10 Ways to Make Your Low-Carb Christmas Memorable and Fun

Here's how to make your 2020 low-carb holiday
the best Christmas you've had yet!

Last Updated: 12/16/2020

If you're trying to plan a great Christmas day, so you don't get kicked out of ketosis and have to suffer with weight gain come January, your old holiday habits might have you feeling a little bit lost and overwhelmed right about now.

Especially, if you've never traveled through the holidays while on Keto or Atkins before.

However, there is absolutely no need to fear.

Christmas dinner will still feel like Christmas, even without the carbs.

No need to worry there.

In fact, done right, there is no reason why your guests will even notice the missing carbs.

To make your 2020 holiday the best one yet, just follow our step-by-step process and no one will catch on to what you're doing . . . unless you tell them!

Do you want to be able to enjoy the holiday peacefully and without guilt, along with your family and friends?

That's the question that you need to really ask yourself right now.

Spiral-cut ham or a juicy prime roast beef make a traditional holiday meal here in the States. If that's what you're used to serving on Christmas Day, you'll be glad to know they are both carb free, depending on the glaze and spices you choose to use to fancy them up.

While the entrée is the easiest place to yank the carbs, when no one is looking, some of the appetizers, side dishes, and luscious desserts you might be used to whipping up to impress your family and friends might not be appropriate any more.

If that's the problem you're facing, don't despair.

All it takes to put together a memorable low-carb Christmas dinner is a little pre-thought and creativity.

Whether you're new to Keto this year or you have white-knuckled your way through the holiday season before, if you follow the 10 simple principles outlined below, your family and friends will have a fun time, even without the carbs.

1. Decide: How Many Carbs You Can Afford to Spend on Christmas Dinner

Obviously, you want to stay in the state of ketosis throughout the holidays, so the best approach to Christmas Dinner is to use yourself as the center of the meal plan, and then spread out from there.

While typical counsel for following a traditional low-carb diet is to spread your carbohydrates out throughout the day, for a special meal, many dieters choose to spend them all at one time.

Even if you're doing Atkins 40, you can give yourself permission to do things a bit different.

This may or may not work for you, depending on how easily overeating will trigger your cravings, so it's best to look at yourself realistically and know what you're going to do ahead of time. 

Don't wait until Christmas Day to make that decision.

Do it NOW!

There are two practical ways to solve this problem:

1. Go with all ketogenic foods and aim for not gaining weight over the holidays.
2. Stick closely to a particular carbohydrate content for the meal. 

Either way, you need to know what you're doing at the planning stage and not at the dinner table.

Making too many low-carb appetizers can
kick you out of ketosis

When you're staring at a beautiful table decked with tons of low-carb goodies, that isn't the time to discover you've created a meal that contains too many carbs.

Unfortunately, eating too many vegetables or other ketogenic good-stuff will throw you out of ketosis as easily as eating too many starchy carbs. It's the total carb count for the day that matters most.

I learned this lesson the hard way when I ate a large plate filled with fried zucchini one summer. My blood glucose level rose dangerously high and stayed there for hours after eating that plate of zucchini and bacon.

So remember:

Even if you only serve low-carb foods, it is best to stay within your critical carbohydrate level for losing or maintaining for the day. But how you do that is up to you.

2. Who is Going to Be There?

Once you know how many carbs you can afford to spend on your Christmas dinner plate, it's also a good idea to think about who is going to be coming for dinner.

• Is it just going to be you and hubby? 
• You, hubby, and the kids? 
• You and the kids? 
• Your extended family? 
• Other relatives? 
• Friends and neighbors?

Knowing who is coming to Christmas dinner and what their particular food sensitivities and preferences are is essential if you want the day to be memorable and fun for them.

Know who's coming to Christmas dinner,
so you can fine-tune the menu to fit food sensitivities

For example:

• Hubby and I are gluten free. Since I'm super sensitive to gluten, and used to not be able to be around other people who were eating gluten-containing foods, as it was far too easy to get glutened, the menu had to be 100-percent gluten free. I'm not that sensitive anymore, but I used to be.
• I have a sister that's vegan. Today, she's also going as raw as she can to correct health issues.
• One of my sister's sons is on a strict diet for a damaged kidney.
• My mom has problems with whole grains like popcorn and cheese.
• Our old landlord in Utah was diagnosed with Type 2 Diabetes just before we moved to Texas.
• My daughter-in-law here in Texas can't do mushrooms.

If all those people were to show up on Christmas Day, that's a lot of different nutritional requirements to juggle.

It's a good idea to know up-front who is coming for dinner and what additional limitations and adjustments (if any) you'll have to make to the menu besides just serving foods low in carbs.

3. Look Over What You Used to Make for Christmas

I'll be honest.

Switching to a low-carb lifestyle does require you to leave behind some of your favorite holiday foods. I'm certainly not going to tell you it doesn't.

While some dishes can be adapted to be lower in carbs and therefore legal, not everything can be.

If you're still in the weight-loss phase of Atkins 20 or Keto, potatoes and wheat-flour breads and cakes are definitely off limits, so you'll probably have to readjust your usual holiday menu quite a bit.

Even if you're on Atkins 40, Atkins 100, or maintenance, you need to be careful.

However, the amount of adjusting you have to do depends on what you're used to eating at Christmas, how many carbs you can afford to spend, and at which stage of the diet you're in.

At maintenance, for example, you'll have a lot more flexibility than you will if you're on Induction or in the Ongoing-Weight Loss phase of the Atkins Diet. Keto limits you to 20 to 30 carbs for the whole day, so you'll need to keep that in mind when planning the menu.

But don't automatically chuck out all of your holiday traditions.
Take a minute to look them over first.

Pull out your holiday recipes, and then decide what's doable and what is not. Often, it's just a matter of substituting a few vegetables for where the carbs used to be, or using a sugar substitute to replace those surgery carbs.

4. Take Advantage of the Senses

To make your holiday meal special,
don't skimp on color!

You want your holiday meal to be special. That's a given, so it needs to be colorful and smell like Christmas. In fact, the very first response to what you serve (way before anyone sticks anything in their mouth) will start with:

• sight
• smell
• hearing
• and touch

But Christmas isn't just about the food. How your table is laid out and what you choose to do about the kids will also play a role in how memorable and fun your day is.

For example, you might consider picking up a color-yourself tablecloth to keep the kids occupied. And then set up additional holiday tables that are more attractive for adults.

Just keep in mind that the:

• centerpiece
• place-cards, if using them
• placement of the dishes and trays on the table
• shapes and colors of the food
• food textures
• and what the food smells like

All contribute to the total sensory experience. And so does any music you might have playing in the background.

Most people are addicted to carby foods only because serving them has become a habit.

Food manufacturers and advertisers have convinced us that the holidays won't be special and memorable without certain foods being on the table.

This is not true.

What makes the holidays special and memorable is the sensory experience that you offer your family and guests, so don't ignore the senses when you're planning your Christmas dinner or party. Touch the sense of:

• sight
• hearing
• smell
• taste
• and touch

Do this as much as possible, and your family and guests will never miss the carbs.

5. Keep Things Simple

Color is important, so you don't have
to go overboard: simple deviled eggs are great!

The older I get, the less of a Christmas banquet I feel inclined to plan. I'm perfectly happy with an out-of-the-ordinary main dish and a couple of sides.

For us, that probably means a sweet potato dish and a vegetable. If I make an appetizer, it's likely to be:

• deviled eggs with bacon or jalapeno
• mushrooms stuffed with sausage
• a cheese ball with low-carb crackers or pork rinds
• homemade onion-pepper dip and cheese chips

(For dip and cheese ball recipes, check out our blog post on Superbowl Goodies.)

Since we snack on nuts a lot, they won't show up on a Christmas spread, but black olives and dill pickles might.

A nice raw vegetable tray with homemade Ranch or blue cheese dressing, and some homemade salsa for low-carb chips would also make a nice colorful presentation.

So would some meatballs or hot wings.

For years, I made my cheese chips out of real American cheese in the microwave, but when I ran into a blogger that used aged cheddar and baked them in the oven, I tried it that way for our Fake Christmas Cookies post I did awhile ago.

They come out lacy and delicate looking, rather than like cheesy pillows.

I've heard you can use grated Parmesan to do these or even do this in a skillet over the stove, but I have not tried those alternatives yet.

Although low-fat cheeses are typically frowned on when it comes to low-carb diets, using a low-fat hard cheese will make these cheese chips less greasy.

One of hubby's favorite appetizers is guacamole, but smashing up the avocado isn't the only way to serve avocados. While avocado can be added to your deviled-egg filling, cracker dip, egg salad, or fresh salsa for an added twist, just before serving, it also makes a nice appetizer all by itself.

Simply wrap slices of avocado in bacon and broil it until the bacon is crispy.

You can also dip avocado slices in beaten egg or Ranch dressing, bread with crushed pork rinds, and then bake in the oven until crisp. These could be done ahead, since the breading would prevent the avocado from darkening.

If you can handle low-carb tortillas, and their available in your area, try making up a few avocado quesadilla appetizers. Just sprinkle your tortillas with grated cheese and add avocado chunks or guacamole, fold in half, and fry in a little bit of butter until well browned. Cut the tortillas into triangles to serve.

Some chopped tomatoes, minced jalapeno, baby shrimp, or bacon bits would also be good in the filling.

The idea is to keep things simple, but take them to the next level by adding specialized ingredients, rather than making extra work for yourself.

6. The Nitty-Gritty of Planning the Main Dish - Your Budget

Don't set yourself up for Holiday stress.
Just stick within your meat budget,
and you'll be fine.

One of my favorite techniques when planning a special meal is to use recipes and dishes that we can't ordinarily afford to use throughout the year. This trick helps to make the holidays special, as well as gives us something to look forward to.

But you also have to be realistic.

If funds are tight this holiday season, a rib roast priced at $7.99 a pound won't be very practical.

A couple of game hens might be extremely nice to serve instead and will only set you back about $3.50 each. A couple of hens for a total of $7, or less, would make the perfect Christmas dinner for four.

These hens roast up super fast if you cut them in half and bake them skin-side up on a roasting rack. Use foil on the pan that's underneath the rack and clean up is also a breeze. I usually roast them at 375 degrees for 1 hour.

If you're on a budget, shopping the specials is a wise idea.

Spiral hams are a good price in our area right now. Kroger has them for 87 cents a pound if you spend at least 25 dollars on other things. They would make an excellent low-carb choice because leftovers could be used to make:

• ham-and-cheese roll ups
• lettuce wraps
• ham slices stuffed with dill pickle or cream cheese
• fake enchiladas
• sandwiches, using sliced cheese for the bread

Ham slices could also be tossed into a yummy chef salad that you could take to work with you.

The same goes for a turkey breast.

While more expensive than a whole turkey, you can toss the breast into a crock pot to make things easier, especially if your family is small.

But hey:

The truth is, you don't HAVE to be traditional. There's nothing wrong with serving:

• low-carb pizza
• spinach meatballs in a rich Alfredo sauce
• curried chicken wings
• hot-and-spicy chicken stir fry

As long as your main dish is colorful, smells delicious, and you love it -- that's all that matters.

7. Look for Low-Carb Substitutes

Sweet Potato Casserole
can be made with canned pumpkin

If you're still in the weight-loss phase of your low-carb diet, you'll need to look for ketogenic substitutes for some of your old Christmas favorites.

For example, you can make a really good fake sweet potato casserole by using pumpkin to replace the sweet potatoes.

If the casserole is big enough, you can even add a small sweet potato to the pumpkin to help with the disguise. For the topping, I used to use soy flour, along with the butter, sugar-free coconut, and pecans, but today, I use almond flour.

I don't ordinarily recommend using wheat protein flours in your low-carb recipes, since it can easily trigger celiac disease if you're susceptible to that, but if you're absolutely sure that you are not sensitive to wheat, you can use Carbquick baking mix.

8. Use Your Family's Favorite Vegetables

Two veggies that have been on my mind are:

1. Brussels sprouts
2. spinach

Hubby loves both of them. If you focus on veggies your family loves, eating low carb for Christmas will be more acceptable to them. Their minds will be focused on enjoying their favorite foods, rather than on more carbier stuff that's missing.

We eat a lot of broccoli and cauliflower at our house, so you're not likely to find either one on our Christmas dinner plate, but if you love broccoli and can't make it through the holiday without it, you can take it up a notch by making a broccoli salad rather than adding cooked broccoli to your holiday meal plans.

Hubby can't eat raw vegetables, as he doesn't have any bottom teeth. I've never made a raw broccoli salad before, but I have made one using cold cooked broccoli and it was very good. For mine, I also added some cheese chunks and pecans.

Just make sure that you don't overcook the broccoli. It needs to be firm enough to handle folding in the mayo.

Asparagus is actually hubby's favorite vegetable, especially with a rich cheese sauce.

If I were doing asparagus for Christmas:

Cut each asparagus stalk into 3 pieces. Place the strips into a microwave-safe casserole dish. Add some water, then cover it tightly. Nuke for about 5 minutes. 

If the asparagus is thicker, stir the pieces, and then return the dish to the microwave. You can nuke it again for 3 to 5 minutes to get it as done as you like it.

Low-carb cheese sauce is super easy:

I just melt 2 tablespoons butter with 4-ounces of cream cheese and 1/2 cup of heavy cream. Stir that up and heat until it is nice and smooth. I then fold in some real American cheese, 4 to 6 slices, and let it melt.

Bacon bits, mushrooms, and a few green onion slices will make the sauce extra special.

I also do Brussels sprouts in the microwave as well, since it's quick and easy:

Just slice each sprout in half and layer in a small microwave-safe dish. Sprinkle with lemon pepper, seasoning salt, and any other herbs or spices you like. Add a couple of tablespoons of water to the bottom of the dish and cover tightly. Nuking time depends on the size of the sprout, but normally, it takes 5 to 10 minutes.

9. Take Advantage of Pinterest for Low-Carb Recipes

Keep your eye on our Pinterest board
for great low-carb recipes.

Christmas has been at my kids' house ever since we moved to Texas, but I've been spending a little time over at Pinterest this past week looking at what the low-carb folks and people who eat gluten free have been pinning lately.

Searching Pinterest is fun.

At Pinterest, fellow low-carbers have pinned low-carb and gluten-free recipes they would like to try, recipes they have tried and loved, and pictures that easily spark the imagination with additional ideas and suggestions for tweaking dishes to be lower in carbs.

When it comes to Keto desserts, however, I'm utterly clueless these days. Since I used to react severely to all sugar substitutes, and have only recently begin to experiment with them, I haven't tried low-carb Christmas cookies yet.

I still pin low-carb desserts and other goodies to our All Things Keto board.

Here are two:

Low Carb Snowballs: When growing up, my mom always made snowballs for Christmas. I can't remember what she called them, but they were cookies shaped into balls and rolled in powdered sugar. They were a shortbread type of cookie that had a lot of butter in them and a lot of pecans. I felt a bit nostalgic when I ran into these Walnut Cardamom Snowballs that someone had made using almond flour and a little coconut flour.

A lot of the recipes I run into these days use low-glycemic sweeteners, such as sugar alcohols, but you could easily substitute your own favorite sweetener. In this case, however, the powdered erythritol makes an excellent substitute for powdered sugar.

Low Carb Christmas Sugar Cookies: I also ran into several different recipes for traditional Christmas cookies that you cut out with cookie cutters and then frost. This particular recipe is made with almond flour and little coconut flour. They are the thin and crispy type. If you'd prefer something softer, I'd roll the dough out thicker, probably 1/4-inch thick or more, and bake them for a shorter time period.

Low-Carb Buttercream Frosting is easy to make.

It's just an 8-ounce brick of soft cream cheese, a 1/2 cup of soft butter, a teaspoon of vanilla or other flavoring, and sweetener to taste. Whip with a hand mixer or stand mixer until nice and fluffy. You can also add 1/4 cup to 1/2 cup of heavy cream and continue beating for several minutes for a great buttercream frosting.

10. Presentation Matters

How you lay out the food matters.
Be artistic and have fun.

If you want your low-carb Christmas efforts to be memorable and fun, the way you present your food and drinks really matters.

• Add a few mint leaves to your drinks.
• Place cookie cutters in a non-stick skillet and pipe your low-carb pancake batter into them to shape your kids' pancakes for breakfast.
• Use the traditional Christmas colors of red and green when making your favorite layered gelatin and cream cheese salad the family has come to expect each year. 
• Or arrange your raw vegetable, cheese, and salami platter into the shape of a Christmas tree.

Coming up with creative ideas isn't difficult. Just make good use of Pinterest, pixabay images, or flicker images for ideas. Heck, you can even use Google images for photos that will spark your creativity and imagination.

The idea is to carry the Christmas theme into the way you present your low-carb dishes.

Think in terms of Christmas colors and shapes.

Edible Christmas trees or arranging the food into the shape of a wreath, star, or snowman can turn even the simplest food ideas into something special.

Instead of rolling your cheese balls in crushed pecans, you could dredge them in unsweetened coconut and stack two balls on top of each other to make a snowman. Use raisins or dried cranberries for the eyes and buttons, and a small piece of carrot for the nose. Surround the snowman with homemade low-carb cheese crackers and pepperoni chips.

Peeled hard-boiled eggs would also make cute miniature snowmen. Simply use sturdy toothpicks to hold one egg on top of the other. Slicing a bit off one end of the bottom egg will make the snowman sturdier and stand up better.

Or how about freezing Christmas trinkets or dark green mint leaves in your ice cubes? You could even write a Christmas greeting across the top of your low-carb cheesecake, and arrange some berries and kiwi slices around the saying.

Show Off Low Carb at its Very Best

Low-carb diets don't have to be boring -- ever.

And that includes the holidays.

So take a little initiative and go the extra mile to make your Christmas dinner menu creative as well as appetizing.

If you are mindful of your guests, use your family's favorite foods, include the kids in the festivities, and carry the Christmas theme throughout the entire meal, you'll end up with a celebration that you'll remember for years to come.

Holiday Recipes and Ideas to Make the Day Perfect:

Thanksgiving Side Dishes that are Still Perfect for Christmas
How to Roast the Perfect Holiday Bird
3 Best Keto Diet Tips for Losing Weight Over the Holidays
Yummy Spinach Pie Recipe
Low-Carb Chocolate Cake Recipe
Angel-Food Cupcakes