Restaurants have been busy this month with corporate events, company celebrations, and club gatherings – all the usual December doings – as we enjoy the holiday season with colleagues, coworkers and friends. That activity eases up from here on out. Soon they’ll be gearing up for Christmas Eve and New Year’s, but for now it’s a great time to eat out.

The restaurant business shifts from planned events for large groups to smaller tables of informal holiday gatherings as the day draws near. From now to Christmas there’s time to catch up with friends and family – neglected in the hurly-burly of December. You’ll be sure to get a warm holiday-season welcome wherever you choose to eat. The restaurants are beautifully decorated, and chefs are putting holiday season specials on the menu. Make sure to put dinner out on your to-do list.

Christmas dinner is another story: It’s almost impossible to eat out, since most restaurants are closed. (The Long Ridge Tavern in Stamford is the only option I found.) But Christmas Eve has become a busy night. Tables are populated with families who can’t be together on Christmas, friends who will go their separate ways for the big day, and those making the occasion festive when they’re a long way from home. Christmas dinner can be a big production loaded with labor intensive special dishes and family favorites, so dinner out the night before lifts some of the cooking burden.

A New England Inn Christmas

New England Inns, now few and far between, were the ideal atmosphere for Christmas Eve dinner, conjuring up Currier and Ives images while putting you in the picture with Bing Crosby in “Holiday Inn” or “White Christmas.” At The Silvermine Tavern, we used to have the same families year to year, their numbers increasing with the addition of children and grandchildren. They would claim their tables for the Christmas Eve buffet on Thanksgiving weekend – last year’s guests getting first dibs.

Lots of excellent local restaurants are making special plans for Christmas Eve dinner.

At Strada 18 in SoNo (strada18.com) it’s the ninth year for their annual Feast of The Seven Fishes. Oysters, clams, baccala, tuna, brandade and red snapper are just some of the choices for each course. “No seafood for dessert,” said Chef/owner David Raymer when describing the popular event. The five-course seven-fishes menu is a reasonable $65, or your can order from their regular dinner menu.

A few doors down at Match (matchsono.com), chef Matt Storch plans to add creative specials to his ever-evolving dinner menu. Using duck, prime rib, lobster, truffles, caviar, and stone crabs combined with global seasonings, plus expert use of his wood fired oven, he’s creating food worthy of the holiday.

Looking in the window at Spread

Around the corner at Spread (thespreadsono.com) the Naughty or Nice menu is a Christmas Eve tradition. The four course menu offers a more indulgent (naughty) or more restrained (nice) option for each course. Championship Chowder, Pork Belly Bites, Braised Short Ribs and Oreo Truffles are the naughty options. Leek Soup, Kale Salad, Sea Bass and Fresh Berries are on the nice side. On this one, I’ll go for Naughty. Either way, Christmas Eve is a great deal at $40. For an early Christmas present, bottles of wine are half price .

At the award winning Basso Cafe (bassobistrocafe.com), Chef Renato Donzelli is cooking Slow-Braised Veal Cheeks, Stuffed Agnolotti, and Halibut with Foie Gras as festive additions to his much-praised regular menu. A bar and wine list are recent additions to the Basso experience.

For that traditional New England inn atmosphere you’ll have to go a little farther afield. At the Cobb’s Mill Inn in Weston (cobbsmill.net) a Christmas Eve dinner and carol sing including an la carte menu with Prime Rib, Salmon, lobster and more will be offered from 4:00 to 8:00. At the Spinning Wheel Inn in Redding (swredding.com) they’ll have a buffet dinner organized into themed food stations. Still in the planning stages, it’s likely to include filet mignon, baked ham, and seafood along with appetizers and dessert for about $48. The Long Ridge Tavern in Stamford (longridgetavern.com) has a special menu for both Christmas Eve and Christmas Day.

For all these Christmas options, reservations are essential. It’s a busy night and you want to be assured of a spot. Count your group, pick a time, and give the restaurant a call as soon as you can.

All these restaurants (and many more) will also be open New Year’s Eve. Following right on the heels of Christmas, New Year’s planning often gets pushed off to Boxing Day. We always knew the New Year’s Eve reservations would start coming in December 26. Make a plan soon to get ahead of the crowd and enjoy your pick of places and times.

New Year’s Day brunch or lunch is great if you’re having New Year’s Eve at home. Think about gathering a group for an early meal before the football starts as a delicious and festive first meal for 2016.

‘Tis the season to eat, drink, and be merry! They’ll be plenty of time to worry about the scale come January!