What are your best make-ahead tips for Christmas dinner?

[TheRedRabbit]

I really want to be able to enjoy Christmas morning with the kids and not be stressed in the kitchen. So far I have decided to get a Turkey crown as it is quicker to cook and easier to carve, take it out of the oven 45mins before we eat to rest while I put the potatoes in at very high heat. I'm also going to make bread sauce and brandy butter in advance and freeze.

Can I parboil potatoes/parsnips the day before? Would they then keep in the fridge ok?

Any other tips?

I don't do the turkey the day before, we don't eat lunch till about 2.30 so plenty of time to do it in the morning, also only 6 of us so it's a small one. I can see why you would if you wanted a huge one and lunch at 12.

Yes to Jamie's get ahead gravy, done it for the last two years, delicious. I prepare all veg the day before and make a cold pudding. We don't lay the table the night before as it is used in the morning, but I do clear absolutely everything I can from the kitchen counters and get all the table things ready on the side, also all the big serving dishes out and washed if they haven't been used for a while. Make cranberry sauce a day or two before, my mum brings bread sauce as I hate it. Stuffing and pigs in blankets all pre-prepared.

Oh and I clean both ovens. We only use the top oven as an oven on Christmas Day, just use it as a grill the rest of the time, so it has it's annual clean in early December so we aren't smoked out on Christmas morning.

I slow cook the turkey overnight. .. I was really worried when I first did it but it is so tender and juicy.
I out a pack of butter in between the skin roast in full temp for one hour and cook it at 140 over night everybody aleays says it's lovely then I get it out in the morning so I have oven space for everything else

cooking the turkey the day before is so easy and gets everyone in our house in the mood with the wonderful smell. I do it because I do not have enough room in the oven for everything else so I have more space on the day. The stock on top when warming does make it really lovely and juicy.

I buy pre-made mash from the supermarket and microwave it altogether in a big bowl. It saves a lot of work and mess!