Family Dinner and Movie Theme Nights

The weather outside is frightful, which means it’s time to come up with a delightful plan for indoor fun now that the season of cold and snow is upon us. One of my personal favourite family fun night activities is a dinner and movie combo. As a family we come up with a movie to watch, I make a menu to match the theme of the film, and then we all crowd around the coffee table to eat dinner while we watch the flick we’ve selected. It’s a simple and inexpensive way to have some fun as a family, and works for kids of all ages.

Here are some suggestions for movies with a matching menu, should you want to start a family dinner and movie theme night with your own family. At the bottom of the list, I’ve included some suggestions for holiday movies as well. I think this would make a fun advent activity, if you’re putting a calendar together for your kids this year.

Dinner and Movie Pairing Ideas:

Movie: Ratatouille
Menu: Linguine Alfredo

Movie: Toy Story
Menu: ‘Pizza Planet’ Pizza

Movie: Lady and the Tramp
Menu: Spaghetti and Meatballs

Movie: The Incredibles
Menu: Hero Sandwiches

Movie: The Parent Trap
Menu: Camp Food

Movie: Frozen
Menu: Snowman Sandwiches

Dinner and Movie Pairings for Older Kids:

Movie: Napoleon Dynamite
Menu: Quesadillas

Holiday Movies with a Matching Menu:

Movie: How the Grinch Stole Christmas
Menu: Roast Beast (aka chicken)

Movie: Elf
Menu: Spaghetti with Meatballs & Marinara Sauce (hold the maple syrup)

Movie: Home Alone
Menu: Mac n’ Cheese

Movie: Frosty the Snowman
Menu: Carrot Soup

Movie: The Santa Clause
Menu: Chicken Caesar Salad

Movie: A Christmas Story
Menu: Chinese Take-Out