Enjoy a Stress Free Christmas
It's beginning to look a lot like Christmas, isn't it? Television, radio, stores and everywhere else you look, there are sales, sales and more sales, all designed to jump-start your holiday plans. It's also enough to get your stress level rising, too!
There are ways to reduce holiday stress, though, and most of them involve either your attitude or your to-do list.
If you have quite a few obligations over the holidays—and who doesn't?—making lists can help you plan ahead and avoid that last-minute crunch. And when it comes to fixing meals, treats and gifts, getting things done in advance is a very smart plan!
Food shopping: Thanksgiving may be the major food holiday, but Christmas can't be far behind. And with Christmas, the food extends far beyond one large dinner. There are parties, open houses, food gifts and even cookie exchanges to prepare for. You may need to buy last-minute perishables closer to serving time, but you can do an awful lot of advance prep work by stocking up on the staples. Flour, sugar, cans of chicken broth, frozen pie crusts….these are all perfect items to buy now, while the crowds at the check-out line are more manageable. Above all, you don't want to be standing in line on Christmas Eve, so stock up now!
Food fixing: if you can, cook foods and store them in the refrigerator or freezer. Many desserts freeze well, and your advance prep work allows you to relax as those deadlines approach. Casseroles, breads, snacks and more are all prime candidates for the freezer. Find a few never-fail ingredients for snacks and appetizers, and have all the ingredients ready to throw together. Keep a bag of pre-cooked shrimp in the freezer, and a jar of cocktail sauce in the pantry, for instance. At a moment's notice, you can run the shrimp under cold water to thaw, and have ready-so-serve shrimp cocktails. Arrange them all in a fancy wine glass and it'll be fancy enough for any visitor! And while you're preparing for any situation, fix a few quick dinners for the freezer. Some weekend, make a big pot of soup and freeze it; brown up several pounds of ground beef, and package it in single-meal bags in the freezer; or cook several chicken breasts, shred the meat and freeze it; these all are thaw-and-fix dinners, ready to go!
Food storage: you know you're going to have leftovers, so why not get ready now? Make sure you have a good supply of bags, boxes and wraps that will work in any situation. Have some disposable dishes that you can send leftovers in….with no need to track down the bowl later. Some of the decorator disposables are so pretty they'll be a gift in themselves!
