7 Tips for Planning a Christmas Dinner

I've been married for 5 years and this is the first year I haven't been stressed out about entertaining for the holidays. We usually have about 15-18 people over on Christmas Day. Here are some tips for planning a stress-free Christmas Dinner.

Photo from Southern Living

1. Figure out how many guests will be attending at least two weeks ahead of time, and decide how you arrange the table and make room for additional tables if necessary.


2. Plan your menu at least two weeks ahead. A good rule of thumb is to plan for each person to eat between one and two pounds of food.

3. Organize shopping lists and try to list the items the way you usually navigate your grocery store. This will save you time in the store while shopping.

4. Empty out as much of the refrigerator as possible one week ahead. Get rid of everything that you won't need. The more space in the fridge, the better.

5. If you're baking cookies for the party, prepare the cookie dough in advance and freeze it. If you're serving a decorated cake, make and bake the cake parts a week or more ahead of time, wrap them well in plastic wrap and freeze them until the day before. Frozen cakes are easier to decorate anyway.

Photo From Lovin from the Oven

6. Set the table one or 2 days in advance.

Photo from Best Ribbon & Trim

7. Peel and cut all vegetables two days before. Carrots and potatoes can be stored in ice water in the fridge; onions, celery and other vegetables must be kept dry and wrapped well.

Photo from Inmagine

Happy Planning!!