Planning ahead for Christmas

[rhubarbhandsoap]

I love this Christmas board!

Fellow Christmas lovers - this is my first year of super-early organisation and I am loving it!

Please share, other than gift buying, what else do you do / buy / plan / organise ahead, and when do you do it?

Thank you for the info also
So are we talking freezing about 2-4 weeks before Christmas Day?

I do mine the weekend before but I know (from these organised people threads ) that loads of people do freeze a few weeks beforehand .

I am one of those weirdo types that finds the whole preparation quite theraputic so a couple of hours on Christmas Eve is nice .

Agree but I think there'll still be a few things to do but it will be nice to have a few bits frozen especially the swede and red cabbage.
I might make the cranberry sauce as soon as au get the cranberries this year and freeze it( rather than freezing the berries and making it on Xmas eve)
The other thing pre prep helps with is the prior sorting of the serving dishes/ lidded dishes probably I can freeze the red cabbage in a stoneware dish

@BiddyPop my limoncello is brewing!!

@Thanksforyourlackofthought I love the snowman hot chocolate idea, and your passion for Christmas! 🎄

Can anyone recommend a mincemeat recipe please? 🥰

@rhubarbhandsoap

If you want traditional, these are both reliable. Delia's is made with suet (either beef or veggie) and Mary uses butter.

https://www.maryberry.co.uk/recipes/christmas/special-mincemeat

https://www.deliaonline.com/recipes/books/delias-happy-christmas/home-made-christmas-mincemeat

Both recipes make a lot, Delia's 6 jars so adjust accordingly.

Just red the whole thread and got super excited/ nervous for Christmas. I have a toddler and I'm pregnant due beginning of November and we are hosting Christmas Day for 9 😬 is it even going to be possible with a 6 week ish old? What can I start doing now to help get ahead?

I've started a present list, also have close family birthdays in Oct and December.

Feeling overwhelmed we've been so busy prepping for the new arrival I hadn't really thought about Xmas but I really need to start now I think.

@HannahDefoesTrenchcoat thank you!! I think I looked at Delia’s before and was put off by the suet - I had no idea you could use butter! Adding the ingredients to my food shop this week! 🥳🎄

@Bey hello! Aww baby’s first Christmas!! How lovely! It’s definitely do-able but your key word is… delegate!!

Are the guests coming easy to approach? (Even if they’re not you can assign jobs just have to be more delicate about to!) If you could put someone in charge of desserts / cheese / breakfast etc, (planning it and bringing it and being conscious of fridge and freezer space) and make sure people bring the booze/drinks they like so you’re not in hostess mode the entire day!

Decide on the few jobs that will be easy for you and delegate the rest.

Somewhere in the Xmas forum is a thread with amazing advice for a first hosting, I will try and find it and tag you there.

Most important - nothing matters as much as you being as relaxed as possible and not putting stress on yourself, so if this is the year you buy more stuff pre-made and everyone pitches in - perfect!

@Bey ps. I can’t tag you but here’s the thread I’m talking about…

Link here

🥰🎄

@rhubarbhandsoap thank you for your lovely replying and linking the other thread, I've read the whole thing and got lots of good ideas. Guest all close family so fine to ask to help, BUT I want to host properly as much as possibly we've only been able to host the last couple of years due to not having space previously and they have always hosted us and done such a fab job I want to return the favour. The same guests won't be able to come next year when baby's older because they're going to in-law family next year. We did originally think we'd have a 6 month old so it would be fine but we lost the baby and took a little while to conceive again so here we are hosting for 9 with a toddler and newborn 🙈

I keep checking to see if our local Christmas tree farm has announced its dates yet. DP used to take the kids but they grew out of it, iv3 done it the last 4 years and I love it. Something nostalgic looking for your perfect tree. Me and DP make a thing about it, we book the day off work (always the first day otherwise all the good trees go quickly) we have McDonald’s brekkie on the way, spend an hour searching, on the way home we visit garden centres on the way home to check out Christmas sections. Then when we get home he sets up our outside lights ready for turn on the week after.

Best time to make Christmas cake and leave it to brew and feed it for 3 months.

@Bey I’m so sorry for your loss ❤️ And so happy your LO is coming to you now 🙏 And I totally get that about wanting to host! Maybe have a think about the things that will feel most like ‘hosting’. I used to work in events so what springs to mind is:

• a welcome drink on arrival - can be really simple a tray of mimosa or of mini cocktails
• having a few easy group games to get the energy moving and raising the atmosphere - we’ve done Pictionary on a whiteboard and articulate in teams - both without the board, just for the comedy and getting everyone involved. Or a Christmas quiz (buy or print it!) and nominate someone to ask the questions.
• have a plan for table decorating that’s really easy for you but looks atmospheric, have a practice run and wang it on as soon as it’s practical to do it (like if you don’t need the table Xmas morning do it the day before).
• carry the bird / joint of meat / meal centrepiece to the table just because it’s a special moment and nominate someone to carve.
• make sure any elderly guests have a comfy seat that’s close to the action so they feel included. ditto you so you can sit with babe! (And give yourself permission to escape for peace for feeding if you want to!)
• get a nice box of mint chocolates and Turkish delight (or whatever) to serve with tea/coffee after. Teapots are your friend - saves faffing with individual cups and people can sort their own once it’s on the table.
• If you’ve got a bit more energy now get your veg etc prepped and frozen (and make a note of what’s done) - once babe is here you’ll have more time sitting down for feeds and recovery and online shopping for presents will be your friend!
• remember it doesn’t have to resemble something from a magazine, and everyone will be excited to be with your family and it’s the togetherness that makes it perfect even when things go haywire 🥰

I've already collected fir cones. I'll spray them silver for Xmas and place in display with holly and ivy. First Thursday in December I always make a Xmas wreath for my Mum's and 2 Aunties graves with my sister's. I usually book either ballet or a play in October.

I'm clearing out the kitchen cupboards - nothing worse than everything jumbled up and don't know how much you've got of everything!!
Just the food ones for now. Running out of steam 🤣

@letmego24 I did the fridge yesterday, and I’m procrastinating on the Tupperware bomb-site 😂

Haha know what you mean! I had a brainwave and used two of my Tupperware boxes to hold random food things like small bags of rice or leftover sauces from my recipe boxes to make use of them and prevent my spices cupboard overflowing 😆

@letmego24 love it 😂🙌

Does anyone have any recommendations for how to decorate a dinner table for christmas? We're hosting the in laws this year and I'd like to make it special for my kids as we usually see loads of their cousins on the day so it'll be a lot quieter than what they're used to!

I've got a list so far of all the extra food to add to make a roast dinner nicer for them (they're not huge fans of roasts so adding pigs in blankets, mini sausages and extra snacks this year). And hopefully lots of fairy lights and a beautiful table will make things special. Last year I found plastic champagne flutes so they had their drinks out of them, will have to find more this year!

@HelpMeDrRanj aww it sounds lovely! How old are your kids? And will you need space in the table for the food in dishes or plate up in the kitchen? (I feel like you’ll get some great answers here and this info will help!) 🎄

As we’re renting a house in London over Christmas so we can see family (at a distance) I want to contribute food etc. I was thinking of ordering from M&S- do they do Christmas food orders?

Thanks @rhubarbhandsoap ! They're 9 and 7. Our table isn't huge so we'll probably just have the dinner plates and drinks/gravy jug etc on the table to save space. And christmas crackers for the first 5 minutes or so. I love bread sauce so will have my own little dish of that too as no-one else likes it 😁

Feel sad reading this thread. I used to love doing all the Christmas prep. But now 3 dcs are adults and this year my mother died so Christmas is going to be a non event. Dd2 is going to spend Christmas with my sis so she isnt on her own and DS is making noises about spending Christmas with other relatives because its boring here. That leaves Dd1 who has just spent half an hour sobbing on my shoulder because its not the same without grandma.
I doubt there will be much in the way of festive cheer tbh.

Most supermarkets do Christmas food orders. M&S slots go quickly and I think they go live later this month. I've had Morrisons Christmas food previously and it's been good so if you can't get M&S I can recommend this. The supermarkets will have online ordering later this month/early next month.

Oh @Hedjwitch my sympathies