Whole hog
An impressive appetizer, if you have 60 people to enjoy it, is a roast pig from Hon’s Wun-Tun House (various locations). A whole 35- to 40-pound pig costs $198 and can be ordered for pickup three business days in advance at 604-688-0871, extension 290. A more traditional—and reasonably sized—option is a whole, soy-sauce-basted roast turkey ($7.35 per pound). A turkey plus six platters—such as fried rice and garlic spareribs—costs $220 and feeds 25 people. (Order two days in advance.)

Turkey twist
For a turkey feast with a Chinese flavour, T&T Supermarket is offering holiday take-out dishes. A whole roast turkey “Oriental style” costs $4.99 a pound. Side dishes and desserts include lobster-seafood-pumpkin soup and a tree-shaped tower of cream puffs. Order by phone two days in advance of pickup until December 30, at any store..

Full-on feast
A number of local hotels offer take-home turkey meals, complete with fixings, for Christmas. At the Pan Pacific Vancouver (999 Canada Place) you get the whole shebang—a 16-pound turkey that feeds 12, stuffing, mashed potatoes, a Yule log cake, Christmas crackers, and more, including bread for Boxing Day sammies—for $365. Order before December 20 at 604-891-2555.

Helping hands
Fill your boots, your tummy, and the Greater Vancouver Food Bank Society’s coffers by dining at Cobre (52 Powell Street) on Wednesday (December 17). The Gastown nuevo Latino restaurant will donate the evening’s net proceeds to the charity to fill its shelves with much-needed food and grocery items.

Stocking stuffers
Put a little Satisfaction in someone’s Christmas stocking with a tasty Bordeaux-style red wine ($45)—complete with trademark sticky tongue—that’s a co-pro between California’s Ex Nihilo Vineyards and the Rolling Stones. Hellbent, an Australian Shiraz-Cab blend from Australia ($16.99) is a bell ringer; ditto super-smooth Prairie Organic Vodka ($36.99) made from corn. All are widely available at B.C. Liquor Stores.

Bubble and squeal
If you haven’t checked out Davie Street’s newest eatery, get ready to dine early or line up. La Brasserie’s (1091 Davie Street) 35-or-so seats fill quickly for good reason: a well-priced menu with French and German fare like suckling pig (bacon-wrapped to boot), bratwurst, and onion tart. To drink? Choose from two-dozen stellar brews, and a compact wine list with bubble bargain-priced at cost plus $30 corkage.

Winter break
There will be no bored kids in your kitchen over the holidays if you sign them up for a three-day cooking class at Cookshop & Cookschool (3–555 West 12th Avenue). For three hours every day from December 29 to 31, kids aged 10 and up will try their hand at brunch and lunch dishes. The series costs $149.

Sweet treat
Richmond’s Sanduz Estate Winery (12791 Blundell Road, www.sanduzwines.com/) makes gifting deliciously simple with dessert-wine-infused chocolate truffles. Flavours include cranberry, raspberry, and strawberry. Sanduz uses fair-trade Michel Cluizel chocolate that’s gluten- and wheat-free, low-fat, diabetic-friendly, and has no additives or processed sugar.