Every year, one month before the holidays, my mom and my grandmother would start planning. The two of them hosted Christmas: One would take Christmas Eve, the other Christmas Day. My mom would start by writing out a work-back schedule, scribbled notes peeking out of cookbooks that included ideas for specialty cocktails and cookies. She excelled at all aspects of hosting parties, from the cooking to the music to the games, keeping up traditions but changing things up enough to keep us interested.

My nonna does not believe in that kind of change. We know exactly what to expect. On Christmas Eve, we’re greeted by a small appetizer table filled with seafood salad, stuffed mushroom caps, cubes of cheese and pickled vegetables. You know not to overdo it early on because the feast is just beginning. Pasta with mussels and stuffed squid is next, followed by fried fish fillets, sautéed shrimp, veggies, scallops, crab and lobster.