Its easy to create a special glaze for your Christmas ham, and this page will teach you how, step by step. Ham is an easy meat to cook, which could be why its so popular at Christmas time. Ham is generally baked with little attention needed, so you can go about your celebrations without paying attention to the meat in the oven. A glaze can flavor the ham and dress it up for the holidays, turning a simple meal into a special one.

Applying the glaze is simple. The ham is baked until about 30 minutes before its done, and removed from the oven. The glaze is poured over the ham and returned to the oven to finish baking. The reason the glaze is not applied at he beginning is that its high sugar content might tend to burn.

A glaze can be as simple as pouring maple syrup and mustard over a ham. You can also make a paste of brown sugar and mustard, and rub it over the ham's surface. Some hams come with a glaze packet. This usually contains artificial flavors and is not much easier to use than making a homemade glaze. This page will teach you how to make a homemade glaze from fruit, maple syrup, wine, mustard, and cranberry sauce that will get your ham ready to take center stage on the Christmas dinner table. Read on to learn how to glaze a Christmas ham.

• 1/4 cup fresh orange juice
• 2 tablespoons fresh lemon juice
• Grated rind of 1 lemon and 1 orange
• 1 cup red wine
• 1/2 cup maple syrup
• 1/2 teaspoon ground mustard
• 1/4 teaspoon ground cloves
• 2 cups whole berry cranberry sauce

1. In a saucepan, combine all ingredients except cranberry sauce.
2. Bring to a boil, reduce heat, and simmer for half an hour.
3. Immediately before applying, add cranberry sauce, and heat through until dissolved.http://www.tasteofhome.com/Recipes/Elegant-Holiday-Ham-Glaze

1. Remove the ham from the oven 30 minutes before its done.
2. Using a sharp knife, score the surface of the ham in across hatch pattern, making diamonds or squares.http://www.epicurious.com/recipes/food/views/Ham-with-Bourbon-Molasses-and-Pecan-Glaze-233395
3. Brush half the glaze over the ham, making sure to get into the cross hatch cuts.
4. Return the ham to the oven and bake for 30 minutes, until done.
5. Reheat the unused glaze and pour over sliced ham.