Our go-to is lamb loin chops -- you know, the mini t-bones. They're not cheap, but they're not outrageous either. Costco packs them in dinner-for-four size (if you're big eaters, maybe for two), which makes them perfect for two special occasions. A salad with a homemade dressing, a pan sauce with a wine reduction, some sauteed potatoes or sunchokes, and a green veg, and you've got a quick, elegant meal. Add a couple coffee-mug microwave cakes, and it's a celebration.

We're doing mussels in garlic, butter, and wine, crusty bread, and a good salad. And more wine.

Last year i made filet mignon for us with a couple of sides and a bottle of wine. This year (last night actually) I made a 1.5 lb beef tenderloin wrapped in bacon along with a couple of sides. There were some leftovers but we just took it to lunch today.

Really if you just go to the butcher you can get 2 pieces of a nice quality meat, think up a side and you should be all set.

You could each have a roasted cornish hen with a bit of stuffing and small batches of your favorite sides. I love doing that for a "fancy" dinner for a small group.

My boyfriend and I don't celebrate Christmas, but since many of our friends do (or are often on vacation that week), we have now made it a tradition to have a special Christmas dinner together.

Our menu: Lobster boil!

It's easy, and since it's just the two of us, it's not that expensive to just buy two lobsters. We make quick and easy garlic butter for dipping, and then some light sides like sauteed spinach with garlic, tomato salad, and roasted veggies. Last year we started with classic shrimp cocktails, but this year I was thinking perhaps a roasted veggie flatbread.

And lots of wine.

Cheers!

For Thanksgiving, we had these pot pies http://smittenkitchen.com/blog/2012/10/pancetta-white-bean-and-swiss-chard-pot-pies/ I think it would be good with onion & cheese stuffed mushrooms as an appetizer, maybe.

I've also made two smallish celebration meals with this mushroom tart http://smittenkitchen.com/blog/2006/10/when-the-funk-hits-the-fan/ Good with a salad or light tomato soup of your choice.

Both recipes will leave two people with some leftovers, but I see this as a feature, not a bug.

We're having a small-ish prime rib roast, gratin potatoes, and asparagus (I know, it's out of season, but we both love it, and it's too expensive for a normal dinner for us). Probably with some good bread, and I might make a small wheel of baked brie earlier in the day since we eat holiday meals in the evening, not the afternoon. There will be some leftovers, but that's half the fun!

I second lamb. I usually do Christmas dinner for two as Christmas day is the one day we don't all get together as a family.

My generally thought is to do something special and more expensive since it's only two and it's more affordable that way.

Our "just the two of us" celebration is going to be a duck, on Christmas Eve. Which will hopefully give us lots of duck fat for potatoes the next morning!

My holiday dinner for the two of us will be part of the Feast of the Seven Fishes (my favorites are the baccala, scallop crudo and the shrimp bisque). It will also include some homemade ravioli, possibly more of this squash ravioli because you don't have to make too many for just 2 people and they are so much better than store bought. I may make some braciole this year too, because it's such a festive holiday dish.

Dungeness crabs are in season now.... how about http://7th-taste.com/2010/12/26/wok-fried-dungeness-crab-with-tamarind-sauce-pinot-gris/

We're doing half a beef tenderloin (always at our local store's butcher counter--it will give us lots of leftovers) twice baked potatoes, roasted squash with blue cheese, and some kind of salad. Maybe a few popovers or some kind of small loaf of homemade bread. We aren't big dessert people, so will probably have some cookies and/or cheese lying around. We have been doing "Christmas Eve dinner for two" (and Thanksgiving) for at least 32 years (we've lived away from family for many years and prefer to visit in non-holiday months) and we really enjoy making a feast with things we may not normally buy/make.