I would go with ham or a turkey breast

Ham doesn’t take as much time in oven

Make ahead mashed potatoes or yams

A veg you like. Broccoli, scalloped corn, creamed peas or spinach

Cheese and crackers as app A small cake from the bakery or Costco A can of crescent rolls Salad if you want it

Maximize the efficiency of your kitchen. If your main course uses the oven, try to make at least one of your sides something that can cook in the oven with it at the same temperature. For example, a ham and some baked sweet potatoes or scalloped potatoes or a green bean casserole. That will leave your stovetop free for things like stovetop mac and cheese, glazed carrots, or sautéed Brussels sprouts with bacon. If your main needs the stove top, try to use the oven for most of your side dishes so you aren't having to juggle pans and burners. Include some cold dishes that can be made ahead, such as carrot or pickled beet salad, Waldorf salad, or marinated vegetables. Choose desserts that can be made ahead and refrigerated, such as tiramisu, cheesecake, flan, or cream-based pies, etc. to help keep your counters clear enough to work the day of the meal.

Smallish turkey crown, sausage meat, stuffing, braised red cabbage. That's all in the oven, largely fire and forget.

Veg is prepped the day before. Potatoes, carrots, parsnips peeled & chopped. Par boil those, roast while the turkey is resting and leave half the potatoes for further boiling for mash.

Bread sauce is made the day before and is warmed in the microwave.

Brussel sprouts are also par boiled early, quartered and sauted with some bacon & almonds.

That gives you turkey, two potatoes, carrots, parsnips, sprouts and bread sauce.

A pretty comprehensive dinner with only using a few pans, most things in the oven.

Lasagna with a side salad, bread, wine and dessert.

Red wine braised beef, mashed potatoes, and salad. While the beef is braising for a few hours. Make the mashed potatoes, put them in a casserole dish, and clean up the pot and utensils you used to make them. Make the salad and stick in the fridge. Put the potatoes in the oven for the last 20-30 minutes to get the browned top and clean up anything else that made a little mess. Now you only have 3 things plus dinnerware to clean up after dinner. You could toss some dinner rolls in the oven too, if you like.

My mother’s traditional Christmas dinner was ham, broccoli with hollandaise, cheese grits, hot curried fruit and Sister Schubert’s rolls. Sub make-ahead mashed potatoes for the cheese grits if you prefer, or buy them from Costco (I hear they’re very good). Transfer the Costco potatoes to your own dish, of course. Hollandaise can be made the day before if you heat it veeerry slowly, just until warm enough to pour (not hot) in a pitcher in a bowl of warmish water, stirring frequently. You can even blanch/parcook the broccoli ahead of time and toss in a skillet to finish. The key here is to do as much ahead of time as you can. Include a salad with whatever menu you decide to use. Prep the veggies ahead of time, bag, refrigerate and the next day toss with your greens to serve. No dishes to wash. Baked russet or sweet potatoes- same, no dishes required. Compatible with anything else in the oven at 350F.

Also, one year we had lobster and it was beautiful and of course very quick to prepare. Well, after the giant pot of water finally boiled.

Pork tenderloin - depending on how hearty eaters they are you could cook 2 in a baking dish or on a sheetpan. Always nice cooked with apples, onions & Dijon mustard. Looks pretty cut up on a platter.

If you can make mashed potatoes ahead of time and keep warm in a crockpot that’s nice. Or a cheese potato casserole in your oven.

I love the skinny French green beans sautéed in a pan with olive oil and garlic, last minutes. Add slivered almonds if you’re fancy.

Bread and a salad if you like.

They can bring dessert!

I've started making roasted veggies instead of mashed potatoes and sweet potato casserole and green bean casserole. Saves some time and cuts it down to a single dish. I use whatever fresh veggies I find at the store and this year I fried bacon and used the grease instead of oil and just before finishing added the bacon and grated parmesan to the top.

I recently did a slow roasted salmon (topped with a date, goat cheese and pistachio crumble) and asparagus both of the same temp. And served with a parmesan risotto. My parents loved it.

I’ve got a lot of ideas if you feel like looking!

Do a ham in the crockpot. Or oven. I buy the microwave mashed potatoes like Bob Evan’s, cook some canned green beans, corn, heat and serve rolls and cranberry sauce.

Precooked smoked turkey - just defrost heat and serve. Tried first time this year and it’s a winner. No worries about contamination as it’s fully cooked !