The leaves are starting to fall and the smell of pumpkin spice is in the air, so that can only mean one thing…the holiday season is upon us! This is such a fun time of food, family, friends and craziness. If your holidays tend to get a bit overwhelming, we have one major tip: Plan, plan, plan. We cannot emphasize how important this is! If your gatherings tend to send you into dreaming about being alone on a deserted island, look no further…we’ve got you covered!
- Start your magical holiday journey with a list of events, listing time, place, etc. and place it in a centralized location so everyone in your household knows where to be! This will eliminate the game of “Who will be at dinner?”.
- Start thinking about the menu. Keep an on-going list so that you can add items as you think of them.
- Plan a cooking schedule so that all of your dishes are not set to go into the oven at once (If you are traveling, don’t forget to add time for cool-down).
- Make a seating chart to eliminate guessing and arguing!
- Set up a kids’ table! The adults get to eat alone and the kids feel special with their own place.
- Clean as you go. Wash dishes as you use them, etc.
- Hand out chores. Don’t take on all of the burden by yourself…make your family suffer, too!
Most importantly, this is your holiday, too, so take care of yourself! Don’t run yourself ragged. Be sure to get plenty of rest so you can also enjoy all that the holidays have to offer.