If you're searching for a great way to just do that when it is your turn to do the holiday cooking for the family, how about breaking with custom and creating your individual theme for the holiday? I do know it could seem somewhat rebellious and some may not like it but others may find it ingenious.
You can make your holiday cooking match any theme or scenario you like. You can create the perfect picnic , seating on the ground, and baskets crammed with goodies for everybody to dig in when ready. The idea is to do something (okay I admit it a lot) totally different from what others have finished previously and provides them ideas to construct future holiday cooking theme. When you choose to go along with the picnic theme be sure you take with you some wine, cheese, and plenty of fruits full of goodness. If the weather permits, you may truly make a picnic occasion with all your friends and family.
You may set your meals up and display your cooking efforts, you may eat buffet if that's what you want, although I hope your cooking is a lot better than most of those I've tried. The point is to make the theme something that is new and a bit different.
In the event you really need something new, go with an ethnic theme for your vacation cooking, Indian food? why not. This leaves quite a lot of room to discover food you have never tried in the past, for example, I am a great lover of Indian cuisine, I really like to try new recipes from time to time. Let your creativeness, preferences be your guide as you determine what theme to incorporate and how far you need to take it. You'll be able to even have plenty of fun by taking the challenge of creating a wonderful meal for everyone.
One enjoyable theme that I've always needed to convey into my Christmas cooking (particularly) is a Medieval Christmas theme. I think it could be great to wear costumes for the dinner, dancing afterwards, and why not copy some of the cultural 'manners' of the time for the celebration of Christmas. It just seems like such a enjoyable time to spend the day with family and loved ones even if you are doing the cooking. The good news is that with a Medieval Christmas cooking theme, you could have a little bit of room to let your creativeness run wild and it'll definitely be something everyone will remember.
The draw back is that skipping tradition is always a risk. In case you are nervous that your family may not like it, ask first, and then work out if this will or not be a suitable dinner theme for your loved ones.