What main dish will take center stage at Christmas dinner this year? Whether it's a gleaming turkey, succulent goose, tender ham or standing rib roast, it's time to place your holiday order.
Ordering ahead means you'll get the size and quality you're looking for--while procrastinators must choose from what's left behind at the meat counter. Make the call!
What's for dinner ... on Christmas Day? Christmas Eve? New Year's Day?
The only one who should wing it when it comes to holiday menus? The turkey. Smart cooks know that a written menu plan calms chaos in the kitchen, and never more so than before a big holiday feast.
A written menu plan makes it easy to spot bottlenecks at oven and cookstove, sorts serving dishes, and organizes potluck contributions.
Today, make out a simple menu plan for each holiday meal remaining in the season. It'll be your road map in the holiday kitchen:
Christmas card chores can feel overwhelming if done in a big gulp by a single hand. Spread the joy with a Christmas card round robin!
Draft all family members for the job, and divide cards among them. Each member starts with a different section of the list, writing a brief greeting. When finished, hand the card along the table to the next person, who adds his or her own greeting.
Christmas music and special snacks make the effort special, and sharing makes it fun. Season's greetings!
It's the holiday chore nobody wants: wrapping gifts at midnight, Christmas Eve. To head off last-minute wrapping, wrap gifts as you go.
Wrapping in small doses, you'll do a better job and enjoy it, too. To track whose gift is which, use adhesive notes to identify gifts.
This year, holiday shipping will face unprecedented challenges. Between a surge of online shopping and new reliance on shipping-based supply chains, package delivery may be delayed this year.
Beat the rush: prepare now to mail holiday gifts early. Check stocks of mailing boxes and supplies, and be ready to ship as soon as gift boxes are ready. If ordering online, look for gift wrap options that allow you to ship gifts directly to the recipients.
Ready? Set? Ship!
It's the Monday after Thanksgiving, and December's on the way. With the turn of a calendar page, the season is upon us--and for most of us, our time is our scarcest holiday resource.
Today is the perfect time to check your progress! Sit down with the family calendar and evaluate where you are with holiday preparations.
How is gift-buying progressing? Are you nearly there ... or barely there? Make time to complete gift buying in the coming days.
How is holiday baking coming along? Will you need to pare down the list or oursource the goodies? What about crafts projects or handmade gifts? If they're not completed, it's time to tuck the UFOs away for another year.
Does the schedule include time for family and self-care? Block out a few afternoons or evenings for renewal--you'll head off last-minute frazzles and family meltdowns.
Ready or not, here it comes: the holiday season! Are you ready?
The liturgical season of Advent begins on Sunday, November 29. Will your family observe this time of preparation? Time to plan Advent observances!
For many families, the holidays present a challenge of values. How do you focus on the season's meaning when the celebration provides so many distractions? Too often, the excitement seems to boil down to a round of gifts and goodies, with little thought to the deeper values underlying the fun.
One way to keep the reason in the season: Advent observances. Whether it's a customs like an Advent wreath, daily Scripture readings, or attendance at worship, plan Advent activities now. Entered in your calendar, they'll help your family keep the focus while enjoying the celebration.
The weekend after Thanksgiving is a time when many families begin decorating for the Christmas season. Will you bring out the holiday decor today?
Decorating for the holidays can be a lot of fun--unless you must dig them out from under last year's storage chaos. Burned-out lights, broken ornaments, and scattered packaging can dampen anyone's decor spirit.
This year, lay a good foundation for years to come. As you open stored decorations, assess the state of holiday decor. Will you need to replace lights, candles or garlands? Add the new items to a shopping list for post-season clearance sales, and make notes of any items that will be retired this year.
As you unpack, take a look at decor storage containers. Have they held up to the job? Are they easy to stack? If new storage boxes are in order, begin looking out for them as you shop for the season.
Are new decorations in order? Check out these tips to decorate for the season ... frugally:
We are blessed! As America celebrates Thanksgiving Day, we will focus on abundance and thankfulness.
Stay safe, stay healthy, and have a Happy Thanksgiving.
Has the Thanksgiving meal created chaos in the holiday kitchen? Today, get help online with all your Thanksgiving turkey problems!
Whether you need to know about thawing times, stuffing recommendations, cooking methods or problem solving, try these resources for holiday cooking questions:
