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Yeah! ‘Tis the season for parties! Getting revved up for the holiday rush! Getting our tree up and all decorated, working with my clients to make sure they are all relaxed and ready to go for their festivities with family, work, and friends.
It can be a very stressful time! But, you can make it fun as well. Try not too take too much on at once. Don’t promise everything to everyone, yup, it’s difficult to say no. If you want to host dinner, lunch, brunch, maybe have a potluck so that all the cooking doesn’t fall on your hands. Or another great idea is that the host/hostess does the main dish or dishes and everyone has to bring a side, a salad, or dessert. If you are having a large gathering, it is best to try to break up the ‘to do’ list, just so you aren’t rushing around at the last minute and burning yourself out. Here is a bit of a guideline that I have created over the years that have made things so much easier when hosting an event. You can add anything you need to it or arrange it to make it your own.
Guideline To Entertaining A Larger Crowd
5 days before – find out how many will be coming (be ready for add ons or cancellations at the last minute); get the house in order, do your cleaning, putting away, rearranging furniture to make space, get extra chairs, tables, etc.
4 days before – make your food shopping list and get whatever is needed, specialty items, alcohol, bake any cookies, squares you need and freeze them (you can also do this step even earlier in the month). Try and err on the side of having too much, rather than not enough (my nightmare), (things can always be frozen or someone can take leftovers). One summer we did a gathering and I was really sweating it that there was not enough for everyone. Luckily, it was just enough (whew!), but not much in leftovers.
3 days before – get any tablecloths, charcuterie boards, cake tiers, bowls, plates, chargers, etc. ready. If turkey is the main dish, and you do homemade stuffing, this is a great time to do it, it lets the flavours marinate into the bread and let it sit out overnight with a tea towel over the bowl (am I letting out some secrets that make our stuffing amazing?), p.s. don’t put any of the gizzards in at this time, you can add them at the time you stuff the turkey. If you have a frozen turkey, take it early in the day to defrost.
The Day Before – do as much of the cooking as possible. It really helps and is a lot easier than trying to cook it all at once on the day of. Take out any frozen cookies/goodies you made. We stuff and cook our turkey the early evening before and slice it up and put it in the fridge. Make your mashed potatoes now too, they are easy to warm up next day. Make your special homemade cranberry sauce, believe me, so much better than canned stuff. There are a few good recipes out there. Set out any candies, nuts, chips, etc. on side tables or the main table.
Day of Celebrations! – Before you even get out of bed, take a few minutes to clear your mind. Take some deep breaths and just focus on the moment. Be mindful of your body, the morning light, and put into your head and heart that it will be a beautiful day and all will go well. This is your time, and there is no room in your head at this moment for any negativity or worry. Focus on a few minutes of deep breathing to help center your mind, body and spirit. Once you are ready, you can begin your day.
Ok, don’t forget to eat a healthy breakfast to help you keep up your energy! Now dive in to the day. A couple hours before guests arrive, check anything on your list that may have gotten looked over. Oops, did the milk go sour? Might have to send someone out for last minute sundries. Don’t sweat it. If you are unable to get out, dial up a relative that is joining in and ask if they could bring a carton of milk on their way. I have done it myself, and I have done it for others.
Easy peasy for the for the rest of the day, now add a little water to the covered roasting pan or baking dish to warm up the turkey, fluff up the mashed potatoes and warm up in the oven, you can cook your veggies today. This way, once people start arriving, you can join in the fun, serve any hors’ d’oeuvres. People will be nibbling on the nuts/chips you set out already. Enjoy the festivities! Put some Christmas music on in the background. When dinner is ready, switch the Christmas music into softer Christmas songs or even Classical music and turn the volume down a bit.
My one rule for Christmas festivities if I am hosting is that the TV will not be turned on, I am adamant about it, even if the kiddos want to watch a movie, nope. Break out a board game, or play charades, or some sort of game the whole family can play.
As people are finishing up, have someone collect dishes, another to scrape plates and load in dishwasher (kids can help with this), even if you do dishes by hand or would rather do them later, if they are scraped and stacked, it really helps. Have someone help wipe counters, put away food or sweep. Many hands make light work, and make it fun, put the music on. Remember, if you have opened presents, make sure you have a garbage bag/recycle box at the ready for wrapping (of course, try to recycle or reuse giftbags as much as possible), etc.
p.s. You might still be exhausted by the time guests have left, but think of the great memories that will be made. Do you have any tips or tricks for getting ready for the festivities? I would love to hear from you so that I could pass them along!
Enjoy the magic of the season, no matter what background or religion you are, or how you celebrate!
Cheers, Sandra!
Sandra A. Murphy Reflexology 