10 Tips For A Stress-Free Christmas Dinner

Christmas can be a busy and demanding time of year. Luckily, B&M have some great tips for a stress free Christmas dinner that will make one of the biggest festive struggles seem easy! They include:

• Finishing your shopping well in advance
• Making lists of the equipment you need and ensure you have it all
• Prepping food the day before
• Planning your Christmas dinner carefully before the rush, including timings
• Getting friends and family involved
• Cleaning as you go

Read on for details of how to plan a Christmas dinner that will make it a relaxing highlight of the holiday season.

1. No last-minute shopping

If you’re hosting Christmas dinner this year, be prepared!

The festive season is a stressful time for shopping, so be absolutely sure you’re able to pick up everything way in advance. You definitely don’t want to realise something’s missing and rush out to try and find an open shop on Christmas eve or the day itself!

B&M Top Tip: Designate a special notebook to fill with ideas, recipes, and - most importantly - your shopping list.

2. Check you have the equipment - and that it works!

Is your blender in good condition? Do you have enough roasting dishes and pans? If you’re hosting kids, check that you have the right plates, cutlery and cups for them too.

3. Start preparing early

There are many elements of a traditional English Christmas dinner that you can start days before, such as chopping and peeling vegetables.

After all, you don’t want to be rushing around on Christmas morning, keeping your guests waiting.

B&M Top Tip: To keep food fresh, check what you can freeze and store the rest in clip containers.

4. Make a clear plan

Put together a kitchen clipboard with lists of what needs to be cooked and when. This will reduce the risk of mushy sprouts and dry turkey!

5. Get the family involved in cooking

Before they arrive, ask your guests who would be happy to help with dinner - don’t add to the stress by springing it on them at the last minute!

Too many cooks spoil the broth, of course, but two or three calm helpers can really make things quick and easy. 

B&M Top Tip: You can also get people to help serve up. After all, you’ve only got a certain number of arms!

6. Get the family involved in decorating

You shouldn’t be doing everything by yourself. Why not make a fun activity out of Christmas dinner table decorations!

If you have older kids, why not tell them your Christmas dinner table ideas and let them come up with a few of their own? They can get to work on Christmas eve while you prep food for the next day. Remember to check on them every so often to avoid disaster!

B&M Top Tip: You can get hold of some cute chair covers, cutlery holders, Christmas dinnerware sets and plates to make it easy.

7. Lay the groundwork for cleaning

Take care of future you by planning how you’ll clean and tidy up after dinner is over. For example, think about reusing pans once you’ve finished with them to save on washing up.

B&M Top Tip: You can also get hold of trays or platters and wipe clean tablecloths to save having to clean the table afterwards too!

8. Clean as you go

This works best if you have a few helpers - it’s a great idea to put someone on washing up duty! Once you’ve finished with a pan or dish, place it by the sink ready to be cleaned up.

Leaving dirty dishes makes them harder to clean afterwards, and will take up a lot of time when you could be joining in the celebrations!

B&M Top Tip: It’s best if the person washing up lives with you or knows your house well, or they’ll need to keep asking you where to put things away!

9. Keep kids entertained

If there are little ones around, try to give them an activity that will keep them away from the kitchen. A willing family member should be assigned to watch over them.

10. Plan for relaxation afterwards

There will always be a bit of a rush involved in Christmas dinner, so think about setting aside a little time to sit down and chill after you’re finished. 

If you’ve cleaned as you went along, as we suggested above, there won’t be too much to do. You could assign washing up to another willing family member (preferably someone who didn’t help with the prep).

B&M Top Tip: Present-opening at this time can get a little loud and excitable if you have kids, so maybe ensure that it doesn’t happen directly after dinner.

If you’re keen to know how to have a stress free Christmas dinner, the best approaches are:

• Careful planning
• Organised list and inventory-making
• Prepping in advance
• Designating to others
• Clever cleaning
• Distracting kids
• Allowing time to relax

B&M Top Tip: If you’re not sure how to decorate a table for Christmas dinner in a way that’s easy and affordable, take a look at our great Christmas tableware section!

Do you have an ingenious way of preventing stress on Christmas Day? Share your advice with the B&M Community via Twitter, Facebook or Instagram!