Christmas and New Year's Eve at Minor Hotels: Enjoy our festive menus

Treat yourself to the best gift of all – unforgettable Christmas and New Year’s Eve menus at Minor Hotels

It’s that time of the year when you can treat yourself to the best gift of all: an unforgettable Christmas dinner at Minor Hotels. Our festive Christmas and New Year’s Eve menus make it the perfect choice for celebrating the season. The hotels offering Christmas dinner are ideal for many reasons: our exclusive atmosphere, prime locations, attentive service, and above all, the exceptional quality of our culinary offerings. At Minor Hotels, you’ll experience authentic local Christmas traditions and festive gastronomy.

No matter where you plan to go, our hotels offer the highest quality, and we assure you that you’ll receive outstanding service with a touch of originality and luxury.

Germany

For Germans, Christmas is no time to diet. They have a vast selection of festive foods. For those who follow religious traditions, the main courses before Christmas Eve midnight mass will be based on fish, particularly, carp. Otherwise, dining goose or turkey, has become popular, and enjoying a Bratwurst during the Christmas feast is also quite typical, especially it comes with a side dish made of a kind of potato fritter and possibly kale. For dessert, a lot of gingerbread! As for the drinks the essential tastes you are probably to come across are: mulled wine and egg liqueur.

The Netherlands

Dutch Christmas food has been, by tradition, conquered by spices, flour, dried fruits, and sugar. Today there are still some sweet treats that are only eaten during the festivities like for example, ginger nuts. Feasts consist of poultry dishes with plenty of vegetables and Christmas bread. They might also have a hot plate made up ofmini pans containing their choice of meat or vegetables, known as gourmetten. For dessert a pudding, and a cup of warm hot chocolate with whipped cream, is typical. Similar to the Germans, during the feast they drink egg-nog and mulled wine.

Spain

If Spain is already well-known for its gastronomy, imagine the delicacies that can be found during the country’s most popular holidays. During the festive seasons dinner usually consists of particular foods, but these vary from region to region. No matter where you are though, it’s very typical for the meal to be dominated by either seafood, pork, or lamb (you can also enjoy this menu in our hotels´ Christmas dinner menu). Sides usually vary from family to family, but a large quantity is assured! Nationwide, sweet dishes are everywhere and from the beginning of you’ll start seeing these things everywhere: white, brown, or chocolate nougat, locally known as Turrón, polvorones and the traditional ring-shaped cake that the Spanish call “Roscón de Reyes”.  The best thing, the holiday season is longer, running until January 6th and the arrival of The Three Wise Men.

Italy

When it comes to Christmas, food is possibly the most important part of tradition in Italy. Some Italians have up to 21 courses (The Trinity times the 7 sacraments). Bestowing to traditional religious practice, the meal for Christmas Eve doesn’t have any meat. It’s all fish and vegetables. Commonly they start with octopus, and shellfish. Then, of course, comes the pasta. Although Italian are not fans of dessert, Christmas is an exception. They vary from sweet breads, to cookies, to chocolate-or coffee-flavored ricotta-filled omelets, and to spiced nut pastries, depending on the region.

Mexico

In Mexico, Christmas Holidays are the most awaited of all year. Especially because everyone has been waiting and dieting the entire year, to jump into the festivities headfirst! On Christmas eve some may proceed to midnight mass, and then everyone gathers for a true feast, typically including roast turkey, cod, romeritos (a dish made with the romerito plant combined with Mexican mole), tamales, pork and chicken. For dessert, options will most definitely be varied but favorites include a traditional apple salad, sliced strawberries with whipped cream, and rice pudding. The holiday season in Mexico is longer than in other countries, as in January we celebrate The Three Kings with “Rosca de Reyes" on January 6th and then delight in the flavors of tamales during "El Día de la Candelaria" on February 2nd, celebrating the Christ child.

Germany

In Germany, people make lovely gingerbread houses and cookies, and boys dress up as kings and carry a star round the village, singing carols; and children leave letters on the windows for Christkind, a flying character dressed in white clothes and a golden crown who brings gifts on the 24th December at night. On the 24th an important midnight mass for those choosing to celebrate the ultimate Christmas traditions takes place. Three weeks earlier however, on December 5th a shoe or boot is left outside the door with hopes that the following morning you’ll find presents, from St. Nikolaus or, unfortunately if you have been bad, a rod.

New Year’s is called Silvester named in honor of Pope Silvester who died on December 31, 335 AD. At midnight, fireworks are lit and people make noise as its said loud noises drive ghosts and evil away. Partygoers crowd the streets to watch the display, drink Sekt and kiss. After people go to large events, usually sponsored by companies, where you can dance the night away. Some may also choose to celebrate in a smaller circles, watching movies on television. Traditions also include lead pouring -to look into the future, or listening to church bells ringing in the new year.

In addition, if you want to life this German experience during Christmas, we would recommend you to stay in one of our hotels in Berlin and enjoy with NH Hotels a delicious Christmas dinner.

The Netherlands

Christmas here starts earlier with most gift-giving is done on December 5th, St. Nicholas Eve, considered the eve of Sinterklaas’ (Santa Claus) birthday. On this eve, Sinterklaas journeys to the homes of every child in the Netherlands and leaves small gifts for them to enjoy. December 25 is a religiously-driven holiday involving church services, concerts, and recitals performing religious material. Rural eastern areas are well known for the midwinter hoornblazen, or midwinter horn blowing. In addition, Christmas traditions in the Netherlands include beautiful holiday decorations, like Christmas pine trees or nativity scenes, seasonal treats, and sharing presents between family members and friends. 

The most common New Year's Day symbol in the Netherlands are fireworks that are traditionally set off at midnight between December 31 and January 1. In some towns and cities, public parties or bonfires are also held. Although cold weather is almost guaranteed, some places organize a New Year's Dive where participants dive into nearby bodies of water to swim a small distance. Additionally, special types of sweet dough is eaten on New Year’s day, such as oliebollen (oil balls - a kind of spherical donut) made with or without raisins, covered with icing sugar.

Spain

Most people in Spain go to midnight mass on Christmas eve, starting Christmas day walking through the streets carrying torches. Children have some presents on Christmas Day, but most are opened at Epiphany with the arrival of Los Reyes Magos (The Three Wise Men). Letters are written to the Kings on December 26th, asking for toys and presents. Similar to the April Fool’s Day, on December 28th people trick each other, known as Día de los inocentes (day of the innocent). On Epiphany Eve, January 5th, people leave shoes, freshly cleaned and polished so that the Kings know where to put the presents. Bad behavior can result in coal instead! Larger towns and cities even have Epiphany Parades.

New Year's Eve is called Nochevieja (old night) in Spain and one special tradition (and superstition) is that you eat 12 grapes when listening to the 12 strokes of the clock at Midnight. The first 12 seconds of the Spanish New Year are definitely quiet and intense, with everyone focusing on eating all 12 of the grapes. Each grape represents a month of the coming year, so by eating the 12 grapes before the chimes end, luck apparently accompanies you throughout the new year. The chimes or campanadas as they are locally known are broadcasted live on almost every TV channel, and is followed by fireworks, kisses, toasts and a party, normally until late into New Year’s morning.

If you want to enjoy with NH Hotels your Christmas dinner , we recommend you to stay in one of our hotels in Madrid city centre.

Italy

Most Italians open their presents on Christmas Day morning or after lunch, but here it’s La Befana (a kind witch), who brings the gifts and sweets. It’s believed she followed the wise men, got lost and has been wandering ever since, giving presents to children at Christmas. On January 6th they celebrate the Epiphany and it's a custom for children to receive a stocking. Furthermore, a Nativity scene is featured in many places with actors wandering around small streets interpreting ancient trades. Travelling musicians also perform traditional Christmas songs wearing bright red jackets and broad-brimmed hats with red tassels. 

During what they call Capodanno, Italians have an abundance of celebrations and fireworks all over the country, rejoicing the end of the old year. La Festa di San Silvestro on December 31st is where most of the partying takes place. It is a custom for lentils to be served on New Year’s Eve because they symbolize money and good wealth for the incoming year. What’s more, the dinner may also include Cotechino (a large spiced sausage) or a Campione (stuffed pig's trotter) as pork represents the fruitfulness of life in the coming year.

Mexico

Mexico’s traditions during Christmas and New Year’s Eve involve enjoyable moments that not only include food, such as buñuelos and ponche, but also some cultural rituals aimed at having a better upcoming year and receiving blessings in the fields of health, love and money. Holiday decorations such as the nativity scene and the decorated trees can be appreciated in each house or every place you visit. After Christmas dinner, Santa Claus visits the sleeping children leaving gifts under their trees to those who have been good all year. Usually, families take advantage of this night to enjoy each other’s company.

A week later, when New Year’s Eve arrives, families celebrate by taking trips or going out to nightclubs to dance the night away. The year-end rituals on December 31st include: eating lentils to attract money, placing candles in circular shapes for abundance, eating 12 grapes making one wish for each one, the cleaning and sweeping of the house to say goodbye to the old and taking a walk with your suitcases to tempt fate into giving you the chance to take a lot of trips in the upcoming year. On January 6th, the Three Kings Day is celebrated with gifts that are also delivered to children as well as eating the traditional Rosca de Reyes, (a ring-shaped bread) to worship the memory of the Christ child and the Three Kings. Last but not least, El Día de la Candelaria comes on February 2nd and involves eating tamales and gathering with your loved ones. With this last festivity, families start to say goodbye to the endless celebrations until the following year.

In addition, if you want to have a Christmas dinner in one of our hotels in Mexico and life this experience, we recommend you to stay at NH Collection Mexico City Centro Histórico.