Be The Hero This Christmas. Bring The Relish Tray.

Some holiday food traditions last for decades and decades — big punch bowls of eggnog, enormous Thanksgiving turkeys, casseroles galore. But there’s one holiday appetizer that became a bit of a joke for a while there. She was extremely popular in the ‘50s and ‘60s, and she remained a staple throughout the ‘70s and ‘80s as our grandmothers continued to run the holiday dinner show. Then, people scoffed. Charcuterie boards and dips and things stuffed into hollowed-out loaves of bread became the appetizer norm, and somewhere along the way, amidst all of the crescent roll abominations, we lost sight of the true spirit of holiday dinners: the relish tray.

Also known as the “pickle tray,” this is a holiday appetizer that might be part of your life, depending on where you’re from in America. Growing up in the South with a Southern grandmother, I just assumed it was one of those Southern things like green onions and tomato slices at every meal, too.

But when I married into my husband’s family, I learned that his Nana — a born-and-bred Philadelphian — is known for her relish trays. As in, every year, the family tells her not to make it for Thanksgiving or Christmas or Easter, and every year, she pulls her entire silver serving set out and loads it up with olives (both black and green), mini gherkins, and some raw veggies like celery and radishes. She covers it in saran wrap and drives it over to every family dinner, where I find that, more often than not, I am the only one eating it.

That’s why you need to be the hero this holiday season and bring a relish tray to every function.

There’s just something about it — it’s the perfect snack plate. And I know, everyone’s out there making rosettes out of salami and sticking cheese into a foam cone the shape of a Christmas tree, but a relish tray is so easy and versatile. All you have to do is pour your items into little dishes and pop a couple of frilly toothpicks or mini forks on the side. They have tons of flavor thanks to all the vinegar and different pickle brines available, and they go with just about anything on the side of a plate. They are a texture explosion — some items on the relish tray crunch, some have a bigger bite than others, and some of them are nice and chewy. It’s a platter ~for the senses.~ Relish trays are a poet’s snack of choice, you know?

Plus, because of the lightness of the items on a relish tray, they make for an impeccable end-of-night snack when the kitchen has been cleared and the board games have been pulled out. Or when it’s 1 a.m. and you’ve had a lot of eggnog.

Here are some nice, easy suggestions for your own relish tray:

• mini gherkins
• dill pickles
• olives, black and/or green
• pearl onions
• banana peppers
• pickled onions
• sliced radishes
• celery stalks
• carrot sticks
• pickled okra
• baby corn
• peperoncini
• bread and butter pickles

Sure, they sort of sound like condiments and burger toppings. But a little side dish of pearl onions and banana peppers? It’s just the perfect little texture and flavor explosion everyone needs after a day full of turkey and pie.

And nothing beats wrapping presents with a relish tray within arm’s reach. Be the hero.