A North Carolina Christmas tends to blend classic Southern comfort with personal traditions that vary from family to family.
Holiday tables commonly feature ham, turkey, rich sides, and plenty of casseroles. For many households, these dishes are tied to strong childhood memories. A new national study from Taylor Farms offers insight into the festive flavors that people around the USA remember from childhood Christmases, along with ways that families today can update old favorites.
Culinary Christmas Traditions in the Carolinas
Across the South, ham stands out as the most memorable Christmas centerpiece. According to the study, 50.4 percent of Southerners say ham was the main dish they associate with their childhood Christmas meal.
Turkey follows at 33.9 percent, and 11.3 percent recall roast beef. These numbers align closely with the broader national pattern, where ham also leads at 49.3 percent. In many North Carolina homes, these dishes still anchor the holiday table and remain central to family traditions.
Southern Sides
Side dishes carry just as much nostalgia. In the South, mashed potatoes remain the top choice, with 52.2 percent of respondents naming them as their favorite Christmas side from childhood. Stuffing follows at 47.8 percent, and mac and cheese is close behind at 47.3 percent – the highest percentage of any region.
These sides are well known across North Carolina holiday gatherings and often appear along with sweet potato casserole, green bean casserole, and the Carolina classic hoppin’ John.
Is Christmas Food Evolving?
While these familiar, nostalgic flavors still define the holiday meal, the study also shows that many Americans want to shift toward lighter, fresher options after the big day.
A total of 64 percent say they would like to have healthier choices during Christmas, and 73 percent are willing to incorporate vegetable-forward dishes that still feel festive. This is perhaps something families could think about when contemplating what to do with leftover ham, potatoes, casseroles, and vegetables.
Giving Leftovers a New Lease of Life
Taylor Farms has shared several practical ways to incorporate healthier elements into your leftovers, or to update festive classics to make them lighter and leaner. For example, you can augment (or even replace) mashed potatoes with creamy mashed cauliflower. It has plenty of flavor and texture but half the calories.
Similarly, you can stretch out sweet potato casserole with roast squash, greens, bacon, and a touch of maple for that sweet/savory tang.
Saving Seasonal Sides
Stuffing is one of the most common leftovers in North Carolina homes. Taylor Farms suggests updating it for a healthier era by using acorn squash cups filled with a savory cauliflower mixture.
This can easily be used to stretch out traditional stuffing for days after Christmas. You can also mix leftover stuffing with roasted vegetables or cauliflower rice, and serve it in roasted squash halves for a simple lunch that’s both delicious and well-balanced.
Another staple in Southern holiday cooking, green bean casserole, often does not hold up well as a leftover. Taylor Farms recommends replacing it with air-fried Brussels sprouts paired with goat cheese and pistachios. This is a great healthy swap for the main meal, or an excellent idea for a post-holiday reset. Fresh Brussels sprouts can complement leftover ham or turkey and help cut through the heavier foods that dominated Christmas Day.
Blending Carolina Tradition With Healthy Habits
For families in Charlotte and across North Carolina, these ideas offer a way to keep the flavors of Christmas without repeating the same plates for several days. They also reflect a broader trend identified in the study.
People want to preserve tradition but are also open to lighter approaches than the heavier, carb-rich foods of the past. As Charis Neves of Taylor Farms notes, holiday dishes carry strong emotional weight, but modern families increasingly look for ways to balance nostalgia with healthier eating.
Reinventing leftovers fits neatly into that goal. Instead of letting casseroles and starchy sides linger, families can use them as a base for meals that feel fresh and practical. With simple updates, the flavors of Christmas past can last into the New Year – but with a lighter and more contemporary feel.
