How To Make Xmas Day Less Stressful When Hosting
Thinking of hosting Christmas this year? While Christmas Day is supposed to be a day of joy and merriment, it can sometimes end up being very stressful when you’re having to cater to friends and family members. To help make Christmas Day less stressful, here are some of the measures that you can take.
Prepare as much as you can in advance
So that you have less to worry about on the day, it’s worth trying to do as much as you can in advance. This allows you to spend more time relaxing on Christmas Day. A few things you should do in advance include:
· The food: Buy all your food at least a week in advance(if not earlier). Plan to do as much prepping as you can the day before – this could include chopping up vegetables and seasoning them. If you’ve got a roast in the freezer, make sure to take it out. You can season it and even cook it the night before, so that you’ve got less to do on Christmas Day.
· The table: Take stock of everything you need for the table a week before (e.g. have you got enough glasses? Have you got crackers?). Lay the table the night before so that you’ve got one less job to do. Make sure that you know exactly who is coming well in advance in case you need extra chairs.
· Entertainment: Plan out your entertainment for Christmas Day. Get your music playlist ready a few days before and decide on any games you may want to play (make sure to dig out any board games that might not have been played since last Christmas).
Hate cooking? Then don’t…
If you don’t enjoy cooking, there are other options for having a meal. You could look into holiday catering – there are catering services that can cook for you (they may not necessarily be working on Christmas day, but if you’re planning an early or late shindig this is an option). You can also look into meal deliveries.
Allow your guests to help
You don’t have to do everything on Christmas Day just because you’re the host. Your guests may be willing to help with tasks ranging from laying the table to even helping with certain cooking tasks. You may not want to let your guests take over on Christmas Day, but if they want to make themselves useful, find a job for them that will take some of the burden away for you.
Don’t overplan
Don’t let Christmas Day become a military operation. Have a loose idea of when you want to eat, but don’t treat these as strict deadlines – it will only cause you to get rushed and get stressed. If there’s programs that you’d like to watch on the TV, record them in case dinner isn’t finished by the time the program comes on. Allow for some spontaneity so that you can chill out without having to constantly check your watch.
