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32 Classic Christmas Foods, Ranked from Ho-Ho-Horrible to Fa-La-La-Fabulous

If you ask us, the holidays can’t come soon enough. So, to usher in the most wonderful time of year ASAP, we’re dreaming of all the classic Christmas foods we can. Specifically, these 32 dishes, ranked from basically intolerable to straight-up divine. Now, let’s find out how your favorite (and most hated) holiday eats fared.

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classic christmas foods fruitcake
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32. Fruitcake

Less like cake, more like a doorstop.

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classic christmas foods figgy pudding
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31. Figgy Pudding

TBH, we want nothing to do with a dome-shaped dessert that doesn't ooze molten chocolate.

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classic christmas foods ribbon candy
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30. Ribbon Candy

We can't afford to crack our teeth on these—too many better things to eat.

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29. Salad (of Any Kind)

Listen, we have nothing against greens here and there. But on Christmas? What is this, amateur hour?

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classic christmas foods boiled carrots
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28. Boiled Carrots

Unacceptable for those between the ages of 11 months and 97 years.

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classic christmas foods mince pie
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27. Mince Pie

Fun fact: "Mincemeat" isn't meat at all, but a mix of dried fruits and spices. Fun fact aside, we're not chomping at the bit to taste this British delicacy.

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classic christmas foods biscotti
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26. Biscotti

It's cookie season. And these are definitely *not* cookies.

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classic christmas foods egg nog flavored baked goods
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25. Eggnog-Flavored Baked Goods

Of all the holiday flavors to infuse cookies and yogurt and keto protein bars with, you chose eggnog? Nice try, supermarket.

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classic christmas foods canned yams
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24. Canned Yams

classic christmas foods mixed nuts
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23. Mixed Nuts

Two things we should all get over: these and crystal-cut bowls. The only way we're even looking at mixed nuts on Christmas is if they're on a cheese board.

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classic christmas foods yule log
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22. Yule Log

Sure, it's basically just chocolate spongecake. But it's not doing itself any favors with that name.

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classic christmas foods egg nog
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21. Eggnog

Festive, but an acquired taste. We'll give credit where credit is due: Booze helps.

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classic christmas foods candy canes
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20. Candy Canes

Unless it’s bark-ified, they're more of a decorative obligation than anything.

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classic christmas foods ham
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19. Ham

The most polarizing of all the meats. We’re gonna give it a solid ehhh.

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classic christmas foods gingerbread
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18. Gingerbread Men

Satisfactory, but way overplayed. (They are pretty darn cute, though.)

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classic christmas foods turkey
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17. Turkey

Fair pick, but a little redundant so soon after Thanksgiving.

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classic christmas foods stuffing
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16. Stuffing

See above.

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classic christmas foods canned cranberry sauce
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15. Canned Cranberry Sauce

It's better than homemade. (There, we said it.) But we're still not sure if we really love cranberry sauce…or just the nostalgia of it.

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classic christmas foods mnms for the gingerbread house
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14. M&Ms Meant for the Gingerbread House

Oops, we ate the doorknob. And the shingles...

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classic christmas foods dinner rolls
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13. Dinner Rolls

Like that actress who always plays the best friend whose name you can never remember: lovable and reliable.

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classic christmas foods coquito
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12. Coquito

Eggnog's coconut-y (and far superior) cousin. Bring on the spiced rum, amigas.

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classic christmas foods green bean casserole
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11. Green Bean Casserole

Fried onions from a can never cease to delight (even if we eat them for an entire month straight).

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classic christmas foods brie
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10. Brie with Literally Anything

Crackers? Classic. Apples? Great. Baked with pomegranate arils? Heck yes. Old tires? We’d try it.

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classic christmas foods pheasant
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9. Pheasant

Oh, you fancy, huh?

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classic christmas foods pecan pie
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8. Pecan Pie

Gooey filling, flaky pie crust and sugared nuts—so worth the future cavities.

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classic christmas foods roast beef
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7. Roast Beef

Turkey who? Sorry, we were distracted by this tender main's herb-crusted exterior. It never fails to impress (and it's way less fussy than a whole bird).

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classic christmas foods fudge
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6. Fudge

Chocolate, vanilla, caramel. We're not picky when it comes to this decadent dessert.

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classic christmas foods gravy
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5. Gravy

Dare we say gravy is almost tastier than what goes underneath it?

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classic christmas foods hot cocoa
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4. Hot Cocoa

It's sweet, creamy, comforting and tastes like childhood. Pass the sugar cookies so we can get to dunking.

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classic christmas foods roasted potatoes
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3. Roasted Potatoes

Potatoes cooked in fat for hours. 'Nuff said.

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classic christmas foods mashed potatoes
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2. Mashed Potatoes

Yeah, we ranked potatoes back to back. Deal with it.

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classic christmas foods peppermint bark
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1. Peppermint Bark

Give us the peppermint tree. In fact, give us the whole damn forest. Bow down to the reigning king.

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18 Classic Christmas Desserts, Ranked from “No Thanks, I’m Stuffed” to “Seconds, Please”


Taryn Pire is PureWow’s associate food editor. A former bartender and barista, she’s been writing about all things delicious since 2016, developing recipes, reviewing restaurants and investigating food trends at Food52, New Jersey Family Magazine and Taste Talks. When she isn’t testing TikTok’s latest viral recipe, she’s having popcorn for dinner and posting about it on Instagram @cookingwithpire.


taryn pire
Taryn Pire

Food Editor

Taryn Pire is PureWow’s food editor and has been writing about all things delicious since 2016. She’s developed recipes, reviewed restaurants and investigated food trends at...
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