The holiday season is full of food & family gatherings!

1. Plan

Look ahead at your calendar through the whole month of December and past January 1st. What holiday events and gatherings are you planning to host and/or attend? Which ones require you to prepare a meal or a dish? Think about times your family will be home and will want a special treat, not just events and gatherings. Do you serve cinnamon rolls on the morning after Christmas, for example? What traditions include food? Do you have a gift exchange that involves homemade food items? Do you typically drop off a plate of cookies at the neighbors’ houses?

Check out websites like Pinterest for fun, holiday recipes and ideas!

2. Organize

Write out each event (in order), plus the food you plan on making for each one. Think about ways to maximize your time and energy. You can bake two pies of the same type and take them to two different events. Make cookies in bulk and spread them out between three events. If you need a variety of cookies, plan a cookie exchange with friends so you do not have to make as many different kinds. Can any of the items be frozen ahead of time? Look at your calendar and schedule time for food prep.

3. Bulk Prep

Combine as many basic tasks as possible. If you need to chop walnuts for two different recipes, do it on the same day. Break tasks down into “bite-sized” chunks (pun intended!) in order to get a little done each day without being overwhelmed or spending an entire weekend in the kitchen. Is there a recipe that you can measure out or prepare without actually cooking it yet and then freeze it? Double your dinner recipe and save one for next week so you can spend that evening doing holiday food prep instead of prepping dinner.

4. Enjoy!

The more organized you are, the more food you can prepare ahead of time and the more tasks you can combine, the more time you’ll have to relax and enjoy the holidays when they arrive! No one wants to spend all of Christmas Day in the kitchen. Christmas is for family and spending time together. So get that food prepped and be ready to spend quality time playing games or doing a puzzle together when the actual day arrives.