When to order Christmas tamales so your family does not go without

If you want to know when to order Christmas tamales, the honest answer from inside a tamale kitchen is: earlier than you think, and earlier than last time. Every December I take calls from families who assumed the week before Christmas would be fine, and every December I have to tell some of them that the days they want are gone. Tamales are the Christmas dish in Texas, every family wants them on the same two nights, and a kitchen that makes everything from scratch each morning has a ceiling.

The short answer: Order Christmas tamales as soon as you know roughly how many people you are feeding, ideally in November and no later than the first days of December. The two weeks before Christmas fill first, and Christmas Eve delivery goes to the families who wrote earliest. Plan three tamales per adult for Christmas Eve, then add a dozen for the freezer.

My grandmother started her Christmas tamales the week after Thanksgiving, and the neighbors who wanted a dozen knew to ask her before that. Nothing about the calendar has changed except that now the neighbors send a form.

Why Christmas tamales sell out every year

Three reasons, and none of them is a sales trick. The first is tradition: in Texas, tamales are Christmas Eve the way turkey is Thanksgiving, and I explain where that comes from in why tamales mean Christmas in Texas. Nearly every family with Mexican roots, and a growing number without, wants tamales on December 24, and a lot of them want more on the 25th.

The second is the calendar. Christmas Eve is one day. Everyone wants delivery on the 23rd or 24th, and there are only so many hours in those two mornings. A kitchen cannot make a week of tamales in a day, and I will not make them ahead and freeze them, because that is not what people are paying for.

The third is that the season is already running. Día de los Muertos opens it in early November, Thanksgiving fills the third week of the month, offices book their December parties, and then the family Christmas orders land on top. By the time most people think about ordering, the kitchen has been busy for six weeks. The weeks before Thanksgiving and Christmas fill first, every year, without exception.

When to order Christmas tamales: the timeline

This is how the season looks from my side of the counter. Exact cutoffs depend on the size of your order and on how the year is running, and they are confirmed with the quote, but the shape of the timeline does not change.

One note on hours: the kitchen is open Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday, Friday, and Saturday from 9 AM to 2 PM and closed on Thursday and Sunday. Check which weekday the 24th falls on before you assume a Christmas Eve morning delivery, and ask in the request; I will tell you exactly what is possible that year.

How many to order

Ours are big. One tamal is a full meal for most adults, so three per adult on Christmas Eve is generous, two per adult for a lunch on the 25th, and one or two each if the tamales are sharing the table with a ham or a turkey. Children eat one. Then add a dozen, because Christmas tamales are eaten for breakfast on the 26th, sent home with the cousins, and pulled out of the freezer in February. The full arithmetic is in how many tamales to order for Christmas dinner; the short version at $60 per dozen:

• A household of 6: two dozen, $120. Dinner on the 24th and breakfast after.
• A gathering of 12: four dozen, $240. Three each plus the freezer dozen.
• The whole family, 25 people: seven dozen at $420 and eight if the uncles are coming.
• A big Christmas Eve, 40 people: eleven dozen, $660.

Pork in red salsa is the Christmas tamal in most Texas families, with a little kick, and chicken breast in green tomatillo salsa is the milder one the kids and the in-laws reach for. Two thirds pork, one third chicken is the split I send when a family cannot decide. Both are on the menu, both made with gluten-free corn masa.

Ordering before the headcount is final

The number one reason people order late is that they are waiting to find out who is coming. Do not wait. Send the date and a range in November, and I will hold a delivery window and quote the middle of the range. Two weeks out, send the real number; a week out, confirm it. Christmas headcounts move more than any other, because flights change and a sister decides to drive up after all, and a dozen either way is easy to adjust before the final week. I wrote the whole method in how to book holiday catering early without knowing your final headcount.

What goes in the request: the date you want, a morning or afternoon window, the number of adults and children, the pork-to-chicken split if you know it, the delivery address, and whether you want salsas and crema for the table. I read every request myself and usually reply the same business day. Small orders, a plate of three or a half-dozen, go through DoorDash during kitchen hours instead; the ordering page explains which path fits which size.

Order once, eat all week

The families who never run out are the ones who order for the whole holiday, not just the one night. Tamales keep in the refrigerator for several days in their husks and freeze well for months, so a dozen ordered with the Christmas Eve delivery becomes New Year’s Day breakfast without a second order. Wrap them tightly, freeze them in the husk, and steam them straight from frozen; the method is in how to freeze and store tamales, and reheating without drying them out is in how to reheat tamales.

If you are the person who feeds the whole extended family, or you are ordering for a church, a school staff, or a team, the bulk tamales by the dozen page is the right starting point. Larger orders need more notice, which is exactly why the early part of the timeline above matters more the bigger your family is.

Ready to order your Christmas tamales?

Send me the date, the number of adults and children, and the address, and Maggie’s Tamales & Catering will reply with a menu and a price, usually the same business day. We deliver hot from Richardson to Plano, Frisco, Allen, McKinney, and Dallas in an agreed window, and everything is made from scratch on the morning it goes out. The holiday tamales page covers Thanksgiving, Christmas, and New Year pre-orders together, so put the whole season on one request if you can. Request a catering quote for Christmas now, while the day you want is still open.

Frequently asked questions

When should I order Christmas tamales?

As soon as you know roughly how many people you are feeding, ideally in November and no later than the first days of December. The two weeks before Christmas fill first, and delivery on the 23rd and 24th goes to the families who wrote earliest. You do not need a final headcount; a date and a range holds a window, and the real number can follow two weeks before the delivery.

Can I still get tamales the week of Christmas?

Sometimes, but not reliably. By the week of Christmas every tamal in the kitchen is usually spoken for, because everything is made from scratch on the morning it is delivered and the days before Christmas Eve are the busiest of the year. Small orders, a plate or a half-dozen, may still go through DoorDash during kitchen hours if there is capacity. Anything for a gathering should be requested weeks earlier.

How many tamales do I need for Christmas Eve?

Plan three per adult if tamales are the dinner, two per adult for a lunch, and one or two each if they share the table with a ham or turkey. Children eat one. Our tamales are large, so these counts are generous. Then add a dozen for breakfast on the 26th and the freezer. For twelve people that is about four dozen, or $240 at $60 per dozen.

Do you deliver tamales on Christmas Eve in Dallas?

We deliver hot to Dallas, Richardson, Plano, Frisco, Allen, and McKinney in an agreed window, and the delivery days around Christmas are confirmed with the quote because they depend on the weekday the 24th falls on and on how full the kitchen is. The kitchen is closed Thursdays and Sundays. Families who request early get the widest choice of days, including the 23rd and 24th when they are available.

Can I order Christmas tamales without knowing the final headcount?

Yes, and you should. Send the date, a window, and a range such as twenty to thirty people, and the quote is written for the middle of the range while the window is held. Confirm the real number two weeks before delivery and the pork-to-chicken split a week out. Adjusting by a dozen either way is simple before the final week; large changes in the last days depend on what the kitchen can add.

How long do Christmas tamales keep after delivery?

Refrigerated in their husks in a sealed container, tamales keep for several days, and frozen tightly wrapped they keep for months. Steam them straight from the refrigerator or from frozen until they are hot all the way through, or use the oven wrapped in foil with a splash of water. Ordering an extra dozen with the Christmas delivery is the easiest way to have tamales for New Year’s Day without a second order.