HOLIDAY PLANNER

Plan Your Holiday Menus Now

Start using your time wisely to create lovely events by following these ten steps

Introduction

As a certified and former family and consumer sciences teacher (formerly called home economics), I am always ready to give helpful advice about meal preparation. And doing so for all the beautiful observances that take place in November through December is what I love to do.

It doesn’t matter if you want your Thanksgiving meal to create fabulous family memories. Nor does it matter if you highlight delicious foods and exquisite decorations as you observe Hanukkah, Christmas Eve, Christmas, Kwanza, Boxing Day, New Year’s Eve, or any other holiday, thoughtful planning is critical.

I hope the advice that I share in this story will contribute to more stress-free cooking, baking, and creating festive table decorations for you during this time of year. Following this advice will release you to enjoy your special occasions more thoroughly.

Ten Planning Essentials

Gone are the days of cramming your holiday meals into the day before or the day of your celebration. And gone are the days of spending Christmas eve baking all the cookies you want Santa to enjoy. Gone are the days of searching from store to store for centerpiece items to decorate your serving tables, too. Who has time for all that holiday madness these days anyway?

The ten tips that I’ve included for you below will make a tremendous difference for you as you create memorable meals, foods, and food gifts for your family and friends during your holiday events.

1. Plan all of your holiday menus early. This includes all the dishes, beverages, or desserts you are responsible for taking to family, church, work, and community gatherings and those that you will serve at the events, you host. This includes the food that you will give as gifts, too.
2. Develop a shopping list that is filled with all the ingredients that you need to buy to prepare all of your recipes. Be sure to add everything you need to set the table for all the meals you will host along with appropriate gift boxes and containers if you plan to gift with food.
3. Once your detailed shopping list is developed, be sure to develop unique strategies for saving money. Here are some suggestions. Check weekly store circulars and advertisements to find out what items on your list are on sale. Then buy them. Also, be sure to gather online coupons as well as the ones sent in the mail and available at stores. Don’t forget to use cookbooks and recipe cards along with recipes found online to help you create your shopping list.
4. Take the time you need to shop for all the bargains that are available through sales and coupons. Shop at the stores where you can save money during the period when the prices are lower.
5. Don’t be afraid to purchase some perishable items before you need them. Just check the use-by date and store the items appropriately. And don’t be afraid to use the freezer to store some things. For example, bread products like rolls, cornbread, croissant rolls, and fresh bread crumbs for homemade stuffing can be stored for several months as long as they are placed in a plastic bag or airtight container before freezing them. Once you thaw them before using them, these items will remain very fresh.
6. Investing in a large upright freezer makes a huge difference. This large appliance will give you the ability to engage in pre-preparation activities because you can get a lot of preliminary things done ahead of time. Having a freezer allows you to do things like store unbaked pies and casseroles that you have assembled along with cookie dough, blanched vegetables, and so much more. The list of uncooked or partially prepared foods including casseroles, side dishes, and desserts that can be stored is endless. Using an upright freezer will provide you with the space you need to spread out your foods without excessive stacking. This will enable air to circulate inside the freezer so that freezing will occur evenly. Another benefit to the upright freezer is that the food is less likely to get smashed or distorted by the heavy weight of food stacked on top of it.
7. Storage containers are also a great investment. You can buy containers in different shapes, sizes, and styles. It will be easy to find the ones that meet your needs. As you purchase containers, be sure to pick up some that can be used for your guests to transport leftovers to their homes or hotel rooms. If you want to bless family and friends who attend your gathering by making sure they have servings of some of the food you serve including the desserts to take with them, make sure you have enough containers on hand.
8. Fully cooked foods can be preserved in the freezer for many months. The key is making sure they remain packaged in airtight containers and bags. Therefore, fully cooking casseroles and freezing them is an ideal timesaver. But the thing to remember with recipes stored in glass dishes is that they must be placed in a cold oven before baking them. This will avoid the frozen glass shattering if they are placed in a hot oven. These dishes can be slowly thawed in the refrigerator, too. However, I caution you to avoid thawing frozen casseroles at room temperature for an extended amount of time. This will prevent foodborne illnesses. Cookies can also be baked ahead of time. Storing them properly in the freezer either in freezer bags or storage containers will keep them delicious and fresh for a very long time. Freezing cookies will eliminate the temptation to quickly devour mass quantities of these treats before they become stale. Also, freezing cookies prevents the plastic container or cookie jar flavor that tends to overtake cookies when they are stored at room temperature for a long time.
9. Be prepared to repurpose leftovers for use at additional holiday gatherings. Leftover ham, turkey, or other meats or poultry can be served at other meals or transformed into delicious accompaniments. For example, these proteins can be used as brunch accouterments or in soups or stews. The list of other foods that can be successfully used as leftover items is endless. But the important thing to remember is that these foods must be properly preserved in the freezer.
10. Just as you plan your shopping list around the foods that you will serve, make sure you develop a shopping list for your table service, too. Whether your event is formal or casual and no matter if it will be held indoors or outdoors, you will need to purchase all the table decorations that you need to create the ambiance you desire. And you need to determine your centerpiece as you also organize all the tableware as well as serving utensils that you need to make your gathering unique. It doesn’t matter if you are using fine china, silver, exquisite linen, crystal, paper products, plastic ware, or something in between, effective planning and preparation is the key.

My Final Thoughts

The holiday events that you host, organize, and participate in can easily reflect the spirit of the season.

All the accents that you have in anticipation of your gathering like the invitations you send along with the decorations, napkins, and tablecloths as well as all the table service that you use will help you capture the essence of your gathering.

But the delicious foods and beverages that are served make the ultimate statement about the event. These are the things that will make your holiday celebrations memorable.

In summary, your effective planning and your organizational skills make all these wonderful things possible.

From my family to yours, have a happy and joyous holiday season.

If you enjoyed this story, I have a few other stories to give you ideas for the holiday season.

Thank you for reading my holiday stories.

Here is my golden ticket that helps me accomplish my mission.

Dr. Deborah M. Vereen is a retired Teacher and School Administrator. Her website is www.Drdeborahmvereen.com and her YouTube Channel is

Copyright © 2022 Dr. Deborah M. Vereen. All rights reserved.