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Christmas

From present ideas to party food, find all your Christmas inspiration here.

First time host

13 replies

Baileysoncereal · 11/12/2020 15:24

I am hosting Christmas Day for the first time ever this year.
What do I need to know?! What should I be prepping before? What disasters am I facing? It always looks so stressful when I go to other people’s houses?!
Give me your hosting 101 tips please!!

I’m really excited and also can’t wait for everyone to leave already...

OP posts:
user1493413286 · 11/12/2020 15:28

We’ve hosted a couple of times now and it’s not been too stressful but family have always helped tidy up and I’ve encouraged people to help themselves to drinks. My DH cooks and I very much make sure I’m not getting in his way as I think that can add to the stress.

EmmaStone · 11/12/2020 15:53

Give people jobs - you can chat while you're peeling or whether, so you're still socialising, halving the amount of work you have to do, and giving them a sense of purpose. My Dm and MIL would always want to get stuck in, but I've also set both fathers to work in previous years, it keeps everyone busy and happy.

Work out your timings ahead of time and stick them somewhere accessible so you can see what you need to be doing and when.

If you can, prep some stuff the week/a few days before (I usually do my red cabbage at least a few days' before and freeze - it's better as well, if you make it, cranberry sauce, cauli cheese). And take shortcuts - I buy pigs in blankets prepared, sometimes I buy stuffing balls ready prepped. Whatever you don't fancy being bothered with really.

EmmaStone · 11/12/2020 15:55

Oh, and if anyone offers to bring stuff, LET THEM! My DM usually brings puddings.

TheCrow · 11/12/2020 16:02

If you want people to leave you alone to get on with it just say, my family members do this and they always say it's really frustrating when someone pops in every minute to ask if they need any help. On the other hand, if you need help then ask for it. Don't assume people know what you need! Peeling veg, setting the table, making sure everyone's sat ready for dinner, making sure everyone's topped up with drinks etc

Check everything will fit in the oven first using empty trays. I always use those disposable foil trays to cook pigs in blankets, stuffing, parsnips etc as they fit in better then you can chuck them in the bin afterwards which saves on washing up too. Write down all your timings and an order which everything needs to be done.

Don't forget to relax and enjoy yourself too! If something goes wrong it's not the end of the world 🙂

BorisandHarriet · 11/12/2020 16:09

As EmmaStone says, work out your timings. Decide when you want to eat and work backwards so you can write down the time you need to get each thing in the oven / pan etc.

Red cabbage if you have it can be made in advance (or bought).

Turkey can happily sit around for ages after it’s out of the oven so don’t panic that you don’t have space to get everything else in when the turkey is in there.

Get your veg prepped early.

Have some snacks or something to keep people going as Christmas dinner is always late.

Make sure everyone knows they can help themselves to drinks, or allocate someone other than you to be in charge of drinks.

Don’t let small children get hangry.

ineedaholidaynow · 11/12/2020 16:11

How many are you hosting for?

winesolveseverything · 11/12/2020 16:12

I prep all the veg the day before.

I work out timings and write a list of what time whatever needs to into the oven.

The turkey will always take longer than you allow for- especially if it's a crown- so allow for that!!

Disposable oven trays and turkey roasting dish makes life easier.

Nominate someone to keep your wine glass topped up- it helps!

If you have a dishwasher- keep on top of loading it, and run it at regular intervals in between doing stuff in the kitchen- stops things piling up and up. Ditto if you have to wash up- ask someone to help.

Remember that it is only a roast dinner and not worth stressing over!

Have a lovely time 🎄

InTheNightWeWillWish · 11/12/2020 16:19

I’ve written this assuming you will be doing most of the cooking but switch around if needed.

Put the drinks in a visible location e.g on the counter but not in your prep space for food or where people will be in your way. If there isn’t space in your kitchen without everyone getting in your way, then set up the drink station in another room. Put glasses there too, tell people to help themselves to drinks. Same with nibbles. It’s DH’s job to then keep this topped up and make sure that everyone is staying away from the cooking area.

Do some of the prep a few days before or the day before. So you could make Yorkshire puddings (I know they’re a contentious issue on MN but we love a Yorkshire pudding with Christmas dinner) a few days in advance and freeze them. Prep your vegetables the day before. Don’t push yourself to make everything from scratch. Especially things like pigs in blankets, nobody is going to notice the difference if you roll those little piggies or not. Especially at Christmas you can buy some really nice gravy that isn’t bisto, so don’t feel you need to make gravy from the meat juices (even if this is something you would do normally).

Write down/type (and print off) your instructions. So you want to write down timings, working backwards from when you want to eat. Write down everything, putting the oven on to preheat, turning the oven temperature up or down, boiling the kettle. If you are making something from scratch or tweaking a brand version to how your family like it (we cook paxo stuffing differently to how the pack says) write all those down with the instructions for example 11.15 - melt 50g of butter for stuffing, then add one finely chopped medium onion, boil kettle 11.20 - make stuffing according to instructions, stir and add in extra onion. Then put the instructions next to the oven with a pen, crossing out each instruction as you complete it. That way if you get caught up in something, someone else can just pick up your instructions and continue cooking. It also means that if something crops up (someone broke down outside our house last year just as I was about to start cooking), you can just adjust your whole timings without getting stressed out trying to work it out all over again.

Depending on how helpful other people actually are and your kitchen layout, you can either set other people tasks such as setting the table or chopping veg. My task growing up was decorating the trifle and I’d be shoved to one end of the kitchen with the trifle and my decorating items (an orange, a flake, hundreds and thousands, maybe some glacé cherries). Get DP to wash up/load the dishwasher as you go. Without getting in your way, so they might need to wait for a few minutes while you complete an action to grab the pan or they might need to take the pan from a different angle. Set up a system beforehand though - so anything on the left side of the oven can be washed but anything on the right side is still in use. If they are putting away the clean pots, wait until you’ve got a bit of a break until the next cooking activity.

If you forget something, you leave the pigs in blankets in the fridge or forget to do the sprouts, don’t force yourself into a panic trying to cram them in. You’ll just get yourself stressed and it’s not the end of the world. If anyone says anything, roll your eyes and drink more wine.

Fivemoreminutes1 · 11/12/2020 16:29

Test the oven before you try to cram in a turkey, pigs in blankets, four sorts of roasted vegetables and a vegetarian nut roast. One Christmas I had to send my dad back home for an hour with a tray of roast potatoes and a load of stuffing balls because my oven was at capacity.
Stick to just 2 courses
If you’re eating a bit later than usual, serve nibbles before hand so people don’t get hangry!
Have a strategic seating plan and place cards
Buy all the ‘trimmings’ and extras i.e. bread sauce, cranberry sauce, stuffing mix, custard etc.... Just concentrate on getting the meat and veg cooked right.
Set up a Christmas playlist so there's no arguing with Alexa mid-meal
Clear all unnecessary kitchen equipment off work surfaces to make space for preparation.

SpamIAm · 11/12/2020 16:51

Prep as much in advance as possible. Write down all your timings in advance. Task someone else with sorting drinks, nibbles etc.

Baileysoncereal · 14/12/2020 02:14

Thanks all! Bought some foil trays to check the space
The timing thing is great, I am SO bad at timings. I will do exactly as you say @InTheNightWeWillWish it sounds like Christmas dinner in your house runs like clockwork!

It’s just 5 additional people, but it feels like so much as everyone wants that day to be nice! And I feel like they’ve all checked out now, it’s not their problem! Just turning up waiting to be fed and entertained...
Do I need Christmas movies lined up? Activities??

@Fivemoreminutes1 the surface space thing is a good point!

OP posts:
merlotormalbec · 14/12/2020 14:13

I'm also hosting for the first time this year. Never done a roast before so I've don't some trial runs which made me realise I deff need to work on my timings!
I'm buying pre made stuffing, red cabbage, gravy etc anything to make my life easier.
Haven't got activities planned but got loads of games to play in the evening.
We're not doing starters but I've asked the family to bring some canapés.
Got lots of wine/cocktails and lots of nice food planned!

MrsDThomas · 14/12/2020 18:37

Everything as above.

Just add alcohol. And enjoy!

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