Holiday Organizing Made Simple

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Christmas is only a short time away. Christmas dinner is a big event and we need to plan. Where does one start we often ask. There are many things to think about. If we leave it to the last minute we encounter stress on top of the already busy stressful shopping and entertaining events that happen over the holiday season.

Ways to combat stress and get organized for you Christmas day.

1. Make lists

2. Establish time lines and stick to them

Home decorations- Put them out the first week in December

Christmas shopping- I recommend to shop for stocking stuffers all through out the year. Boxing week sales are the time to stock up and find incredible deals. I pick up things like nail files, manicure kits, grooming kits, bubble bath, candles, Christmas Pj’s. They are usually all half price or more. I store them in one location for next year.

Dinner Menu Plan – We need to think about who is coming and do they have any special dietary needs. Do you need to make some vegetarian dishes for them and what are the things we can make ahead and freeze or even make a couple days ahead of time.  I particularly like a mash potato bake recipe that I can make a few days ahead. On Christmas day they get popped in the oven and there is no mashing and no mess. Ill post that recipe in the coming weeks ahead.

Think Color! Nothing worse than sitting down to a dinner of brown. Brown Gravy brown stuffing, white potatoes. Vegetables are wonderful and colorful.  If you have Brussel spouts, don’t pick broccoli. Liven up the dinner plate as if it were a canvas of colour. Think about green beans with almonds, carrots and parsnip medley and colorful roasted peppers. We have greens, oranges, yellows, and reds.

Plan what oven space you will need, I often pick vegetable dishes I can make ahead and “heat up” the last minute in the microwave. An example is Carrots. If you steam or boil them, take them out a little early, run under cold water and set aside. Doing this helps keep their vibrant colors. Have your sauce, ie Brandied Carrots, butter, marmalade what ever you choose ready to go.  Minutes before your ready eat you stir in your sauce, microwave on high to heat. Presto!! You have an excellent vegetable dish that did not take oven or stove top space.

If you want to try a new recipe, give it a test run weeks before the big day.

Cooking what you can before hand allows you to have a clean kitchen and limited dishes to wash. Less mess and less stress.Cut your carrots the day before, put them in some water so they don’t dry out. All you need to do the day of is cook them! Saves considerable time.

Wash and dry your salad greens the day before. One of my favourite salads at Christmas is one of Pomegranate, candied pecans, feta cheese with a maple dressing. Colorful and beautiful taste combination.

Pull out your table linens. Ensure they are washed, clean and fresh and ironed. If you have china, pull it out, wash it if need. Set it aside.

Table setting – If you are lucky enough to have a separate dining table set it early. The day before is best as your time and energy is devoted to the Christmas meal.

Choose your wines early, have then chilled and ready to go.

Christmas day you can get the turkey in the oven and relax. If you have planned, prepared and shopped early you will enjoy so much more.

Restore the calm and order to your life! You will be grateful

you planned ahead.

Getting Ready for the Holidays

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November is here, which means it’s time to get organized for the upcoming holiday season!

First things first, one has to determine what needs to be done. To break things down, we can look at the holidays in terms of gifts and cards, the meal, decorating, and holiday activities, and organize these topics chronologically.

All of these topics require planning, thinking of ideas, and making lists. This time-consuming task doesn’t have to be done all at once. While waiting for kids to finish lessons, on the train to work, waiting for an appointment – use these moments of time to think of gift ideas, guest lists, menus, shopping lists, etc.

Another important thing to remember is that it’s hard for a person to do these tasks by oneself – get family and friends to participate and help out!  

Beginning of November

-       Gifts and Cards

o   Start shopping: Especially when buying items online, it’s best to get them ordered sooner rather than later to make sure you receive before the holidays. Buying gifts is usually cheaper if you purchase them ahead of time, because they are more likely to be on sale and the stores are usually not as crowded, which makes for a less stressful shopping experience!

o   Create Christmas cards: Although they don’t have to be sent yet, get your kids to make up an ecard or design a print-out online. There are many websites that will offer easy print out picture options that are great to send out as well.

-       Holiday Activities

o   Charity/donations: A lot of people want to give back or support local charities by volunteering, but around the holiday time there are almost too many people that want to help. Consider making a donation or volunteering earlier – these charities don’t just need help around the holidays.

Mid-November

-       Gifts and Cards

o   Send U.S./International holiday cards and presents: A list of the deadlines for Canada Post’s letter and parcel shipping for the U.S. and International destinations can be found here. Don’t leave this to the last minute!

o   Wrapping: Now is a good time to make sure that you have the wrapping paper and gift bags that are needed for this year. As you purchase Christmas gifts, wrap them when you have time in the evenings in front of the T.V. or on the weekend.

-       Holiday Activities

o   Christmas parties: A lot of companies tend to host Christmas parties around the middle to end of November. Make sure you have an outfit to wear, item for donation, and potentially a food item to bring if it’s potluck!

End of November

-       Gifts and Cards

o   Send out Christmas cards: It may seem early, but get cards printed or make sure all of them are written and addressed, and send them out during the last couple of days of the month. That way, they are guaranteed to be received during the beginning of December and you will have one less task to worry about!

-       The Meal

o   Create a guest list and menu: Decide who will be coming, when you’ll be hosting, and what you’ll be eating. Is it sit down, potluck or buffet? Get this figured out now so you can start preparing your schedule for December.

o   Bread cubes: Another item that can be checked off the list early. Cube up the bread, dry it out, and pop it in the freezer.

o   Baking: Get some of the Christmas baking out of the way. A lot of cookie dough, squares, and cakes can be made ahead of time and stored in the freezer.

Beginning of December

-       The Meal

o   For a break down of managing and planning out a meal, check out our previous post for Thanksgiving Time Management. Different holiday, but the same guidelines apply!

-       Decorating

o   Christmas lights: Lights can be put up anytime throughout the month, but can be very dependent on weather. Watch out for warm chinook days and take advantage of them!

o   Christmas tree: Depending on whether you use a fake or real tree, it can be set up earlier in the month along with the rest of the decorations. It’s nice to get the house set up ahead of time! Get the family involved and make it a fun holiday activity.

All that should (hopefully) be left by this point is the rest of the meal preparation, most of which can’t be done too far ahead of time. Now, you can enjoy caroling, Christmas parties, and other activities instead of rushing last minute to buy gifts, decorate the house, and send out Christmas cards. Getting gifts and cards, decorating, and holiday activities done early allows you to enjoy the rest of the holiday season stress-free!