Where to Find Great Christmas Dinner Recipes

If you're anxious to start your cooking and baking extravaganza this Christmas, you'll need to arm yourself with some classic recipes that will please the whole family. If your past Christmas dinners have left you with a disappointing mess, you may not have found the right set of instructions to show you the way; from Julia Child's traditional recipes to a spiritual approach with the What Would Jesus Eat cookbook, here's where you'll find some great Christmas dinner recipes that will soon become all-time favorites:

Williams-Sonoma Christmas
From classic English Yorkshire pudding to roast goose with chestnut stuffing, this recipe book offers plenty of pictures to spur you into Christmas menu-making. You'll learn how to make gourmet entrees and appetizers, and even brush up on decadent breakfasts for Christmas or New Year's morning. Christmas dinner is easier than you think, thanks to the simple instructions and photos.

Epicurious Christmas Dinner Recipes (online)
Head to Epicurious for a roundup of festive entrees, desserts, and appetizers that have made an appearance in Gourmet magazine over the years. This is the easiest way to 'page' through previous issues of the magazine and pluck out only the Christmas dinner items you need. The website is also a great place to watch chef interviews and learn a few cooking basics.

What Would Jesus Eat Cookbook for Christmas Dinner
The cookbook takes a no-nonsense approach to eating and making food so that you can enjoy healthy and wholesome meals that are based on biblical and historical studies of what Jesus and his fellow men may actually have eaten--not over Christmas, of course, but for other celebrations. Since the focus is on good health and natural foods, you can choose from fresh fruits, whole grains, fish and seafood, and many uses of olive oil. Christmas dinner recipes feature healthy alternatives and variations of the classics.

Betty Crocker Christmas Cookbook
This one really is a gift that can keep on giving, a cookbook that works just as well as a coffeetable centerpiece as it does as a full-fledged recipe book. You'll be well equipped with tips and strategies for baking the ultimate cookie batch, as well as preparing for your Christmas dinner with gourmet appetizers, snacks, and holiday drinks. It has everything you need to pull off a fabulous get-together.

Bon Appetit: The Christmas Season
Bon Appetit magazine editors have put together this compilation of the best Christmas dinner recipes for your holiday celebration. You'll find both new and traditional recipes here, along with holiday menu outlines and even Christmas cookie-making tips. Unfortunately, there aren't too many pictures in this book for you to drool over, but the book does feature some classic recipes -Yuletide desserts, Phyllo-wrapped Salmon, and creative Christmas cocktails you won't find anywhere else!

When you're ready to make a fabulous Christmas dinner, round up a few classic recipes with any of these great cookbooks, or simply jump online for a strong start no the festivities.