Christmas snacks feature a mix of savory, salty, and sweet treats, including popular savory staples like pigs in blankets, sausage rolls, baked Camembert, cheese balls with crackers, and charcuterie boards. Sweet options include mince pies, gingerbread cookies, peppermint bark, chocolate reindeer cupcakes, and rocky road bites.
Finger foods like crockpot meatballs, cheese ball and crackers, salami roll ups (salami and cream cheese), red pepper jelly and cream cheese and crackers, mini weiners and BBQ sauce, shrimp and cocktail sauce, chicken salad and crackers, chips and salsa and chips and dip, cookies and also birthday cake.
The 5 Gift Rule for Christmas is a popular, simplified approach to gift-giving, limiting each person to five presents based on categories: Something they want, something they need, something to wear, something to read, and something to do/experience, with variations like "something to share" or "something to use". This tradition helps reduce holiday stress, clutter, and overspending by encouraging more thoughtful, purposeful, and experience-focused gifts rather than excessive materialism, promoting gratitude and mindfulness.
From salty chips to sweet indulgences, here's how they stack up.
Rice Cakes. A low-calorie relic of the 1980s diet craze, rice cakes remain a favorite snack for health-minded eaters, though they might be lacking in flavor for many.
These nine desserts – cake, cookies, ice cream, fruit desserts, pie, cheesecake, pudding/custard, brownies, and gelato – represent just a glimpse into the vast and delicious world of sweet treats.
Classic crowd-pleaser appetizers are typically savory, shareable, easy to eat (finger foods!), and offer comforting flavors like cheese, bacon, or dips, with popular examples including Spinach Artichoke Dip, Buffalo Chicken Dip, Sausage Rolls, Deviled Eggs, Nachos, Bacon-Wrapped Dates, Baked Brie, Sliders (ham & cheese/burger), and Meatballs, often with a mix of sweet, salty, spicy, or creamy elements that appeal to many palates.
Raisins, sultanas, prunes and apricots are easy, cheap, portable snacks for people on the go. About a tablespoon counts as a portion. There is a great variety available at most supermarkets, often including exotic fruits like dried pineapple and mango.
Focus on foods with protein, fiber and complex carbohydrates that will take longer to digest and therefore extend your energy. Mix and match energizing snacks like Greek yogurt and berries or cottage cheese and bananas. Drinking lots of water can also help — even mild dehydration can leave you feeling weary.
How many presents does an average child get at Christmas?
There is no magic number but the general consensus seems to be between three toys or gifts up to, potentiall around five. There will be many factors that contribute to this decisions; how many children you have, what presents other family members may buy, how old your children are and, of course, budget.
Christmas gifts are often exchanged on Christmas Eve (December 24), Christmas Day itself (December 25) or on the last day of the twelve-day Christmas season, Twelfth Night (January 5).
The 7 Gift Rule for Christmas is a guideline to make holiday gifting more intentional and less commercial, focusing on quality over quantity by assigning seven specific categories to each person's presents, such as something they Want, Need, Wear, Read, Do, something for the Family, and something to Share or eat/drink, reducing clutter and fostering deeper appreciation. This system encourages thoughtful choices, balancing practical items, experiences, and personal growth within a simplified framework, making Christmas less stressful and more meaningful.
