We all know the days leading up to Christmas can get a bit hectic! The holidays should be a time to focus on friends and family, so take a deep breath and try some of our favorite ideas for containing the chaos!
Shop for fresh ingredients three days before Christmas. You want to make sure all of your fruits and veggies are fresh- so these are items on the grocery list that can wait until the last minute. Don’t forget garnishes for your bar, these need to be fresh as well. Make sure your bar is fully stocked and you have plenty of mixers.
Take any serving platters that you’ll be using out of storage and make sure they are clean. Keep them in a place that’s easy to access come the day of. Wash and iron your table linens. If you won’t be using your formal dining table until your Christmas dinner, go ahead and set the table. Start cleaning the house and make sure all of your presents are wrapped.
Two days before Christmas you can start cooking. You can start prepping your side dishes, which can be refrigerated in the meantime and then finalized in the oven. Blanch any vegetables you’ll be using by bringing them to a boil and then stopping the cooking process by tossing them in cold, iced water. You can also prep gravy ahead of time and freeze. Simply bring back to a boil, and it’s ready to serve.
The day before make sure all of your batteries are charger for any cameras or video recorders you may have. You’ll be snapping lots of photos of loved ones- so a
lso be sure that you have enough storage space. Finish any meal prep you may have left- simple tasks such as cutting herbs or seasoning food ahead of time will help save you some time. Come up with a game plan for the actual cooking of the meal the next day. Decide at what time you’ll start cooking and how long each dish will take.
Last but not least, sit back and relax! After all, the holidays are all about enjoying yourself! You worked hard- now enjoy it!
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