Oh goodness…I hope you weren’t expecting recipes!!

Added to the chore of present buying is catering for the big day…I’ve mentioned that I’m a shopper, but admittedly I’m not much of a cook – I can do enough to get by, but I prefer to have help for Christmas Day!

In our family everyone pitches in and brings something to ease the burden on the host for the day – our system is reasonably fine tuned…but I take this opportunity to remind my family to please RSVP so I can finalise preparations!

Having had the pleasure of hosting Christmas Day a number of times, here are my top tips for catering:

1. Make a list

I love lists – for catering purposes I recommend a list of attendees as well as a list of all the food required, including condiments and any accessories such as napkins, bon bons and extra cutlery or chairs.  It may also be prudent to make note of any special dietary requirements.

2. Ask for help

There is absolutely no shame in asking for help, and I think most people understand that if you are attending a Christmas Day function you are expected to contribute!  I always ask those coming along what they would like to bring – this way they are more inclined to bring something they like and that they like to prepare – I simply fill in the blanks to complete my list (as per point 1 above…)

3. Don’t over-cater

We are very lucky in our family and I have never known there to be not enough food on Christmas Day (or the days following…), but please remember, the supermarket is only closed for one day…yes, one day!  If you are doing your shopping and you pick something up “just in case” – you probably don’t need it, so just put it back…

PS Don’t forget to have something handy to leave out for Santa and the reindeers…

PPS I don’t want to harp on the importance of donations too much…but if you have the capacity and budget to throw a few additional non-perishable items in your shopping trolley, I know there are many who would appreciate it!

Regards