Holiday Menu Paper for Thanksgiving, Christmas, and New Year's
The best paper for a holiday menu is a cover weight sheet that matches the night: aged or gold parchment for a warm Thanksgiving or Christmas dinner, and bright white smooth or linen for a crisp New Year's Eve. Print the main menu on 65 lb to 80 lb cover stock and print the nightly prix fixe insert on 60 lb text weight. This guide covers paper, sizes, a simple print plan, and when to order so you are not cutting it close in late November. Every price below comes from our Restaurants collection today.
Plan three menus, not one
Most restaurants run three holiday events between late November and January 1. Each one has its own mood, its own guest count, and its own menu.
- Thanksgiving (Thursday, November 26). A set dinner or a short prix fixe. Guests want warm and familiar. Parchment and kraft fit the table.
- Christmas Eve and Christmas Day. Often a tasting menu or a family-style feast. Gold parchment or white linen dresses up the table without extra decor.
- New Year's Eve. Your most formal night of the year for many rooms. Bright white smooth or linen with black type looks sharp under low light.
Write all three menus now, even as rough drafts. You will see right away which sizes you need and how many sheets to order in one shot.
Pick a paper that matches the night
Your holiday menu is the first thing a guest picks up after they sit down. The paper sets the tone before they read a word.
Parchment for Thanksgiving and Christmas. Our 65 lb cover parchment has shade variations milled into the paper, so the aged look runs through the sheet. It prints on laser and inkjet printers. Aged Parchment 65 lb reads old-world and cozy. Gold Parchment 65 lb adds a warm glow that suits a Christmas table. One customer printed dinner menus on it:
"Beautiful paper, used it for wedding dinner menus" (jade lorenalti, Gold Parchment)
White smooth or linen for New Year's Eve. White Smooth 80 lb gives you clean, bright paper for black type, a gold logo, or a photo. White Linen 80 lb has a woven texture guests feel the second they pick it up. Katy swan prints menus on it at work:
"I use this paper for menus at my work, they have a great weight to them and are quite durable yet easy to print crystal clear on."
Kraft for a rustic harvest menu. If your room runs farmhouse, BBQ, or brewery, Brown Kraft 80 lb makes a Thanksgiving menu feel like it belongs on the table.
A tip from a bar owner who reviewed our aged parchment: deep-toned paper gets hard to read in a dim room. If your holiday service runs by candlelight, pick a lighter shade like natural or off-white parchment, and bump your type size up a step.
Prix fixe inserts on text weight
A prix fixe menu changes fast. You add a course, you sell out of the prime rib, you swap the dessert. Print those changes on a lighter insert and keep your main menu the same all season.
Our 60 lb text weight parchment works well for inserts. It is light enough to print fresh each afternoon and it slips into a menu cover or sits on top of the main menu at each seat. Use Light Aged Parchment 60 lb to match an aged parchment menu, or Gold Parchment 60 lb to match the gold.
For a tall, narrow insert that tucks into a folded menu, use 4.25 x 11 in White Smooth 80 lb. It fits a short course list and a price line with room to spare.
Holiday menu sizes and prices
Pick the size first, then the paper. Here is what each size does well and what it costs today.
| Paper | Size | Best for | Pack and price |
|---|---|---|---|
| Aged Parchment 65 lb cover | 8.5 x 11 | Thanksgiving or Christmas dinner menu | 100 sheets, $43.99 |
| Gold Parchment 65 lb cover | 8.5 x 14 | A longer Christmas tasting menu | 100 sheets, $51.99 |
| White Smooth 80 lb cover | 8.5 x 11 | New Year's Eve menu | 250 sheets, $114.99 |
| White Smooth 80 lb cover | 4.25 x 11 | Prix fixe or drink insert | 250 sheets, $80.99 |
| White Linen 80 lb cover | 8.5 x 11 | New Year's Eve menu with texture | 100 sheets, $53.99 |
| Light Aged Parchment 60 lb text | 8.5 x 11 | Nightly specials insert | 300 sheets, $69.99 |
| Brown Kraft 80 lb cover | 8.5 x 11 | Rustic harvest menu | 100 sheets, $50.99 |
Orders over $100 ship free. A season of three holiday menus plus inserts often clears that line in a single order.
A simple print plan
- Count your covers. Take your reservations for each night and add extra for reprints. Menus get stained, folded, and taken home as keepsakes on holidays.
- Print one test sheet. Set the paper type to cardstock or heavy paper in the print dialog. Feed one sheet through the manual slot and check the color and the margins.
- Proof it out loud. Read every dish name and price to a second person. A typo on a holiday menu gets printed 200 times.
- Print the main menu early. Run the Thanksgiving and Christmas menus a week ahead. Print the prix fixe inserts the day of service so prices and courses stay current.
- Keep a backup stack. Store spare sheets flat in the box they came in. When a menu dies at table six, you print a fresh one in a minute.
Want more on printers and settings? Our guide to the best paper for restaurant menus covers weight, finish, and printer tips in full. For more on parchment, see parchment cardstock for menus and invitations.
When to order your holiday menu paper
Thanksgiving falls on November 26 this year. Christmas lands on a Friday, and New Year's Eve on the Thursday after. Every restaurant in town prints in the same few weeks, and your staff has less time each week you wait.
Our advice: order Thanksgiving paper by the first week of November, and order Christmas and New Year's paper by the end of November. That gives you time to print a test, fix a typo, and reorder if you run short. If you need all three, order once and store the extra flat.
Cut to order in Nampa, Idaho
We cut every pack to order on a guillotine cutter in our shop in Nampa, Idaho. Sheet 1 and sheet 500 come out the same size, so each menu lines up in its cover. Each pack ships flat with a sheet of chipboard on the front and back and shrink wrap around the stack. Need a size for your menu covers that you do not see? Send us the measurements and we will cut to fit.
FAQ
What paper is best for a holiday restaurant menu?
65 lb parchment cover stock for a warm Thanksgiving or Christmas menu, and 80 lb white smooth or linen for New Year's Eve. Use 60 lb text weight for inserts.
What size should a prix fixe menu be?
8.5 x 11 fits most three to five course menus. Use 8.5 x 14 for a longer tasting menu, or 4.25 x 11 for an insert that tucks into a folded menu.
Can I print holiday menus on my office printer?
Yes. Set the paper type to cardstock or heavy paper, feed one test sheet, and use the manual feed slot if the main tray balks at cover stock.
When should I order paper for Christmas and New Year's menus?
Order by the end of November. That leaves time to test print, proof, and reorder before the busy weeks in December.
Is parchment paper hard to read in a dim room?
Darker shades can be. For a candlelit room, choose natural or off-white parchment and print in a larger, bold type.
Shop holiday menu paper
Shop all restaurant paper Shop parchment Shop White Smooth 80 lb Shop White Linen 80 lb
The restaurant collection has every menu stock in one place. Parchment gives Thanksgiving and Christmas their warm, old-world look. White Smooth is the clean sheet for New Year's Eve and inserts. White Linen adds texture guests can feel. Orders over $100 ship free.
Feel the paper first
Not sure which stock fits your holiday room? Our free Paper Sample Pack has ten of our most popular papers as 3 x 5 cards, including aged, natural, and white parchment, white linen, and white smooth. Set each card on a table under your own holiday lighting and pick the one that reads best. Every pack comes with a 10% off code for your order.
Get the free Paper Sample Pack
ThunderBolt Paper Team
thunderboltpaper.com
