Travel for Food Hub The Food Blog for Travel Lovers
Last Updated on February 14, 2023
Ah, the Christmas season. A time for joy, goodwill, and what seems to be the opportunity to stuff ourselves with more food than we can handle. Nevertheless, it is the time of ‘Christmas gravy’ and, especially after the past two years, a time to be grateful and cherish the friends and loved ones around us. So we thought you might need a guide to hosting a Christmas party.
However, it seems to creep up on many of us, to the point that we either forgo celebrations altogether or we run around in a panic, trying to fit everything in and appease everyone. Hence, you may ask a question, “How do I plan and prepare for Christmas without feeling like I am a headless turkey?”
Well, here’s a guide to how you can be the perfect host and still enjoy the occasion without thinking that your Christmas coma will come from exhaustion.
Consider letting someone else do the cooking
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You know how the shops already have half of the Christmas stock out and ready by mid-October? We may laugh and say, “It’s two months away” but it’s actually a call to action.
Many restaurants and pubs get heavily booked over the holiday period, so when booking Christmas party venues in Melbourne, it is wise to get in early.
Besides, we all know how much we want to be involved in the festivities rather than constantly in the kitchen on Christmas Eve or Christmas Day.
Alternatively, especially if you’re in a large family, you could make an arrangement with your relatives to rotate who does the cooking and who helps out with dishes and cleaning each year.
Buy ingredients in advance
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Should you choose to cook on Christmas Day, it is wise that you purchase many of the ingredients for your dishes a few weeks in advance.
This is in particular for those who like the main centerpiece items, such as the turkey if you’re a Christmas traditionalist or lobster if you prefer a seafood soiree.
Anything that can be frozen is best bought early, while fresh items can be bought the day before.
Not only will this allow you to not have to arrange it all at the last minute, but it will help you save on budget before prices hike towards the actual holidays.
Prepare the Presents Promptly
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When it comes to Christmas planning, this is one area that seems to get away from many of us.
Whether it’s not knowing what our loved ones or indeed, what we want, we often let it fall by the wayside until we end up doing a final freak rush to buy everything so that we don’t disappoint anyone.
This is particularly prevalent the older we get, when we seem to run out of ideas and end up getting the same things every year, while it was so much easier as a child, when all we wanted was the brand new fad toy.
Therefore, just like Santa, make a list of what your relatives would like, including the kids. This is a good one, as it can help give a rough idea for presents and relatives.
Set and stick to a budget
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As much as avoiding Christmas chaos can be about timing and planning in advance, it can be easy to feel the urge to spend out on the good stuff and do impulse buys of extras, thinking that it may be warranted “just in case.”
Therefore set price limits on gifts for friends and family and don’t blow them. For family members, this is a good way to do it, especially on the main ticket item.
‘Something they want, something they need, something to wear, something to read.’
Look up and plan your recipes early
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From the glaze on your Christmas ham to celebrity-inspired sides or desserts, or even better, ones you’ve researched or those passed down through the family, it is best to lay out and choose your menu dishes for the big day with as much time as possible.
This way you’re not having to make last-minute decisions about what is made and you’ll know roughly how much time each dish will take to prepare and, if necessary, the length of its
cooking time.
This can allow you to think about how to best plan out the day so that everything is ready around the appropriate time.
This is helpful whether Christmas lunch is the main meal, followed by grazing leftovers at dinner or doing the centerpieces for dinner followed by desserts.
This way, you can have your Christmas culinary fare at an appropriate time for everyone, and with limited stress.
Conclusion
Hence, when it comes to Christmas planning and preparation, just remember to lay out tasks early and make sure to see where they fit in your schedule in the lead-up to the main day.
This way, you’ll go into the main day potentially more relaxed and in a more festive mood.
