Our favourite time of year is right around the corner, so make this season more enjoyable by stopping the stress in its tracks! With all of the fun and celebrations comes plenty of challenges abound at this time of the year, so you’re going to need to be armed with the best tips to get you through Christmas stress-free. There’s the challenge of getting the house ready for guests (ugh – cleaning), the challenge of travel, the shopping, the cooking, the budgeting, the to-do lists… the list could go on. Amid all of this chaos and excitement, you’re going to need coping strategies to keep it all together this Christmas. Relax, you got this! Here are our top 7 tips for hosting your Christmas stress-free.

1. Make a list

The trick to hosting and indeed enjoying a stress-free celebration is being ORGANISED – and we cannot stress this enough! Perhaps the best way to plan ahead is to live by a list, and don’t be afraid to negotiate. Write out all of your tasks, supplies needed, recipes etc. – that way you can prepare yourself for what needs to be done in the lead up to Christmas!

2. Keep it tidy

If you’re expecting guests to stay over during the holiday period or are hosting a Christmas party, clean your house ahead of time! Get the decluttering done and give your house a deep clean at least a week before and ahead of time. All you will have to do after is last minute tidying up and spot cleans because the bulk of the work has already been done. With cleaning complete you can spend more time on other tasks such as cooking and decorating!

3. Decorate

Usually your house is already decorated for the season, however some final touches can be added when hosting family and friends. Deck out your home well before Christmas day – you may decide to add/remove decorations or find decorations better suited to your theme.

4. Stock up

You’ll never want to run out of food and essential items if you plan to entertain, you will also need to factor in the unexpected guests that roll in! Stock up your pantry with a selection of sweet and savoury foods, keep drinks on hand and stocked up, ensure you have disposable tableware if need be, and make sure you have disposable containers for leftovers!

5. Plan your menu and make it easy

Brainstorm your Christmas menu a few weeks prior, the last thing you want to be doing is scratching your head the night before trying to come up with dishes to make. Know what you’re capable of cooking and cook within your comfort zone – it’s probably best to stick with dishes you know how to prepare rather than experimenting especially before hosting Christmas. Asks your guests to bring a side dish or desserts with them to contribute and ease your stress, don’t be afraid to ask for help!

6. Set everything up the night before

This may feel like an unnecessary step but trust us, being able to spend time creating a beautiful table will not only save you time on Christmas day, it will also make sure the table looks exactly the way you want it to.

7. Have fun!

Don’t forget to HAVE FUN! This may be our most important tip, all of your hard work will pay off so enjoy it. Enjoy the season, enjoy your guests, enjoy your feast… and make memories!