Get Organized: Your Holiday Calendar

A lot of holiday stress can be attributed to lack of organization. Possibly you have these amorphous thoughts floating around in your head about what needs to be done, but you never sit down and make out a list or a schedule. Perhaps you don't even evaluate how much you can--or how much you want to spend--this year. Then the 15th of December rolls around, and just like last year, you haven't made any preparations at all....

So you stress. And come New Year's Day, you're exhausted and you're glad it's over for another year.

Get yourself organized. Get a blank calendar, and start planning out every aspect of your holiday season. There is something about getting all the plans out on paper that is both stress-reducing and liberating. Not only that, but after you've finished filling out your calendar, you can ruminate over it for a few days and decide what you need or would like to hack out to make things easier on you and yours.

No excuses. Here is a link to a site where you can design and print out as many custom, full page blank calendars as you'd like, for free - no membership necessary, no leaving your e-mail address. 100% free, no strings attached. You can even personalize your calendar(s) with a photograph(s).

 

A reduced-size version of a blank calendar created for free at dayweekyear.com.

Do it NOW. Don't wait.

Lastly, here's a Christmas schedule that no one but Martha Stewart would attempt. ;)

Holiday dinners don't have to be a lot of work...

...but let's face it, they can be a lot of work. Here are some tips to lighten the load--

• Buy the whole dinner pre-made. Lots of stores now offer a complete holiday "meal in a box." I can't attest to the quality of these particular commodities, never having eaten one (or at least I don't think I have); that's something you'll have to check out for yourself.


• Buy a precooked turkey or ham, and make the side dishes. All the big grocery stores have these now; some years ago I bought a pre-cooked, smoked turkey that you simply heat in the oven, and it was the most tender, luscious turkey I ever ate. Likewise, those Black-Label, spiral cut and pre-cooked hams are delectable.


• Mix and match. Buy some side dishes, make some. We all know that most of the big grocery stores have innumerable deli-foods available, and you can buy any kind of pie under the sun, fresh or frozen. Likewise, some of those gravies in a jar aren't too shabby; a little amending on your part can make them exceptional. And taters is just taters. They just plain. They just potatoes. You can buy them, fresh, mashed, ready to go.


• Dispense with the traditional holiday dinner altogether. I did this one year. Lay a nice tablecloth, set out good china and utensils, and load that table up with deli goodies and some traditional items, as well. Sliced meats, including turkey, marinated artichoke hearts, pickles and olives, specialty breads, shrimp wheel, christmas cookies, apple strudel, pumpkin pie, etc. Whatever you like, as much or as little as you want. You can mix and match, here, too. Make some of it, buy some of it. And make the table festive. Fancy Christmas napkins, Pointsettia, assorted decorations. No one is going to complain when they see all that good food, laid out so attractively (my base inclination is to say that if they do, tough, but you know your family situation better than I).


• Have a big Christmas breakfast instead of a big Christmas dinner. Souffle, quiche, eggs benedict, ham, blintzes, crepes - whatever you like. Save the afternoon for cuddling up and watching Christmas movies, visiting, playing games, listening to music. If you have company staying over, offer a light lunch/dinner.


• Whatever you're having, make the "atmosphere" special. Have a big pot of mulled cider or wine on the stove for people to dip into as they like. It smells wonderful, and it tastes great. Don't serve soda for drinks; that is, quite frankly, lame (recipes for holiday drinks will be forthcoming in the next few days). Get a bag of cinammon scented pine cones and some cheap baskets and distribute them throughout the house. Hang mistletoe. Do a Christmas simmering potpourri. Burn Christmas candles (observe proper candle safety). And for heaven's sake, turn the television off during dinner, and turn the Christmas music on, loud enough to be heard, but low enough to still allow conversation.

Finally, here's the most important tip of all. ASK FOR HELP. There is no shame in that. If you have kids, delegate. You may be the meal planner and the head cook, but that doesn't mean you're the prep cook, chef, dishwasher, and waiter all rolled up into one. Put the hubby to work, even if that's not the norm. Why is it that you should have to wait hand and foot on everyone, handle all the cleanup, and have very little time to relax and enjoy Christmas yourself?

Tips on Simplifying the Traditional Holiday Dinner

When it comes to your holiday dinner(s), it doesn't have to be Norman Rockwell. To the opposite extreme, you don't have to serve catfish (unless you really, really want to, and everyone is okay with that). It's a matter of finding a comfortable balance that doesn't leave you exhausted on the day after Christmas. Along those lines, it's important to be organized.

In their excellent book, Simplify the Holidays, Allana Baroni and Vicki Webster have developed a timetable to make the classic holiday dinner a lot easier on you, who has to prepare it.

The following is a dinner consisting of roast turkey, stuffing, gravy, mashed potatoes, a vegetable casserole, a salad, dinner rolls, followed by pie and whipped cream. You may adjust it according to your specific menu, and desired timetable - it's meant to be a general guide, only.

Note: If you're looking for simpler alternatives to the traditional Christmas dinner, see the post immediately following this one.

• One month out (now): Plan your menu; make your shopping list; take an inventory of china, silver, glassware, and serving pieces.


• Two weeks prior: Buy nonperishable food: flour, spices, canned pumpkin, frozen turkey and vegetables. Buy non-perishable beverages such as wine, liquor, and mixers.


• One week prior: Wash any serving pieces, glassware, silverware, carving knives, pitchers or plates that you haven't used lately.


• Three days prior: Buy perishable foods such as potatoes, vegetables for the casserole and salad, and any staples such as eggs and milk. Begin thawing turkey in the refrigerator.


• Two days prior: Buy fresh turkey (if not using frozen) and refrigerate; shop for supplies such as ice, rolls, and fresh herbs.


• One day prior: Make pies; clean house.


• Six to eight hours before serving: Set table. Make hors d'oeuvres and refrigerate.


• Three to five hours before serving: Make vegetable casserole, salad, and refrigerate. Prepare turkey and put it in the oven to roast, basting it periodically.*


• 1-1/2 hours before: Put giblets on to cook, if you're planning on having giblet gravy. Prepare stuffing and put it in the oven; peel and chop potatoes and put them on the stove to cook.


• One hour before: Arrange hors d'oeuvres on platters and set them out for guests. Remove vegetable casserole from the refrigerator.


• 30 minutes before: Check thermometer to see how quickly turkey is cooking; transfer stuffing to serving dish and keep warm; mash potatoes, cover, and keep warm.


• 20 minutes before: Remove turkey from oven and let stand; baste with pan juices. Leave oven to warm rolls and heat vegetable casserole. Put away appetizers.


• 10 minutes before: Remove rolls from oven; cover and keep warm; uncork red wine if you're serving it; fill water glasses; set out butter; toss salad with dressing. Make gravy.


• Immediately before serving: Transfer turkey to serving platter; transfer gravy to a gravy bowl; reheat stuffing, if necessary; transfer potatoes to serving dish; set out vegetable casserole, salad, rolls, and any condiments (e.g., cranberry sauce)


• After everyone has finished eating: Clear away plates and serving dishes; get them into a sink of sudsy water to soak - don't let food crust on them. You can put them in the dishwasher later. Set out dessert plates; make coffee/tea/other beverages; whip cream and offer dessert.

*Adjust the cooking times according to individual recipes and the size of the bird. Depending on your oven temperature, the turkey may take slightly more or less time to cook; start checking it at least a half hour before you expect it to be done.