Ah yes, the festive season is upon us, and we are so looking forward to all the parties, food, family times and presents! Actually, maybe not all of us are quite so excited as one may think, especially those of you who’ve taken it upon yourselves to host Christmas lunch or dinner this year.

Like most special occasions, the thought of hosting a gathering can be quite daunting, especially where large numbers are concerned, and if it is your first time. Well, as always, we at yufeed are happy to give our fellow home cooks a helping hand. So, check out the below list of suggestions to help you get started, and hopefully, make for a stress-free holiday:

• NO TIME LIKE THE PRESENT: Start planning from today; how many people will you be inviting? Will you be making a roast? What’s for dessert? The sooner you have a plan in mind, the better.
• GRAB A PEN AND PAPER: Be sure to write everything down, and I really do mean everything! This includes the menu, the drinks, the shopping list, table settings… etc. And it doesn’t end there; once you’re done with your list, be sure to then write down a calendar plan on what you’d like to tackle and when, starting in order of priority. The idea is that the more you do during the build up to Christmas, the less you’ll actually have to do on the day, which in turn means less stress for you.
• DECORATE IN ADVANCE: Whether you like to go all out or keep things minimal, make sure all your table settings, decorations, glasses and serving platters are put in place well in advance. Though you may not realise it, these things do take time, and believe me when I tell you that you do not need to be worrying about them on the day when you will have more important things to think about, like the food!
• SHOP AND ORDER AHEAD: Given that it’s the holiday season, bear in mind that things will be flying off the shelves, and the chances of you finding certain key ingredients in the shops will be slim to none the closer you leave it to Christmas. So, anything that will keep until the big day, be sure to buy WELL in advance, so that any last-minute shopping will be kept to an absolute minimum (if that!).
• ON THE DAY: Have a run sheet handy; which ideally should be prepared during the GRAB A PEN AND PAPER phase. This will help you a lot on the day, and make for a much smoother day, especially when dealing with all the dishes; prepping, cooking, and most likely, reheating them before serving.

Now, this is not to say that if you follow this advice, nothing will go wrong. In fact, chances are that something will go wrong, as this is just a right of passage for any major holiday. However, the more prepared you are, the easier it will be to bounce back from any mishaps that may occur.

Hope this helps take some of the edge off, and stay tuned for some more festive cheers!