Tips & Tricks for Holiday Meal Planning

The holidays are quickly approaching, and I wanted to share efficiency techniques for holiday meal planning. I love the holidays and I love hosting friends and strangers, or soon to be friends, at my house. However, I know that it’s not everyone’s cup of tea. Today I’m going to share with you the timeline that I use when planning for holiday celebrations to hopefully save you some time and thinking.

4 weeks out:

1. Set the date and time of the meal

2. Create the guest list

3. Notify the guests to save the date

3 weeks out:

1. Brainstorm what decorations I want.

2. Go ahead and purchase decorations, so that you can focus on the food in the weeks to come.

2 weeks out:

1. Set the menu

2. Create a sign-up list. Personally, I create a shared note on my phone and I list the menu items. I allow guests freedom within boundaries. For example, I may specifically list ham as the main course, and mashed potatoes as a side that people can sign up for, but then I also list a general “1 side” or “1 desert” as an option to sign up for to allow people the freedom to bring a side of their choice.

1 week out:

1. Purchase any non-perishable foods such as canned goods or frozen items.

3 days before:

1. Purchase perishables. As much as I would love to purchase my perishables the day before, that gives me too much anxiety of possibly being out of something, so I choose to do it 3 days before.

2. Deep clean the house, so that all you have to do is a light clean the day before.

The day before:

1. Bake all deserts that don’t have to be served hot (cakes, pies, refrigerated deserts)

2. Prepare any drinks that go in the fridge. If I’m doing a hot cider I prepare the mix, so all I have to do is warm it up the day of.

3. Decorate and set the table the day before. We always have a large crowd, so I get all of the tables and chairs setup and the place settings set and decorated. My kids love it, because they actually get to eat in the living room for one night since the dining room is set for the next day.

The day of is pretty obvious with cooking the meat, sides, and even a fresh salad.  

If you follow this list, I promise it will reduce your stress and allow you enjoy the reason for the season.