How to Host a Christmas Bring a Board Night
Looking for a Christmas get-together that doesn't involve cooking a full festive dinner? Bring a Board Night is an easy way to get everyone involved.
The idea is simple: invite your friends or family, give everyone a different board to bring and fill the table with food made for picking, dipping and sharing.
From cheese and charcuterie to desserts and festive nibbles, everyone can take ownership of something different. And for the centre of the table? We're calling dibs on the chip board.
Here's how to host your own Christmas Bring a Board Night - with a festive wreath twist.
1. Give Everyone a Board
Start by deciding who's bringing what. Giving everyone a theme helps avoid ending up with five cheese boards and absolutely nothing else.
You could try:
- The cheese board: cheeses, crackers, fruit and chutneys
- The festive board: pigs in blankets, stuffing, roast vegetables and cranberry sauce
- The veggie board: crudités, roasted vegetables, dips and festive bites
- The sweet board: chocolates, biscuits, fruit and Christmas treats
- The chip board: hot, crispy McCain chips with toppings and dips
The boards don't need to match. That's part of the fun – everyone brings their own take on the theme and you put everything together when they arrive.
2. Let McCain Take Care of the Chip Board
Every Christmas sharing table needs a crowd-pleaser – and this one is made for the middle of the table.
Turn your McCain chips or fries into a festive Christmas wreath, arranged for everyone to gather around, grab a chip and get dipping. Load it up with your favourite festive toppings, add a dip in the centre and you've got a sharing board that's almost too good to pull apart. Almost.
Want to make your own? Follow our Christmas Wreath recipes for an easy way to recreate it at home.
For a proper festive version, try Chips in Blankets, loaded with pigs in blankets, melted Brie, gravy mayo and cranberry drizzle.
Or make dipping the main event with Fondue Chips, pairing crispy McCain Home Chips with warm, gooey Camembert and crunchy crudités.
For something with a little more heat, Chipmas Nachos combine fries with turkey, stuffing, melted cheese, salsa and sour cream.
You can make one big chip board for the middle of the table or divide your fries into sections with different toppings and dips.
3. Give Your Board a Christmas Wreath Makeover
This is where Christmas Wreath Night comes in.
Instead of simply piling everything onto a board, arrange your ingredients in a large circle to create an edible Christmas wreath.
McCain chips make an easy base. Arrange them around the outside of a large round platter, leaving space in the centre for a bowl of dip.
Then add colour and texture with festive ingredients – think fresh herbs, crispy greens, cranberry sauce, roasted vegetables or your favourite Christmas toppings.
Our Hawaiian Dip & Chip Wreath is one way to try it, combining crispy chips with runny eggs and festive toppings for a pull-apart sharing dish.
You could also take inspiration from Fondue Fries and put warm Camembert in the centre of your wreath so everyone can grab a chip and dip.
You could also take inspiration from Fondue Chips and put warm Camembert in the centre of your wreath so everyone can grab a chip and dip.
4. Pick Your Christmas Dips
A good chip board needs plenty of dipping options.
Mix familiar favourites with festive flavours. Try warm gravy, cranberry sauce, garlic mayo, curry ketchup, hot honey or melted cheese.
Put the dips into small bowls around the board rather than pouring everything over the chips. It gives everyone a choice – and helps keep those chips crispy.
You could even ask another guest to take responsibility for the dip board, bringing a selection for everyone to try.
5. Use What You've Already Got
If you're hosting between Christmas and New Year, your fridge can do some of the work.
Leftover turkey, stuffing, pigs in blankets, cheese, Brussels sprouts and roast vegetables can all find a home on a festive board.
For inspiration, Chipmas Dinner transforms turkey, stuffing, sprouts and gravy into loaded chips, Chips in Blankets uses up those pigs in blankets, sprouts and brie, while Salt and Pepper Festive Fries gives Brussels sprouts a completely different makeover.
6. Make It a Night, Not Just Dinner
The food is only part of what makes Bring a Board Night special. It’s an excuse to get your favourite people together, get creative and have the kind of Christmas night in that everyone else wishes they’d been invited to.
Give everyone their own board theme and let them put their own spin on it – whether they go all-out festive, keep it classic or turn up with something completely unexpected. Then make the big board reveal part of the night and bring everyone’s creations together into one seriously impressive Christmas spread.
And obviously, phones out before anyone dives in. Film everyone revealing their boards for a Bring a Board TikTok, capture the full spread for a Reel or snap each creation for your Stories. Because if your Christmas table looks this good, it deserves a spot on the group chat and the feed.
Ready to Bring a Board?
The beauty of a Christmas Bring a Board Night is that everyone contributes.
Someone brings the cheese. Someone brings the sweet stuff. Someone inevitably takes Christmas nibbles very seriously.
And McCain? We'll bring the chips.
Build your chip board, turn it into a festive wreath, put the dips in the middle and get everyone around the table.
Explore our 12 dishes of Chipmas.