It’s beginning to look a lot like Christmas. Or is it? Are you hosting multiple holiday parties this year? Or is it just you and your cat drinking wine in your Christmas pajamas and rewatching old episodes of VEEP? I don’t judge. But I would judge if I showed up at your ugly sweater party and you were serving cheese whiz or store-bought holiday cookies. Life is just too short for Costco Artichoke Dip. Thank God for these adorable and yes, easy, Christmas appetizers.
Are you so busy ho ho ho-ing (By that I mean singing Christmas carols) that you don’t have time to research easy holiday party apps? Let me give you a few examples of easy Christmas appetizers that will make your ugly sweater-wearing friends rejoice and exclaim “Oh how cute is that!”
In our household December days mean I am finally strapping on my snowshoes and snowshoeing my favorite snowy trails with my winter wonderland-loving trail dog. Maybe I took a day off from snowshoeing to explore the desert for an afternoon and do a bit of thrift store Christmas shopping with my sister-in-law. We made a slight detour to Yucca Valley, California from our mountain home towns at over 6,000 feet. Oh man did we find some unique Christmas gifts! Vintage jewelry, antiques, cocktail glasses covered in tiny jockeys and some beautiful Christmas platters (Okay those were presents I bought for myself) If you are anywhere near Yucca Valley, it truly is a thrift store mecca. Check out New Day Thrift for the best cowboy boots and vintage jewelry.
Olive Christmas
It’s the holidays, who doesn’t want to eat all the cheeses? And what is even a better appetizer than cheese, why olives of course! You simply must try this Christmas Tree Cheese Ball if you love cheese and olives the way that I do. In my family, we all agree, just give us a platter of cheese and olives. Who even has room in their belly for evening prime rib?
Rocking around the cheesy Christmas tree
You can get especially creative with these Cheddar and Ham Christmas Trees. I like to substitute the cheddar for Swiss and add thin-sliced spicy pickles before rolling them into Christmas trees. Dip these in some hot and sweet mustard and you have such an easy holiday party app! Cheddar and Ham Christmas Trees are an easy to put together Christmas appetizers that will look great on your table. After snowshoeing for thirteen miles on a later December morning, don’t you deserve a puff pastry and ham lunch?
I made this delicious Goat Cheese Dip for the first time for Thanksgiving for my guests and we were blown away by the flavors! No, it’s not the prettiest snack but you can always set it out in a pretty Corningware Christmas dish. Bing-Bang-Boom, festive holiday cheese!
My only Christmas wish this year is more cheese
Feeling festive? Don’t have enough cheese for your holiday guests? Oh don’t worry, I have more cheese recipes! Christmas Cheese Trees are so easy to put together for your holiday guests. Because Christmas means you can eat all the cheese you want, right? This is why the pup and I have to hike up mountains…
And what about a Christmas morning breakfast? One that is oh so simple to put together? These hazelnut chocolate pinwheels are so easy and a three-ingredient recipe. I’ve been a little obsessed I’ll admit with puff pastry this holiday season.
And after you have a not-so-healthy Christmas morning carb-filled breakfast, then go for a hike, it’s time for, yes you guessed it, more cheese and crabs! Happy holidays fatty! I’ve been totally addicted to adding my absolutely amazing Plum Ginger Chutney with a bit of Brie into these Puff Pastry Bites. It’s the holidays, how can you possibly say no to all that puff pastry goodness? This is why I have to hike so much!
Happy holidays from the Hungry Mountaineer (Who is cutting out gluten and carbs on January the first because we will have exactly eight months to get back into shape and climb Mt Whitney again this summer!)
