Projects, Crafts and Party Planning

The Ultimate Guide to Preparing for Christmas

Christmas is just around the corner. If you’re going to be hosting on the day itself, then you’ll want to pull out all of the stops. After all, this is the season for indulgence and excess – and doing a little bit of preparation can help you to make the occasion truly special.

Early Planning and Budgeting

It’s easy to overspend over the Christmas period. A sensible budget can help you to avoid this. Come up with a figure for your total spending, and divide that figure into your various categories of spending. Food, gifts, decorations and other expenses might be considered separately. This will prevent one part of your budget from eating into everything else.

The earlier you start your budget, the more time you’ll have to save – and to take advantage of sales.

Gift shopping and wrapping

Your shopping should be informed by a list of people you’re going to be buying presents for. Each entry on the list should be accompanied by a few notes for potential ideas. That way, you’ll have at least an inkling of what you’re going to be buying. Shop early, and you’ll avoid the crowds (and the stress) that come with shopping at the last minute. You’ll also stand a better chance of finding the items you really want.

Festive food preparation

If you’re putting food on, you’ll want to plan the menu in advance. What are you going to be serving for starters, mains, sides and desserts? Are you going to need to cater for vegans, and other people with special dietary needs?

In many cases, you can prepare and freeze certain foods ahead of time, so that they can be thawed and cooked on the day itself. Give yourself a few test runs so that you can be sure every recipe works. This will help you to refine a given recipe and give you the confidence you need to bring it together later on. This is particularly important for those items that can’t be frozen.

Foremost among your considerations should be the centrepiece. Order meat for Christmas well in advance. That way, you can be sure that you’ll get exactly the bird you’re looking for.

Home decoration and ambience

If your home isn’t suitably decorated, then it won’t feel like Christmas – however impressive the food and drink might be. Lay wreaths on doors, drape tinsel around bannisters, and incorporate LED fairy lights around trees.

Scheduling and Time Management

Your most precious resource at this time of year will be your time. Set out a schedule for important activities, so that you can manage your workload effectively. You can find free Christmas planners available online, which will help you to make sure that you haven’t forgotten anything.

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