The Best Christmas Punch Recipe (with Fresh Orange Slices!)

Karen Hand Allen
Sep 19, 2025
3 min read

Updated: Nov 3, 2025

When I was a little girl back in the 60s, every holiday we had Christmas punch! It wasn’t called that then, it was just called punch, but I always think of it as holiday punch. The punch recipe that’s here is adapted from that, my mother’s punch being more like Hawaiian punch concentrate back then, or apple juice mixed with orange juice. What that punch from so long ago had was fresh naval orange slices, and so does this recipe. I don’t believe it was in frozen cans like this, but what I do remember was the absolute countdown till we could have it again.

The punch in the punch bowl — The punch in a lovely punch bowl.

Thinking of the punch as a child, I close my eyes, not even sure I remember everything about the turkey or dressing on Thanksgiving, or Christmas, but I remember the punch every holiday. I don’t remember the ham or scalloped potatoes, but I remember the punch on Easter, it was always the standout. So vivid is my memory of us all wanting punch and not being able to wait till we got to have some on the next holiday, that was the endgame, it made us want it more. It was a bit odd, we could’ve made punch any other meal all year long, but we never did and I mean never, and we don’t in my family nowadays. Just like then, we reserve it just for holidays, so it will perpetually remain a very special drink, one that is effervescent, delicious, light, with just the right amount of slushy ice and fresh orange slices.

Punch ingredients — The punch ingredients.

I remember after a huge dinner, all us kids would go at the cards, the dominoes, sitting around my mother’s maple table. We were so stuffed we couldn’t eat another bite, but we each grabbed our little bit of punch with ice left in our glass from dinner, wanting to crunch on it with that last drop or two in our cup. Then, we’d go refill it to the top and guzzle it down again and again.

Somehow it made the mashed potatoes, the turkey, the dressing, the ham on Easter taste their very best. I’m not sure you could’ve ever dressed up the food any more, but the punch did. I believe it was the cherry on top, the thing that made all of us wish that Christmas was every day. To mama for making it all so special.

Karen and her mother in the 1970s at a party — Karen and her mother at a family gathering. Notice the punch bowl on the table!

Karen and her mother drinking some punch on the couch. — Karen and her mom enjoying some delicious punch!

Christmas Punch Recipe

Recipe By: Karen Hand Allen (www.karenhandallen.com)

This delightful, carbonated punch is for any holiday or event, not just Christmas! Its fizzy, refreshing and gets oohs and aahs from far and wide. You’ll be glad you made it, and do have some extra ready, it’s good to the last drop!

Servings: 1 Gallon or 12 Servings with 1 Liter of Sprite

Prep Time: 10 mins | Cooking Time: None | Rest Time: None | Total Time: 10 mins

Ingredients:

1 naval orange, thinly sliced
1 (12 oz) can frozen lemonade concentrate (raspberry lemonade works great)
1 (12 oz) can frozen juice concentrate (banana, orange, or apple are great picks)
2 cups crushed ice
2 One-liter bottle Sprite, cooled (for round one)

Instructions:

Add ice to punch bowl
Slice the orange thinly and add slices to a large punch bowl.
Add half the can of lemonade concentrate and half the can of your second juice concentrate.
Pour in 1 bottle of Sprite and mix gently.
Refill with the second bottle of Sprite when the punch bowl starts running low.