as the idea has evolved through the years.

Separating Santa from Christmas Eve

I will forever be a broken record when reporting on my favorite part of Christmas. This is my favorite:

The moments when our kids give each other the hard-earned and much anticipated gifts they have been looking forward to giving.

Kids eyes light up when they think of Santa, to be sure. And there’s something pretty magical about that.

So I LOVE that in my growing-up family my parents decided the kids should be able to do their gift-giving at a different time from all the Santa business. They set aside time on Christmas Eve to bask in the beauty of giving. We have always done the same. There is just something magical when kids turn their hearts out for others.

Some Really Good Christmas Stories

During Christmas another way to connect is through sharing things that bring in the Christmas spirit. Things that help knit our hearts together. Whether it’s a book to read aloud, a poem, or short story to help remember the magic of Christmas. Here are some recent favorite short stories:

• Wood for the Widows – A story we read at a Relief Society gathering a couple years ago with the best message about how beautiful it is to give from your heart.
• The Christmas Coat – A story about how we can be changed by the kindness of others.

I feel like I have become so much closer to my children over the years as we have read stories together under the Christmas tree. This has been one of my favorite Christmas traditions of all time. Here are some of our top Christmas books:

• On Christmas Day in the Morning – This title didn’t grab me on first glance, but we got this book as a gift back when my kids were little and have read it every single year since then. I don’t think ever without crying at the end.
• The Three Trees – Another “must-read” at Christmastime book, not only so beautifully written but I also really love the illustrations. Such a great message!
• The Gift of the Magi – Another book we didn’t go many Christmases without reading. As a fair warning, it is more “old English” in the wording, which was sometimes trickier to muddle through through my tears, but the best message.

I did write a whole post about our favorite Christmas books back in the day with lots more favorites.

Good Christmas Clips

Not only can a good story bring in the Christmas spirit and connect us together, watching something meaningful together can truly set the stage for the spirit to swarm into our gatherings.

Here are two of my favorite Christmas short clips that remind me of the true meaning of Christmas:

Especially this one:

As well as this incredibly beautiful slideshow of Madonna and Child paintings through the ages set to the most beautiful rendition of “Silent Night” by Michelle Moyer. I especially love it after studying art history in college. I love the countless ways Mary and baby Jesus have been portrayed over the years.

We played this slideshow at our Relief Society Christmas dinner last week and it made me so emotional! I love to think about how “Mary kept all these things and pondered them in her heart.”

And how I want to, too.

Favorite Food at Christmastime

Of course as we gather and connect, people need to be fed.

Isn’t it kind of beautiful that food brings us together in so many ways?

Eating together creates avenues to connect: talking while preparing in the kitchen, a conversation over dinner. Time to slow down and enjoy deliciousness at the same time.

But often when you’re the one doing the gathering it’s awesome to have an easy recipe up your sleeve.

Super Easy Recipes to Make on the Fly

So I LOVE this fancy-looking super easy burrata and pistachio appetizer idea. I mean, all you need are these five simple ingredients and voila! You have an appetizer that will knock your guests’ socks off.

As well as this baked brie with sweet pepper jelly that makes my mouth water to think about.

Recipes that have become a firm part of our Christmas repertoire:

These recipes aren’t necessarily “Christmas” recipes. But they’re the ones that have become Christmas for us as they’ve woven their way into our family traditions.

• Chicken Tikka Masala – after our kids started requesting this one for their birthdays I figured it was good enough to make for our Christmas Eve Jerusalem Supper. It’s not really a traditional food that would have been eaten at that time, but we all love it so we made it work.

• Eggs Benedict – This is another recipe from the Eyre family that we always had on Christmas morning. It has become our tradition not only on Christmas morning, but on Easter too!

Game Ideas for Small and Large Groups

Games are such a huge part of gathering for the holidays.

They are just the best way to connect. They keep everyone combined for a common good, get people configured in different ways in teams. Help people learn ways to work together.

• Fun Christmas Games that Will Get Everyone Involved
• Family Reunion Games – that will for sure be enjoyed by everyone at your Christmas party.

Gift Ideas from my Girls

And of course, it’s always good to have a little guide trying to buy last-minute gifts. I love that my girls have come together to create gift guides for the last few years. It’s so fun to hear them working together and they have some pretty grand ideas!

• Pothier Gals’ Gift Guide 2025
• Abby’s Baby Gift Ideas
• Top Gifts for Men in their 20s and 30s

Sending out all kinds of love this Christmas season! Hope these ideas will help in the sometimes-survival-mode the last week or so. May they help bring the true meaning of it all into our hearts a little more fully.

XOXO