The following are tips gleaned from years of hosting a large, inter-generational family for an entire week at Christmas, with dc and pets ourselves, so all the prep may seem over the top, but this is what works for us and imho, the more you can prep in advance, the better time you will have, and the less run ragged you will feel:
-start cooking for your freezer between now.and Christmas -casseroles, fish pies,, soups, cakes - so that many of those days in between Christmas and NY are taken care of and you are not stuck in the kitchen (well, not as much as you would be if you hadn’t prepped dishes in advance)
- finish buying and wrapping presents and writing cards very very early
-wash all bed linen and stack in complete bundles for each individual bed which can just be grabbed and deployed when necessary (or given to guests to make up their own beds if running late).
-make sure that your own outfits and those for dc for Christmas week, right down to accessories, tights, underwear, are ready to go, just as it would be as if you were on holiday
-book cleaners to come the day before Christmas eve if you can afford it
-make cakes, puddings and mince pies and special Christmas desserts now
-book supermarket delivery slot now including ordinary and special Christmas condiments, a crate of satsumas, a good selection of nuts/chocs etc/
-clean out fridge thoroughly before supermarket order arrives
-do a separate drinks order if necessary for alcoholic and soft drinks (and perhaps split the cost between your family guests if they are happy to do that otherwise it can be very expensive if you are paying for that and everything else)
-order turkey now
-book hair appointment now
-make sure pets are up to date with worming/grooming and have a quiet area in your home where they can escape to while guests are staying
-have emergency numbers for vet/doctor/car breakdown service over Christmas, pinned up somewhere
-make sure that your medicine cabinet is well stocked: antacids, Paracetemol, plasters, Dettol, rehydrating sachets for stomach bugs etc
-have a good supply of loo rolls, spare toothbrushes and basic toiletries
-this year in particular make sure you have a powerful torch, maybe a couple of head torches, some battery powered night lights and candles and matches available in an emergency box and a good selection of batteries
-work out a rough plan in your head of how the week will go in terms of keeping your guests entertained eg: which days you will go out to a carol service or a farm park etc and write up a rough meal plan
-if you have small dc, or young dc staying, prepare a small secret “chest” somewhere which contains various activities like inexpensive childrens puzzle books, annuals, craft activities, cards , bubbles, which can be replenished and deployed if they are bored when all of the adults are talking
-don’t be afraid to delegate SPECIFIC not general tasks eg Uncle Fred , please would you peel the parsnips and potatoes, and Aunt Mary, please take the dc to the park for half an hour and then come back around 11 am and help me set the table
-persuade or bribe older dc or teens to put up decorations, keep small dc occupied, run errands, talk to grandparents when you are busy, take over dog walking, unload the dishwasher, make cups of tea and coffee and serve drinks
-if there are coffee connoisseurs in the family, sometimes it’s helpful to have a special tea/coffee “station” in kitchen or dining room so that guests who get up late can help themselves and not bother you when you are busy cooking in the kitchen
-similarly make sure the ironing board and iron are easily accessible for guests to help themselves and futility room isn’t too much of a disaster area
-and a very good idea is to have a small wrapping station set up somewhere quiet with a table and chair, rolls of wrapping paper. ribbon etc, scissors on a string that’s tied to table leg, pens and tape despenser etc so that again, when guests ask “can I wrap a last minute present” (which in my experience they ALWAYS do) you can just direct them to the wrapping station rather than get involved finding everything for them when you are in the middle of something else
-make sure you have a good supply of kitchen roll, foil, cling film or eco equivalent, string, batteries, bin bags, blu tack, dishwasher tablets, washing up liquid
-find that special photo album, board game or DVD that you all traditionally play or look at, at Christmas in good time before all the guests arrive so that you are not up in the roof searching in desperation at 10 pm at night while everyone is sitting downstairs waiting 😀
-reserve some activities such as tree and cake decorating for whole family to do together
- get up early before your guests and give yourself time for a nice bath or shower and a quiet five minutes with a cup of tea before the madness starts
-be clear from outset about how long people are staying and when they are going (sounds awful but having laid on the full works some extended family members want to stay “a day or two” longer and don’t realise that you as a family might need a rest and some down time before returning to work).
HTH and good luck op 