A Taste of Christmas Across America: Regional Holiday Dinners from Coast to Coast
While the Thanksgiving meal is pretty much universal across this great country of ours, the same can’t be said for Christmas dinner. Although turkey, dressing, and cranberry sauce were still nationwide favorites just a few years ago, that’s certainly no longer the case. According to recent surveys, what Americans serve today to make their family spirits bright depends largely on two factors— ancestral heritage and the region of the country where they live.
So let's take a look at what Christmas meals are popular in your region.
New England
Much of the food tradition in this region is anchored around seafood—lobster in Maine and stuffies (stuffed clams) in Rhode Island. Other popular dishes you’re likely to find on a New England Christmas table include a hearty 
chowder or oyster stew served with cheddar-rosemary cheese straws.
New Englanders in New Hampshire and Vermont also enjoy the sweet-tangy taste of cider-glazed ham—which should not come as a surprise, since they practically invented apple cider. Accompanying the ham, you may find sweet corn pudding and tender pearl onions bathed in a rich, creamy sauce.
No Christmas table would be complete without a delicious dessert—perhaps a wedge of moist, sweet buttermilk molasses cake, or a slice of Boston cream pie with its layers of sponge cake filled with velvety vanilla custard and topped with a glossy chocolate glaze. Of course, there’s also New Hampshire’s pumpkin pie, the Pine Tree State’s whoopie pies, and trays of Christmas cookies at any New England family gathering.
Mid-Atlantic
In many of the coastal areas—like Maryland, New York, and New Jersey— seafood still reigns supreme. Crab cakes, oysters, and other shellfish often take center stage, especially among Italian-American families celebrating their heritage with the Feast of the Seven Fishes on Christmas Eve.
Country ham is also a popular choice in this region, particularly in Virginia and West Virginia, where it’s often roasted and served with side dishes such as greens, sweet potato casserole, mashed potatoes, and biscuits or cornbread.
The Pennsylvania Dutch favor chicken pot pie made with egg noodles, as well as various pork dishes including scrapple. Sauerkraut is another common side dish.
Some popular desserts of the region include Smith island cake—the state cake of Maryland—molasses cake, and pies such as apple, shoofly. The entire region enjoys gingerbread and sugar cookies, introduced by German immigrants, along with Italian Christmas cookies.
The South
In the South, Christmas dinner is steeped in both hospitality and heritage. The table often centers around a beautifully glazed ham—sometimes with a honey-bourbon or brown sugar-mustard crust—or a golden roast turkey dressed with cornbread stuffing. Side dishes are the soul of the meal: buttered 
corn, collard greens, macaroni and cheese, and candied yams so sweet they could almost be dessert.
Biscuits and cornbread are non-negotiable, often baked in cast-iron skillets well seasoned through generations of use. In Louisiana, you might find a Creole spin on the holiday—oyster dressing, shrimp étouffée, or even a Christmas gumbo brimming with sausage and seafood.
For dessert, Southerners stay true to their roots: pecan pie, sweet potato pie, or a towering red velvet cake dressed in cream cheese frosting. A slice of Lane cake or key lime pie might make an appearance too, often enjoyed with a cup of strong coffee or eggnog spiked just enough to bring a rosy glow.
The Midwest
In the heartland, where winters are cold and family gatherings are warm, Christmas dinner leans toward hearty comfort foods. Prime rib, roast beef, or baked ham often headline the table, surrounded by creamy mashed potatoes, 
rich gravy, buttered rolls, and green bean casserole—a beloved Midwestern staple that has graced Christmas tables for generations.
In states with strong Scandinavian roots like Minnesota and Wisconsin, you’ll often find lefse, lutefisk, or Swedish meatballs served alongside modern favorites. And in the Great Lakes states, perch or walleye may join the feast, honoring local fishing traditions.
Midwestern desserts are all about nostalgia: Jell-O salads dotted with marshmallows, cranberry-orange molds, frosted sugar cookies, or pies made from tart Michigan apples. It’s food made to comfort, to share, and to linger over as snowflakes drift softly outside the window.
The Southwest
In the Southwest, Christmas carries a flavor all its own—a colorful blend of Native, Mexican, and cowboy traditions that fills the table with warmth and spice. In Texas, the star of the show might be a slow-roasted brisket or smoked turkey rubbed with chili and cumin, while in New Mexico, the season 
simply isn’t complete without tamales. Families gather for tamaladas—day-long cooking parties where generations come together to spread masa, fill corn husks, and steam the bundles to perfection.
Bowls of posole—a rich stew made with hominy, pork, and red or green chile—are often served alongside enchiladas, beans, and rice. It’s a meal meant to bring people together, both for its hearty flavors and its deep sense of community.
For dessert, the Southwest sweetens the evening with biscochitos, the delicate, anise-scented cookies of New Mexico (and the official state cookie), or Mexican wedding cookies dusted generously with powdered sugar. In many homes, hot chocolate gets an extra kick from cinnamon and chile, offering a warm, spicy comfort that feels just right on a desert winter night.
The West Coast
From the redwood forests to the Pacific shore, the West Coast’s Christmas table reflects both its abundance and its adventurous palate. California families often celebrate with Dungeness crab—fresh, buttery, and served with 
crusty sourdough bread—while others might opt for a tender prime rib or roasted salmon glazed with citrus and herbs.
Side dishes tend toward the fresh and colorful: roasted vegetables, avocado salads, wild rice with mushrooms, and sourdough stuffing made from artisan loaves. Oregon and Washington tables may feature hazelnut-encrusted fish or salmon chowder, nodding to their local harvests of both land and sea.
Desserts vary as widely as the landscape—from Meyer lemon bars and cranberry tarts to chocolate pots de crème or flourless almond cakes dusted with powdered sugar. The West Coast Christmas feels modern yet rooted in tradition, a feast that honors both the season and the spirit of innovation that defines the region.
A Shared Table
So there you have it—regional Christmas favorites from all across this great country. How does your family’s yuletide feast compare to the typical meal of your region?
As for mine, though we live in the heart of the southwest, we’ll have the traditional Italian seafood Christmas Eve dinner in honor of my wife’s heritage. On Christmas Day, we’ll celebrate with a huge ground beef and sausage lasagna made with homemade noodles, followed by warm fresh pear pie with a scoop of vanilla gelato, and a cup of strong coffee.
No matter where we live or what ends up on the table, the American Christmas dinner is really about the same thing everywhere—family, memory, and gratitude. Whether it’s tamales or turkey, crab cakes or cornbread, it’s the gathering itself that feeds our hearts. Each region adds its own flavor to the celebration, reminding us that even across all our differences, we still share one big kitchen called home.
