Christmas for many, it's one of the biggest holidays for getting together with family, friends and loved ones, and it calls for big celebrations and a lot of planning. If you're trying to get prepared for Christmas, your best bet is to make a list and check it twice to be sure you've accounted for everything that needs to be done to host a magnificent holiday.
Top Tips to a fabulous ‘stress free’ holiday:
Time spent making a time plan for Christmas Eve and Christmas day is time well-spent. Not only does it help in organizing the cooking, it also organizes the mind and it is astonishing how many forgotten jobs turn up when writing a time plan.
Recharge the batteries on your camera or video recorder.
Sort the freezer out and make space for Christmas food to be stored together in one place. Rummaging through an overstocked, messy freezer, trying to find food can become irritating.
Give the fridge a good sort through and clean and make space for Christmas food - time for all the old jars and leftovers to be binned.
Presents - Make sure you have any batteries required or tools to put the toys etc together. There is nothing worse than having to raid the remote control or be stuck in the garage looking for a screwdriver.
Draw up menus for all the meals you plan to make to give you a clear list of what you NEED to buy.
Perishable goods don't need to be bought on Christmas Eve. Buy them a day or two before and store them in the fridge or a cool, frost-free place.
Christmas cooking and all it involves is not a time to start experimenting with new techniques.
Delegate a few jobs - peeling the potatoes, polishing the silver, whatever - it will help ease the pressure. Surprisingly many people do like to help and share the fun in the kitchen so don't be afraid to ask. No one wants a frazzled cook at the Christmas table.
Most Important - Relax and enjoy yourself!!
