Christmas Dinner in Bologna

https://grandhotelmajestic.duetorrihotels.com/en/luxury-hotel-italy-5-stars-bologna/christmas-menus

For Christmas dinner in Europe, look at hotel restaurants.

Check The Fork: https://www.google.com/url?sa=t&rct=j&q=&esrc=s&source=web&cd=&ved=2ahUKEwim4saN6737AhUQAzQIHUWCAbUQFnoECBMQAQ&url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.thefork.com%2Frestaurants%2Fbologna-c59598%2Fchristmas-t2307&usg=AOvVaw3NfLDAWXTBJg38uCdnuLy7.
The Fork.com might be easier! I used that avenue fairly often on our recent trip. Works well and we didn’t ever have an issue that it hadn’t gone through. We even received the discount listed at one of the restaurants and I wasn’t expecting it.
Looks like there are four listed on that site, but there must be others that don’t use their services
Good luck. I’ve been in Amsterdam and London for Christmas and know how hard it can be to find any open restaurant, let alone one you really want to eat in. Sometimes looking at ethnic restaurants is easier as the people that have them are not so invested in Christmas as the Italians might be.
The idea to check at hotels is good although the offerings are usually quite elaborate and therefore more expensive. Looking at the menu for I Carraci-I’d be there in a moment. It’s Christmas, I’m away from home and I deserve to have this happen in my life!

Thank you! I've contacted the places listed on the Fork and some are not serving Christmas dinner (even though it lists them as doing so). It's tough this year since it falls on a Sunday (in addition to being a big holiday). The one place that keeps coming up is the big hotel affair and it's just too over the top for our group. Have tried four other hotels and still plugging away. Thank you, everyone!

it's just too over the top for our group

Well, someone's got to pay for taking staff away from their familes over the Christmas weekend.

Are you staying in an accommodation that has a kitchen or cooking space? Think about purchasing fresh pasta from any of the shops in the Quadrilatero/Mercato Mezze area-sauces too and the makings for beautiful tagliere, plus any number of traditional dolci for that time of year. An inexpensive bottle or two of Pignoletto and voila!

As to the idea of cooking in, I was going to suggest that as well. But I would not go for the cheap wine - blow it out for the good stuff. You can get a great Chianti Classico for E20-25. So much good wine in stores at such reasonable prices.

I wonder if you could go to a good restaurant Dec 24, and get take-away to be heated on Dec 25 in your hotel?

Find a high-end store. Get all kinds of take-away of great food. Sit in your room, and enjoy your wonderful Christmas in Italy!!

I suggested the Pignoletto because it’s easy going, a frizzante and though not expensive, quite good and a locally produced wine. I’ve never been a Lambrusco fan because what used to come to the US was not what a true Lambrusco is when in Italy. We had some very good Lambrusco, also local to the area.
Indeed, we had some Sangiovese of the region-different then Chianti.
Suggestion might be refined-buy a locally produced wine of the type you like best (we are assuming you drink wine) and enjoy. None of them will break the bank!

I go with the whites Verdicchio, Vernaccia, Vermentino and always end the evening with a Nocino.

Thank you for the recommendations, everyone!