Your family holidays might or might not resemble a Berzatto Family Christmas, but we can all use a little support in creating the happiest holidays. Your friends at Wine Enthusiast would like to help. We asked our staff for their favorite holiday tips, how to’s and hacks for making merry without losing it. Plus, the WE Tasting Dept. recommends bottles to bring to the feast. Photographer Marshall Troy, Photography Assistant Kevin Glazer, Prop Stylist Grace Knott, Food Stylist Barrett Washburne, Food Stylist Assistant Lauren Radel Photographer Marshall Troy, Photography Assistant Kevin Glazer, Prop Stylist Grace Knott, Food Stylist Barrett Washburne, Food Stylist Assistant Lauren Radel Holiday How-Tos Peel Garlic For some strange reason, my sister always peeled garlic with the edge of a paring knife before chopping or mincing until I taught her to smash the whole garlic clove with the flat side of a large chef’s knife so the skin cracks right off. This hopefully helps someone else to learn this before they are in their 30s. —John Capone, Managing Editor Break the Holiday Dinner Monotony My family used to enjoy the same type of dishes for both Thanksgiving and Christmas: turkey, ham, mashed potatoes, green beans and mac and cheese. Over time, we became bored because the holidays are so close together. Christmas is our opportunity to break the holiday monotony and try new foods. The only rule: It must be homemade. Since we’ve started our new Christmas dinner tradition, we’ve enjoyed lobster rolls, Cajun shrimp nachos, linguine with clams, Bolognese, Kung Pao chicken, coq au vin, jambalaya and tofu pad Thai. —Jacy Topps, Assistant Editor Give a White Elephant Present According to legend, it was a King of Siam who gifted actual white elephants to his courtiers as revenge (if you think your apartment is tight…). For your present-day exchange, buy something that makes you smile, share the King’s tale, and rest assured, your cousin or coworker is thankful to not be going home with a tusked animal. —Bonnary Lek, Director of Public Relations Gamify Your Gift Exchange Some bring a bottle of wine—I prefer to bring the heat. Whether it’s Scattergories or LCR, choose a game that accommodates multiple players. Organize with the host or have everyone chip in on an inclusive gift for the winner. It might not be a “friendly” competition when it involves your family, but it does make the evening more fun (especially when—not if— you win). —Samantha Sette, Web Producer Photographer Marshall Troy, Photography Assistant Kevin Glazer, Prop Stylist Grace Knott, Food Stylist Barrett Washburne, Food Stylist Assistant Lauren Radel Photographer Marshall Troy, Photography Assistant Kevin Glazer, Prop Stylist Grace Knott, Food Stylist Barrett Washburne, Food Stylist Assistant Lauren Radel Holiday Hacks Get the Kids to Sit Still (Without an iPad) You could keep the kids occupied by having them help with the meal (mixing, stirring, etc.), but when I watch the game from the kitchen, they might also learn math when I teach them about point spreads. —Craig Chamberlain, Senior Tasting Coordinator Pre-Batching My holiday hack is pre-batching cocktails. Nothing like having a Negroni already assembled and waiting in the freezer to serve guests quickly (especially early arrivers), or to serve a quick nip to yourself while checking for the umpteenth time on that turkey in the oven. —Kara Newman, Spirits Reviewer Sauce Smackdown The pandemic put the kibosh on what used to be my annual latke party for Hanukkah. I always made three varieties: standard potato, parsnip and scallion, and curried sweet potato. My apartment would stink of oil for a good week after the last latke was gobbled up, but it was always worth it. This might be the year I bring the party back—it’s time. —Rachel Tepper Paley, Digital Managing Editor Favorite Family Food Tradition The annual smackdown about what goes better with latkes, applesauce or sour cream: I’m Team Applesauce all the way! —Kara Newman, Spirits Reviewer Cheers-Worthy NA Along with our wine and batched cocktails, we like to have at least one special non-alcoholic option on hand for guests. A favorite of mine— discovered while pregnant—are the 4-packs of Lagunitas Hoppy Refresher in bottles. While it doesn’t taste like a NA version of an IPA, it’s crisp and delicious and feels more celebratory and inclusive in hand than a can of LaCroix. —Anna Archibald, Fact Checker Keep Everyone Involved I learned this one from over a decade living in England, where no holiday meal is complete without Christmas crackers. Give kids—and adults—these colorful packages of twisted-up cardboard that can be violently ripped open with a satisfying “bang”: Tissue paper crowns, mini-puzzles and toys come spilling out. It’s also nearly impossible to get annoyed by your least favorite uncle when he’s wearing one of those ridiculous crowns. —Christina Pickard, Writer at Large Photographer Marshall Troy, Photography Assistant Kevin Glazer, Prop Stylist Grace Knott, Food Stylist Barrett Washburne, Food Stylist Assistant Lauren Radel Photographer Marshall Troy, Photography Assistant Kevin Glazer, Prop Stylist Grace Knott, Food Stylist Barrett Washburne, Food Stylist Assistant Lauren Radel Holiday Tips Prep Your Pastry If you’ve inherited the role of resident baker like I have, it can be a simultaneously fun and stressful task. When juggling hosting with preparing pies for dessert (yes, it is always plural in my house), I get my pastry formed, rolled and into the desired tins to store in the freezer the week prior. That way, when ready to bake, I can focus on the fillings and not the fiddly dough. —Stacy Briscoe, Senior Editor Clean As You Go Wash and clean as you’re cooking and prepping. You’ll save yourself a big headache later when all you want to do is sit, relax and enjoy yourself with your guests. —Jesse Reiter, Visuals Producer Save Precious Fridge Space The back porch is cold enough to chill my stash of beer—and it isn’t in the fridge where my cousins can get at it. —John Holl, Beer and Hard Seltzer Reviewer Get Your Food Gifts Straight Whether for a host or under the tree, tread carefully when gifting edibles (not those edibles, silly). Yes to: caviar, saffron, dried porcini mushrooms, real aged balsamico, jamón ibérico de bellota, See’s Candies. No to: fancy salt, designer mustard, cheap chocolate, peppermint bark, flavored coffee, and anything that weighs over 2 pounds. —Nils Bernstein, Contributing Editor, Food Make Your Own Me Time I get some “me time” by smoking the roast beast (aka a 6 bone-in ribeye) all day. Not only do I enjoy the time outside, even when it is super cold, but the family also appreciates the results. —Jeff Porter, Reviewer, Northern Italy Do As the Scandinavians Do Hosting an exchange student from Denmark a few years ago brought the trend of hygge into my home, and nothing is more hyggeligt than candles. Among the new traditions my household has adopted, thanks to Mikkel and his family, is the Christmas countdown candle, or kalenderlys. The premise is simple: A tall, festive candle with 24 lines on it is lit every day until Christmas. —Melissa Babcock Johnson, Copy Editor Don't Skip Dessert Wine It really tops off a party to open a half-bottle or two of classy dessert wine. They’re not too alcoholic, and you don’t do a big pour, plus when else are you going to drink those bottles you have stashed away? When you look around, every wine region in the world makes a sweet, special wine for the dessert course. The key to pairing is for the wine to be sweeter than the dessert. Here are some to try. —Jim Gordon, Senior Editor, Tasting This article originally appeared in the December 2023 issue of Wine Enthusiast magazine. Click here to subscribe today! Bring the World of Wine to Your Doorstep Subscribe to Wine Enthusiast Magazine now and get 1 year for $70 $29.99. Subscribe