Let's be honest - December is a crazy month! Between tying things up for the end of the year, spending time with friends and family, and trying to deliver a memorable Christmas dinner, it can be super easy to feel all the stress in the lead up to Christmas eve.
Get ahead of the game this year and start planning your Christmas dinner nice and early. There are heaps of things you can do to prepare for the occasion, so you can relax and enjoy Christmas day.
We've put together our top tips for Christmas planning to help you take the stress out of the day.
Looking for more Christmas meal inspiration?
1. Get everything else organised!
The holidays are a busy time of year. There are cards to post, presents to wrap, festive decorations to put up around the house and a fancy Christmas table to prepare.
Where do you begin?
The secret to a stress-free Christmas is getting organised early. It might be a little early to start basting your roast turkey on December 1st, but it's not too early to get started on the rest of your list!
Put it this way - the sooner you finish all the prep outside of the Christmas menu, the more time and energy you'll have to put into planning Christmas dinner.
2. Plan the celebration
Next, it's a good idea to decide what kind of celebration you're going to host.
Just a few of the questions you should discuss with your guests include:
- Will it be a Christmas lunch during the day or a dinner at night?
- Will it be a potluck-style gathering where everyone brings a dish to share, or will you do all the prep for an amazing Christmas feast?
- What kind of dishes would everyone like to eat?
- Would you rather do a traditional Christmas menu with roast turkey, stuffing and all the trimmings or would your family rather have a Summer Christmas BBQ with a glazed ham, fresh salads and appetizers for sides?
- Will there be sweet options too or only savoury?
- Will you have an indoor sit down meal with beautiful table decorations or would the group like to mix and mingle in a more casual setting?
- Are there any food allergies or dietary requirements to be aware of?
- Does your kitchen have any cooking limitations? For instance, if you only have a small oven it might be tricky to cook a turkey with crispy roast potatoes and a veggie bake without causing yourself a headache!
Once you've decided on the answers to these questions, you can start to plan your Christmas dinner menu. Looking for more tips on planning the ultimate festive dinner? Check out our top tips to planning the perfect Christmas dinner.
3. Brainstorm your menu ideas
It's time to start brainstorming those menu ideas and thinking about what you could serve to your guests. Whether you've decided to prepare the whole menu yourself, or others will be cooking their own dishes to bring, it's nice to have a cohesive Christmas menu that has a balance of delicious appetizers, side dishes, mains and sweet options.
If people are bringing their choice of dish to share for dinner, try to at least nail down what course they will bring ahead of time. There's nothing more disappointing than arriving on Christmas day to find an abundance of potato salads but no one has cooked any mains or dessert!
If your guests would like tips for what to bring, you could send them to check out our latest Christmas recipes.
There are plenty of delicious options for mains, salad, baked desserts and even drinks.
4. Make a budget
'tis the season, so no one wants to feel like a Grinch only thinking about money. However, if you're planning to cook all the food for your Christmas lunch or dinner, you don't want to break the bank. Before you start buying your roast lamb leg or festive ham, make a budget and check out the prices online to ensure you're only spending what you can afford.
It's always nice to have a festive Christmas dinner, but the day is really about enjoying each others' company.
Looking for more Christmas budgeting tips? Check out our Everyday Low Price recipes and Christmas potluck ideas.
5.Go shopping
Whether you're making all the Christmas dinner recipes yourself or sharing the duties with friends and family, make a list of all the ingredients you need to serve your plates and take a trip to the shops nice and early - before the mad rush hits!
We recommend double-checking any recipes you're intending to cook ahead of time, so you can see what you already have at home and what you need to buy at the shops. Buy whatever you can earlier if possible. Frozen food like a frozen turkey can be bought well in advance and stored in your freezer until ready to be cooked in the oven.
Don't forget to buy non-food items too, like Christmas crackers and cards.
7. Prep what you can
There are always some recipes that need to be cooked at the last minute so they taste the best. But there are also plenty of Christmas dinner recipes that can be made ahead of time.
For example, this Old fashioned Christmas pudding recipe keeps well because of the alcohol content. There's no reason why you can't bake this dessert a month earlier then warm it on the day and serve with fresh whipped cream. Christmas pudding gets better the longer its stored!
Other things you can start to prep ahead of time are salad dressings, turkey stuffing, chopping fruit and veggies, whipping cream, and baking sweet desserts and fresh bread.
There are so many items that are just as delicious if you warm them on the day.
8. Make a plan for leftover food
It's never too early to start thinking about all the recipe ideas you have for leftover ham and turkey post-feast. If you don't fancy eating the same turkey on rye bread for weeks on end, you can start planning what to do with leftovers - even if your meat hasn't made it to the oven quite yet!
We love this recipe for creamy Waldorf turkey salad!
9. Relax and enjoy
Perhaps the best recipe to follow this festive season is the one to relax and enjoy the day. You can do all the planning in the world, but it's worth nothing if you don't enjoy your holiday. So put your feet up, grab some creamy eggnog or bubbles, and embrace the holiday cheer!
Searching for more festive dinner inspiration?
