Hosting a No-Stress Family Christmas: A Guide to the Dinner and Beyond

Hosting a No-Stress Family Christmas: A Guide to the Dinner and Beyond

When you are doing the cooking for Christmas, it is not often that you are left to enjoy the season. There is often an almost never-ending list of things that you need to do and food that you need to prepare. To make sure that the holidays go as smoothly as possible, here is a guide to some of the steps that you can take toward a no-stress family Christmas when you are hosting.

Invest in Simple Yet Meaningful Presents

When you are the host, there is an expectation that there will be presents for everyone on offer. Yet, most of the time, it will be you that has shelled out for sprouts and mulled wine. To make sure that you can focus on your hosting skills and not the presents, you should try to find simple and yet meaningful presents to give to your family members. For instance, many people consider gifting holiday donations rather than buying individual presents. This can help you to help others, while also managing the expectations of demanding relatives.

Get Everyone Stuck in

It is not only the food that you should avoid wasting, but your time too. To make sure that you can give yourself free time to enjoy the season, you should encourage everyone to get stuck in. For instance, you could ask your kids to decorate the tree or to bake Christmas desserts, while your partner cleans the house, and you cook the turkey. This will help you to stick to a schedule and ensure that every task is not left to you. This also applies to the funds to host Christmas. Many people now decide to charge their family or ask for contributions toward the meal, with some of these cases reaching the news. This can help you to give your relatives the best Christmas ever by ensuring that you have enough money to splash out on what is needed.

Plan What You Need in Advance

The key to being a great Christmas host is organization. To create the perfect Christmas countdown, you need to plan what you need in advance. For instance, you should write your shopping list in early December, call round your guests to find out whether they are coming in good time, and ensure that you know when each food needs cooking before the big day. This can help you to avoid disaster and will prevent you from wasting food. 

Skimp on Décor and Extras

Many people expect to find themselves seated around a huge table spruced up with enormous amounts of tinsel and table centerpieces come Christmas day. However, these decorations are often stressful to buy and find the time to put out on the dinner table, and often end up thrown away. Then, to save the planet and your purse, you should focus on the basics, such as the cooking, and skimp on decorations and extras, such as crackers, which often get in the way of what is important.

Say No to Conflict

Conflict often arises at Christmas due to stress and short tempers, especially when you end up eating dinner with people who you have not seen since last year. To make sure that Christmas goes without a hitch, you should assign roles, ensure that people are placed in the right seats at the dinner table, and make sure that everyone has the right expectations of the type of Christmas that you will be hosting, especially when it comes to presents and the expectations of your kids.

Kelly Tate
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