December 17, 2024 • 19 mins
Hosting can be stressful, but it doesn’t have to be a one-way ticket to overwhelm! 🎉
Whether you're planning an intimate dinner or a bustling family gathering, this video is your go-to guide for staying calm, collected, and (dare I say) even enjoying yourself as the host.
From stress-busting prep tips to navigating unexpected hiccups with grace, I’ve got you covered. 🕊️✨Grab a cuppa, and let’s dive into making hosting feel less like a chore and more like the joyous occasion it’s meant to be.
Listen to the TOM Rocks Guided sessions via The Organised Mum app. We’ll start you off with a 7 day free trial 🎉
TOM Rocks guided sessions are available via an in app subscription on The Organised Mum cleaning app.
www.theorganisedmum.com
Whether you're planning an intimate dinner or a bustling family gathering, this video is your go-to guide for staying calm, collected, and (dare I say) even enjoying yourself as the host.
From stress-busting prep tips to navigating unexpected hiccups with grace, I’ve got you covered. 🕊️✨Grab a cuppa, and let’s dive into making hosting feel less like a chore and more like the joyous occasion it’s meant to be.
Listen to the TOM Rocks Guided sessions via The Organised Mum app. We’ll start you off with a 7 day free trial 🎉
TOM Rocks guided sessions are available via an in app subscription on The Organised Mum cleaning app.
www.theorganisedmum.com
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Transcript
Episode Transcript
Available transcripts are automatically generated. Complete accuracy is not guaranteed.
Speaker 1 (00:00):
Hello everybody, welcome back. We have already got a house
full here snowcupstairs, and I want to run through with
you all of the tips that I have soaked up
over the years that help me and hopefully will help
you just dial down the stress. If maybe you're hosting
for the first time, maybe you've got people coming over
and you're like, I don't know how I'm going to
(00:20):
deal with being like a really good host and like
perky and happy and relax and everything else, and also
making sure the house doesn't go to rack and ruin
it you're watching this on YouTube, then I would love
to know if you've got some tips of your very
own that you would like share, pop them in the comments.
And also, please be sure to check out all of
(00:41):
the festive guiding sessions that are going to be coming
your way over on Tom Rocks over the Christmas period.
We have got all sorts. We have got take a
breather with me for when it just all gets a
little bit too much and you just want to completely
zone out. We've got prep Christmas dinner, tidy up after
Christmas dinner, and we have got a mammoth two hours
a house reset on there you're welcome, so go and
(01:03):
check them out. If you haven't tried the subscription, then
you can try it for free for seven days to
see if it's for you before you commit. And after
that it is only three pounds sixty nine a month
and I put at least two new sessions on there
every week. Shall we get into it. This episode isn't
just for first time hosters. It's for anybody because sometimes
it helps just to take a little bit of a
(01:24):
step back, get a new perspective, get some new ideas,
and recently ours us to contribute towards a magazine article
about how to cope with guests in your home if
you're a perfectionist, if you're like Monika, and kind of
that was kind of the inspiration for me to do
this video, really, because there are so many of us,
aren't there, who find it all quite stressful. When there's
extra people in your house, is extra mess and it
(01:45):
can sort of make you feel a little bit overwhelmed
and feel like everything is running away with you, especially
if you put a lot of effort into organizing and
making sure that everything is like just so in the
run up to Christmas, it can feel like it's all unraveling.
So we're going to talk about house to hosts and
have people just generally in your space that aren't normally there,
and also top tips for hosting Christmas meals and just
(02:10):
general gathering so that you can keep your call. You
can also have fun and everything just stage relaxed and
the focus is on the fun and the memories you're making,
rather than you having this constant narrative all the time
in your brain like oh my god, oh my god,
oh my god, and just not being present. So let's
start then with when you're just having people around generally
(02:31):
I at least too. You know, people you would have
an open house, couldn't do this an open house every
Christmas Eve. They would open their home up around about
ten am and they'd just send like a text round
to all their mates on what'sapp and be like, hey,
you know, pop round ten ams or four pm on
Christmas Eve will be really great to see if it's
(02:51):
literally my idea of health. So maybe you're not going
to that extreme. Maybe you've got the neighbors coming around
for like mince pies, and you're like, these are my
top to it. So before your guests arrive, prep ahead,
have a look at the areas of your home where
they are going to be. So this is usually walking
in through the door. Obviously they're going to see the hallway.
(03:13):
They're probably going to come with you into the kitchen,
maybe the living room, and they are probably going to
be using the guest bathroom. So focus on spaces where
your guests will spend the most time and like have
a look at everything with fresh eyes. You make sure
everything is tidy following the organizable method you're following tom,
then your home is going to be clean, right, But
the chance they'll because there's more people in there, you
might be having to focus on just making sure everything's tidy. Obviously,
(03:36):
get in there and make sure they lose clean shiny things.
Make sure things shine like taps and mirrors. They are
a really good cheats way of making the room feel
cleaner than it actually is. Air your home as well
before guests come in, just so it smells nice and fresh.
But focus on spaces where your guests are going to
congregate and spend most of the time. And the next
thing as well is designate drop zone. So set up
(03:58):
specific areas for coats, bags, and shoes. This is going
to help keep the clutter contained and just prevents it
from just spreading all over the house, like uncle Gary
has just thrown his coat over the dining room table
where you want to pop them me In's pies. If
you sometimes you just have to give guests a little
bit of direction. You don't have to go missus bucket here,
you don't have to go hire since the quet, you'd
(04:18):
be like, right, guys, can you please pop your coats
over there? That is the coat drop zone. Otherwise you
could have people that just sort of like spin around
in the circle with their coat. So set up specific
areas with coats, bags, and shoes, keep that clutter contained.
And it's a really simple way of maintaining order with
very little effort. If you are having a party or
a gathering, have like an emergency clean up kit to hand,
(04:40):
so a stain removers. There's going to be all what
there's going to be someone that spills some wine. I
absolutely guarantee, and the last thing you want to do
is go into a fluster because it's going to make
them feel uncomfortable. You're going to feel bad. So if
you have an emergency kit ready, it says you having
to sort of like be digging in the back of
your cupbod trying to find and the vanished stain remover.
(05:01):
Think about what that kit could include. It could be wipes,
a cloth, a multisurface cleaner, a stain remover, because tackling
messes and stains in particular quickly means they're going to
be easy to clear up than if you leave them,
and it also helps you to stay on top of things.
And as you know, it's a really there's a knack
to doing this. You could be like, oh, gosh, don't
(05:22):
worry about it. I've got this here. I knew this
always happens. Barry always happens. Look this approof to you
that this always happens. I've got a kit, and you
can carry on talking and chatting, maintaining eye contact. Maybe
you're inwardly seething whilst you're dabbing up the stain. Top
tip about stains, though, is make sure that you are
(05:43):
taking as much excess out of that stain of the
liquid as possible. So dabbing up any wine, use a
cloth to absorb it all. If you can use a
cloth that's like a white cloth, so not a blue
or pink cloth, it's got dye in it because sometimes
that dye can transfer a dab at a stain. Never
rub and work from the outside in. And realistically, I
(06:06):
know you'll have seen all of these hacks on the
internet and TikTok and like use this. Stains usually take
two or three gos to get out. So whatever it
is you're using, make sure that it works for the
fabric that you're using it on and just be patient.
But the trick is to get there as soon as possible.
And you know guests love to help. Invite your guests
(06:27):
to pitch in, Like guests congregat in the kitchen, don'tate,
it's the heart of the home. So maybe you're doing
some washing up or your pouring some drinks and like, hey,
let's actually get some glasses out of that cupboard. Therefore
you or I could you do as a favor whilst
having a chat because you wash these glasses up. Trust me,
they're not going to feel like it's an imposition. And
it can be as easy as asking them just to
help clear the table or tie you up after a meal.
(06:50):
It not only lightens the load on you, but it
also makes it experience feel a lot more collaborative and
a lot more fun rather than everyone just sitting there
like statues whilst you're running around getting more and more
hot and bothered. And with that in mind, remember to breathe.
The more people that you have over, the more mess
that there will naturally be in your home. It's all
part of the fun. It's all part of the fun
(07:11):
and gains and the warmth of hosting. So just keep
things in perspective, don't stress, let go of perfection, and
enjoy the moment. And in order for you to be
creating happy memories and all of that good stuff, you
don't need the perfect backdrop. But if you're thinking yourself, gem,
this is all well and good, babe. But I promised
back in August that I was going to cost Christmas,
(07:32):
and I'm going to file that under. It seemed like
a good idea at the time, because now I'm stressed,
because when I was at the family barbecue two pins down,
I was like, yeah, I do it, I'll do it.
I'll host everyone. The most important thing to remember about
Christmas dinner, it's just been made up to be this
mystical beast, this fantastical feast of stress. But it can
(07:55):
strike the fear of God into you, even if you're
like one of the most confident cooks, because the responsibility
and there it is again the slow creep of Christmas
pressure that can send your blood pressure through the roof
and make your blood run just that little bit colder,
because once again, the enjoyment of others. You're like jelly,
You're part of it. The enjoyment of others is lying
(08:18):
in your hands. But the key here is to relax.
I don't know if you ever watched that episode of
Friends where Monica is the wedding coordinator and she's planned
everything down to the minute. It's done in minute detail,
and she creates stress that way. So you just one
of the top tips number one is just put it
(08:39):
in perspective, take a step back. The trick here is
to not give into that pressure, and also not to
let your own self doubt creep in and make you
question yourself. If you don't normally cook throughout the year,
then you are not going to suddenly turn into Nigella
or Delia Smith at the stroke of midnight on Christmas Eve.
(09:01):
So don't put extra pressure on yourself. You need to
be really realistic here. If you've got a family, if
you're feeding a crowd. The chances are that food is
going to be inhaled in minutes, so really keep it
in perspective. Stick to your skill set. There is no
shame in going out and getting ready made stuff. And
(09:22):
even if you like it, just can't put a jar
of store bought crimebery source decant it into a bowl. Right,
You need to work to your strength. This is your
Christmas too. Remember remember the whole philosophy that we've got
going on here. There's more to life than housework, So
do what you can to make sure that you can
make it as enjoyable as possible without losing yourself in
(09:46):
the process, because you won't enjoy it if you're stressing
out about whether your bread sauce tastes like a bread sauce.
I have never had bread sauce, I said, that's might
the o day of the kai. I was like, you're
not missing much, so you might not even do bread sauce,
especially if you've never before, you have no idea what
it actually tastes like. Christmas dinner can be as complicated
(10:06):
or as simple as you want it to be. Loads
of people just don't even have turkey. Don't we have chicken.
Some people have roast beef. Your Christmas your rules. Don't
let it get you in It is because it is
your Christmas dinner. Therefore it's your rules. People are coming
to your house, they don't like it, you don't have
to come back next year. Don't fall into the trap
of cooking sprouts if nobody likes them. If you don't
(10:28):
like sprouts, don't cook them. The same applies to the
meat of your choice, and my experience, fewer people than
you think actually enjoy turkey, and how often do you
see turkey on the menu at any other times of year?
Enough set right, So if you want chicken, have chicken.
If you want beef, have beef. It is okay to rebel.
Here are my top tips to hold it all together.
If you're hosting Christmas dinner for the first time this year,
(10:49):
or maybe it's not your first time but for some
reason you're feeling a little bit about it, or maybe
you're really chilled and you're just here for a couple
of extra tips like yeah, I never thought of that.
Number one. It simple if you're not confident juggling lots
of things, prioritize quality over quantity. A few dishes done
really well are going to go down so much better
(11:10):
than lots of half hearted, rushed, stressed attempts. So with
this in mind, think of your main your protein, your
roast potatoes, potentially two sides. Maximum. People eat a lot
of food at Christmas. You don't have to do a starter.
Trust me, there's going to be plenty of food to
go around. You don't have to do a starter. You
(11:30):
can focus on a really lovely pudding if you want to.
And like I said, limit the sides. Don't go overboard
on side dishes and all the festive trimmings, mainly because
most of it doesn't get eaten. So you're going to
be wasting money. There's going to be food waste, and
you're sort of eating into that over consumption. We spoke
about this last week, didn't we about how it's really
important not to fall for the trap of having to
(11:50):
do everything and have all of the things. So maybe
to pick two or three favorite veggie sides. And like
I said, store board is fine. You don't have to
make everything from scratch. I always buy cranberry sauce and
apple sauce because there's just too much of a fat.
And I've been known as well to serve ready made gravy.
Very practical tip here, check your turkey. If you are
doing a turkey, make sure it fits in your oven.
(12:12):
Make sure you are defrosting it in time. Set a
reminder on your phone. If you can't fit a full
turkey in, then a turkey crown is cost effective and
also reduce way so it doesn't take as long to cook.
Prepare yourself for success. If cooking isn't your forte, you
can get into the supermarket and you can get food
that cooks at the same temperature that takes the stress
(12:33):
right out of the timings, helping you just to stay relaxed,
because if you're frazzled, your guests are going to pick
up on it. So just step away, breathe, plate your skills,
and if you're not the best cook in the world,
that's fine. Maybe you have this lovely knack of making
everyone feel welcome. If you can recruit a wingman or
a wing woman to help you, just to make sure
(12:54):
that you're not forgetting anything, because it's so easy in
all of like everything that's going on, to something in
the oven and then find it like an hour, like
like oh my god, I forgot about the yorch puddings.
If you are stressed about timings, then work backwards. Start
with your intended time that you want to eat. If
you want my advice here, don't be saying to everyone
(13:14):
we are eating at exit time on the dot, because
these things have a habit of shifting. We're eating around
about ish. You know, it's all quite chilled here. If
you lead the vibe, it's all quite relaxed. It's all
quite chilled here. You know, no standing on ceremony that
is going to leak over into your guests. And trust me,
(13:35):
everyone's going to have a much better time. So start
with your intended meal time. Work backwards. Work out your
cooking schedule, write it all down, stick it on the
fridge if you need to factor in resting time for
meat and stick to the plan. And if you are
sure on space, then make sure you use your space
really wisely. Plan your oven usage carefully. And this also
(13:57):
plays into the don't cook too much, especially if you've
not got on off room to cook it in. Make
use of your microwave prep things in advance, but make
sure that whatever it is you're cooking is going to
have space and room enough for it to cook properly
and on time in your oven, and before your guests arrive.
Be your future friend and prep as much as you
(14:17):
can beforehand, because if you leave everything to the last minute,
if you're peeling the potatoes and like Antie Edna is
trying to have a chat with you, you can get
a little bit flustered. You might be like, oh my god,
I can't I can't multitask. This is like really stressing
me out. So purely potatoes, store them in cold water,
get the veggies chopped and ready. And also delegate as well,
like I said before, ask someone else to carve the meat,
(14:39):
or be the drinks monitor and top of people's drinks.
People like to be involved, especially if you've got lots
of people that might not necessarily socialized throughout the year.
It give someone a job, helps to break the ice
a little bit, and it also helps to ease your workload. Now,
this is one of my favorite ones, and that is
self service is key. Lay out food on the table
(15:02):
or maybe on your kitchen, island or whatever so that
guests can help themselves. It says you from plating on
everyone's food whilst you know number one plate gets cold,
and it also means that everyone can pick and choose.
You're not overfacing everyone, and it helps to reduce food waste.
And if you are wanting to make sure that the
plates are warm, my dad is a real I want
a warm plate. My dad alwaysays, put your plates in
(15:24):
a sink of hot, clean water, just to give them
a nice little bit of warmth. Is to help the
food state warm for longer. And the next thing is
make sure you are comfortable, dress comfortably. Choose an outfit
that is not going to leave you overheating in the
kitchen or red face. And just like I'm really stressed
on heart, I can't break Christmas jumpers. Sequined outfits you know,
(15:46):
a lovely in principle, but in practice, are you going
to be comfortable? Think about the table the night before,
because time has this lovely knack of running away with us,
especially at this time of year. So set the table,
make sure everything's out laid out ready, If you've got
enough chairs, is there enough room? Just think about logistics.
(16:07):
Where are you going to sit? This is a really
key one. There's no point putting yourself in the corner
so that you like cornered and can't get out. You
need to be somewhere where you can make a quick exit,
check on things, check on dishes, go and get extra glasses,
that sort of thing without having to excuse yourself. Excuse me,
excuse me, and sort of like trying to squeeze behind
other people's chairs. And on a real practical level, keep
(16:29):
centerpieces nice and low, keep decorations like below eye level
so that you aren't blocking people's views while to trying
to chat or like trying to you know, pass the
sprouts over like this massive centerpiece that you spent a
fortune on. I mean, unless unless you're strategically trying to
shield certain conversations. But that's so different episode. Keep the
(16:52):
table as simple and as uncluttered as possible, just to
leave room for the food, the sources, and like all
the important extra roasties give everyone. Make sure everyone's got
enough elbow rooms they can pull the crackers. But more importantly,
just relax. This happens one day a year. We are
our own worst enemies, aren't we, And we are our
(17:15):
own worst critics, and we have this inner conversation, it's
inner narrative in our brain, when really the things that
we're stressing about our guests are not going to be
stressing about either. And if I'm going to leave you
with the most important takeaway is if you're stressed, your
guests are going to be stressed. All they care about
(17:35):
is having a nice meal. Doesn't matter how many side
dishes you've got. They want probably want a nice glass
of wine. And make sure you've got enough like options
to people who aren't drinking so maybe they're driving. You know,
diet coke and lemonade bit boring, Like can you think
of like some non alcoholic cocktails. Can you do like
a non alcoholic mulled wine. Little touches like that can
(17:57):
make a massive difference. Just relax, don't let the day
run away with you, take it in, enjoy it. And
if there are mishaps, and that's the things that you
remember and you will look back at, I promise you
in years to come and laugh. I remember one year
I cooked the roast potatoes and I had a disposable
roasting tin, which is a top tip. If you don't
(18:19):
want if you want to minimize the washing up, then
use disposed disposable roasting tins. They are everywhere in every supermarket.
You can grab them. But if they're big. Please make
sure you support the bottom, so put them on like
a normal baking tray. Doesn't get dirty, it just helps
to support the bottom. Because that's what I didn't do.
And I pulled it out and the thing just sort
(18:40):
of like Constantina in the middle and all of the
potatoes fell out. We lost of fifty percent of our
potatoes down my front of my Christmas jumper. Luckily we
were able to laugh about it. But just these are
the things that you can look back on and laugh.
I would love to know what your top tips are
if you are hosting, maybe you are a seasoned hoster
(19:00):
and you've hosted for years and years and years. If
you're watching this on YouTube, pop them in the comments
and until the next episode, don't forget there is more
to life than housework. And if I don't see you,
will speech to you before then, have a fantastic Christmas
and I will see you on the other side. Bye.
Hello everybody, welcome back. We have already got a house
full here snowcupstairs, and I want to run through with
you all of the tips that I have soaked up
over the years that help me and hopefully will help
you just dial down the stress. If maybe you're hosting
for the first time, maybe you've got people coming over
and you're like, I don't know how I'm going to
(00:20):
deal with being like a really good host and like
perky and happy and relax and everything else, and also
making sure the house doesn't go to rack and ruin
it you're watching this on YouTube, then I would love
to know if you've got some tips of your very
own that you would like share, pop them in the comments.
And also, please be sure to check out all of
(00:41):
the festive guiding sessions that are going to be coming
your way over on Tom Rocks over the Christmas period.
We have got all sorts. We have got take a
breather with me for when it just all gets a
little bit too much and you just want to completely
zone out. We've got prep Christmas dinner, tidy up after
Christmas dinner, and we have got a mammoth two hours
a house reset on there you're welcome, so go and
(01:03):
check them out. If you haven't tried the subscription, then
you can try it for free for seven days to
see if it's for you before you commit. And after
that it is only three pounds sixty nine a month
and I put at least two new sessions on there
every week. Shall we get into it. This episode isn't
just for first time hosters. It's for anybody because sometimes
it helps just to take a little bit of a
(01:24):
step back, get a new perspective, get some new ideas,
and recently ours us to contribute towards a magazine article
about how to cope with guests in your home if
you're a perfectionist, if you're like Monika, and kind of
that was kind of the inspiration for me to do
this video, really, because there are so many of us,
aren't there, who find it all quite stressful. When there's
extra people in your house, is extra mess and it
(01:45):
can sort of make you feel a little bit overwhelmed
and feel like everything is running away with you, especially
if you put a lot of effort into organizing and
making sure that everything is like just so in the
run up to Christmas, it can feel like it's all unraveling.
So we're going to talk about house to hosts and
have people just generally in your space that aren't normally there,
and also top tips for hosting Christmas meals and just
(02:10):
general gathering so that you can keep your call. You
can also have fun and everything just stage relaxed and
the focus is on the fun and the memories you're making,
rather than you having this constant narrative all the time
in your brain like oh my god, oh my god,
oh my god, and just not being present. So let's
start then with when you're just having people around generally
(02:31):
I at least too. You know, people you would have
an open house, couldn't do this an open house every
Christmas Eve. They would open their home up around about
ten am and they'd just send like a text round
to all their mates on what'sapp and be like, hey,
you know, pop round ten ams or four pm on
Christmas Eve will be really great to see if it's
(02:51):
literally my idea of health. So maybe you're not going
to that extreme. Maybe you've got the neighbors coming around
for like mince pies, and you're like, these are my
top to it. So before your guests arrive, prep ahead,
have a look at the areas of your home where
they are going to be. So this is usually walking
in through the door. Obviously they're going to see the hallway.
(03:13):
They're probably going to come with you into the kitchen,
maybe the living room, and they are probably going to
be using the guest bathroom. So focus on spaces where
your guests will spend the most time and like have
a look at everything with fresh eyes. You make sure
everything is tidy following the organizable method you're following tom,
then your home is going to be clean, right, But
the chance they'll because there's more people in there, you
might be having to focus on just making sure everything's tidy. Obviously,
(03:36):
get in there and make sure they lose clean shiny things.
Make sure things shine like taps and mirrors. They are
a really good cheats way of making the room feel
cleaner than it actually is. Air your home as well
before guests come in, just so it smells nice and fresh.
But focus on spaces where your guests are going to
congregate and spend most of the time. And the next
thing as well is designate drop zone. So set up
(03:58):
specific areas for coats, bags, and shoes. This is going
to help keep the clutter contained and just prevents it
from just spreading all over the house, like uncle Gary
has just thrown his coat over the dining room table
where you want to pop them me In's pies. If
you sometimes you just have to give guests a little
bit of direction. You don't have to go missus bucket here,
you don't have to go hire since the quet, you'd
(04:18):
be like, right, guys, can you please pop your coats
over there? That is the coat drop zone. Otherwise you
could have people that just sort of like spin around
in the circle with their coat. So set up specific
areas with coats, bags, and shoes, keep that clutter contained.
And it's a really simple way of maintaining order with
very little effort. If you are having a party or
a gathering, have like an emergency clean up kit to hand,
(04:40):
so a stain removers. There's going to be all what
there's going to be someone that spills some wine. I
absolutely guarantee, and the last thing you want to do
is go into a fluster because it's going to make
them feel uncomfortable. You're going to feel bad. So if
you have an emergency kit ready, it says you having
to sort of like be digging in the back of
your cupbod trying to find and the vanished stain remover.
(05:01):
Think about what that kit could include. It could be wipes,
a cloth, a multisurface cleaner, a stain remover, because tackling
messes and stains in particular quickly means they're going to
be easy to clear up than if you leave them,
and it also helps you to stay on top of things.
And as you know, it's a really there's a knack
to doing this. You could be like, oh, gosh, don't
(05:22):
worry about it. I've got this here. I knew this
always happens. Barry always happens. Look this approof to you
that this always happens. I've got a kit, and you
can carry on talking and chatting, maintaining eye contact. Maybe
you're inwardly seething whilst you're dabbing up the stain. Top
tip about stains, though, is make sure that you are
(05:43):
taking as much excess out of that stain of the
liquid as possible. So dabbing up any wine, use a
cloth to absorb it all. If you can use a
cloth that's like a white cloth, so not a blue
or pink cloth, it's got dye in it because sometimes
that dye can transfer a dab at a stain. Never
rub and work from the outside in. And realistically, I
(06:06):
know you'll have seen all of these hacks on the
internet and TikTok and like use this. Stains usually take
two or three gos to get out. So whatever it
is you're using, make sure that it works for the
fabric that you're using it on and just be patient.
But the trick is to get there as soon as possible.
And you know guests love to help. Invite your guests
(06:27):
to pitch in, Like guests congregat in the kitchen, don'tate,
it's the heart of the home. So maybe you're doing
some washing up or your pouring some drinks and like, hey,
let's actually get some glasses out of that cupboard. Therefore
you or I could you do as a favor whilst
having a chat because you wash these glasses up. Trust me,
they're not going to feel like it's an imposition. And
it can be as easy as asking them just to
help clear the table or tie you up after a meal.
(06:50):
It not only lightens the load on you, but it
also makes it experience feel a lot more collaborative and
a lot more fun rather than everyone just sitting there
like statues whilst you're running around getting more and more
hot and bothered. And with that in mind, remember to breathe.
The more people that you have over, the more mess
that there will naturally be in your home. It's all
part of the fun. It's all part of the fun
(07:11):
and gains and the warmth of hosting. So just keep
things in perspective, don't stress, let go of perfection, and
enjoy the moment. And in order for you to be
creating happy memories and all of that good stuff, you
don't need the perfect backdrop. But if you're thinking yourself, gem,
this is all well and good, babe. But I promised
back in August that I was going to cost Christmas,
(07:32):
and I'm going to file that under. It seemed like
a good idea at the time, because now I'm stressed,
because when I was at the family barbecue two pins down,
I was like, yeah, I do it, I'll do it.
I'll host everyone. The most important thing to remember about
Christmas dinner, it's just been made up to be this
mystical beast, this fantastical feast of stress. But it can
(07:55):
strike the fear of God into you, even if you're
like one of the most confident cooks, because the responsibility
and there it is again the slow creep of Christmas
pressure that can send your blood pressure through the roof
and make your blood run just that little bit colder,
because once again, the enjoyment of others. You're like jelly,
You're part of it. The enjoyment of others is lying
(08:18):
in your hands. But the key here is to relax.
I don't know if you ever watched that episode of
Friends where Monica is the wedding coordinator and she's planned
everything down to the minute. It's done in minute detail,
and she creates stress that way. So you just one
of the top tips number one is just put it
(08:39):
in perspective, take a step back. The trick here is
to not give into that pressure, and also not to
let your own self doubt creep in and make you
question yourself. If you don't normally cook throughout the year,
then you are not going to suddenly turn into Nigella
or Delia Smith at the stroke of midnight on Christmas Eve.
(09:01):
So don't put extra pressure on yourself. You need to
be really realistic here. If you've got a family, if
you're feeding a crowd. The chances are that food is
going to be inhaled in minutes, so really keep it
in perspective. Stick to your skill set. There is no
shame in going out and getting ready made stuff. And
(09:22):
even if you like it, just can't put a jar
of store bought crimebery source decant it into a bowl. Right,
You need to work to your strength. This is your
Christmas too. Remember remember the whole philosophy that we've got
going on here. There's more to life than housework, So
do what you can to make sure that you can
make it as enjoyable as possible without losing yourself in
(09:46):
the process, because you won't enjoy it if you're stressing
out about whether your bread sauce tastes like a bread sauce.
I have never had bread sauce, I said, that's might
the o day of the kai. I was like, you're
not missing much, so you might not even do bread sauce,
especially if you've never before, you have no idea what
it actually tastes like. Christmas dinner can be as complicated
(10:06):
or as simple as you want it to be. Loads
of people just don't even have turkey. Don't we have chicken.
Some people have roast beef. Your Christmas your rules. Don't
let it get you in It is because it is
your Christmas dinner. Therefore it's your rules. People are coming
to your house, they don't like it, you don't have
to come back next year. Don't fall into the trap
of cooking sprouts if nobody likes them. If you don't
(10:28):
like sprouts, don't cook them. The same applies to the
meat of your choice, and my experience, fewer people than
you think actually enjoy turkey, and how often do you
see turkey on the menu at any other times of year?
Enough set right, So if you want chicken, have chicken.
If you want beef, have beef. It is okay to rebel.
Here are my top tips to hold it all together.
If you're hosting Christmas dinner for the first time this year,
(10:49):
or maybe it's not your first time but for some
reason you're feeling a little bit about it, or maybe
you're really chilled and you're just here for a couple
of extra tips like yeah, I never thought of that.
Number one. It simple if you're not confident juggling lots
of things, prioritize quality over quantity. A few dishes done
really well are going to go down so much better
(11:10):
than lots of half hearted, rushed, stressed attempts. So with
this in mind, think of your main your protein, your
roast potatoes, potentially two sides. Maximum. People eat a lot
of food at Christmas. You don't have to do a starter.
Trust me, there's going to be plenty of food to
go around. You don't have to do a starter. You
(11:30):
can focus on a really lovely pudding if you want to.
And like I said, limit the sides. Don't go overboard
on side dishes and all the festive trimmings, mainly because
most of it doesn't get eaten. So you're going to
be wasting money. There's going to be food waste, and
you're sort of eating into that over consumption. We spoke
about this last week, didn't we about how it's really
important not to fall for the trap of having to
(11:50):
do everything and have all of the things. So maybe
to pick two or three favorite veggie sides. And like
I said, store board is fine. You don't have to
make everything from scratch. I always buy cranberry sauce and
apple sauce because there's just too much of a fat.
And I've been known as well to serve ready made gravy.
Very practical tip here, check your turkey. If you are
doing a turkey, make sure it fits in your oven.
(12:12):
Make sure you are defrosting it in time. Set a
reminder on your phone. If you can't fit a full
turkey in, then a turkey crown is cost effective and
also reduce way so it doesn't take as long to cook.
Prepare yourself for success. If cooking isn't your forte, you
can get into the supermarket and you can get food
that cooks at the same temperature that takes the stress
(12:33):
right out of the timings, helping you just to stay relaxed,
because if you're frazzled, your guests are going to pick
up on it. So just step away, breathe, plate your skills,
and if you're not the best cook in the world,
that's fine. Maybe you have this lovely knack of making
everyone feel welcome. If you can recruit a wingman or
a wing woman to help you, just to make sure
(12:54):
that you're not forgetting anything, because it's so easy in
all of like everything that's going on, to something in
the oven and then find it like an hour, like
like oh my god, I forgot about the yorch puddings.
If you are stressed about timings, then work backwards. Start
with your intended time that you want to eat. If
you want my advice here, don't be saying to everyone
(13:14):
we are eating at exit time on the dot, because
these things have a habit of shifting. We're eating around
about ish. You know, it's all quite chilled here. If
you lead the vibe, it's all quite relaxed. It's all
quite chilled here. You know, no standing on ceremony that
is going to leak over into your guests. And trust me,
(13:35):
everyone's going to have a much better time. So start
with your intended meal time. Work backwards. Work out your
cooking schedule, write it all down, stick it on the
fridge if you need to factor in resting time for
meat and stick to the plan. And if you are
sure on space, then make sure you use your space
really wisely. Plan your oven usage carefully. And this also
(13:57):
plays into the don't cook too much, especially if you've
not got on off room to cook it in. Make
use of your microwave prep things in advance, but make
sure that whatever it is you're cooking is going to
have space and room enough for it to cook properly
and on time in your oven, and before your guests arrive.
Be your future friend and prep as much as you
(14:17):
can beforehand, because if you leave everything to the last minute,
if you're peeling the potatoes and like Antie Edna is
trying to have a chat with you, you can get
a little bit flustered. You might be like, oh my god,
I can't I can't multitask. This is like really stressing
me out. So purely potatoes, store them in cold water,
get the veggies chopped and ready. And also delegate as well,
like I said before, ask someone else to carve the meat,
(14:39):
or be the drinks monitor and top of people's drinks.
People like to be involved, especially if you've got lots
of people that might not necessarily socialized throughout the year.
It give someone a job, helps to break the ice
a little bit, and it also helps to ease your workload. Now,
this is one of my favorite ones, and that is
self service is key. Lay out food on the table
(15:02):
or maybe on your kitchen, island or whatever so that
guests can help themselves. It says you from plating on
everyone's food whilst you know number one plate gets cold,
and it also means that everyone can pick and choose.
You're not overfacing everyone, and it helps to reduce food waste.
And if you are wanting to make sure that the
plates are warm, my dad is a real I want
a warm plate. My dad alwaysays, put your plates in
(15:24):
a sink of hot, clean water, just to give them
a nice little bit of warmth. Is to help the
food state warm for longer. And the next thing is
make sure you are comfortable, dress comfortably. Choose an outfit
that is not going to leave you overheating in the
kitchen or red face. And just like I'm really stressed
on heart, I can't break Christmas jumpers. Sequined outfits you know,
(15:46):
a lovely in principle, but in practice, are you going
to be comfortable? Think about the table the night before,
because time has this lovely knack of running away with us,
especially at this time of year. So set the table,
make sure everything's out laid out ready, If you've got
enough chairs, is there enough room? Just think about logistics.
(16:07):
Where are you going to sit? This is a really
key one. There's no point putting yourself in the corner
so that you like cornered and can't get out. You
need to be somewhere where you can make a quick exit,
check on things, check on dishes, go and get extra glasses,
that sort of thing without having to excuse yourself. Excuse me,
excuse me, and sort of like trying to squeeze behind
other people's chairs. And on a real practical level, keep
(16:29):
centerpieces nice and low, keep decorations like below eye level
so that you aren't blocking people's views while to trying
to chat or like trying to you know, pass the
sprouts over like this massive centerpiece that you spent a
fortune on. I mean, unless unless you're strategically trying to
shield certain conversations. But that's so different episode. Keep the
(16:52):
table as simple and as uncluttered as possible, just to
leave room for the food, the sources, and like all
the important extra roasties give everyone. Make sure everyone's got
enough elbow rooms they can pull the crackers. But more importantly,
just relax. This happens one day a year. We are
our own worst enemies, aren't we, And we are our
(17:15):
own worst critics, and we have this inner conversation, it's
inner narrative in our brain, when really the things that
we're stressing about our guests are not going to be
stressing about either. And if I'm going to leave you
with the most important takeaway is if you're stressed, your
guests are going to be stressed. All they care about
(17:35):
is having a nice meal. Doesn't matter how many side
dishes you've got. They want probably want a nice glass
of wine. And make sure you've got enough like options
to people who aren't drinking so maybe they're driving. You know,
diet coke and lemonade bit boring, Like can you think
of like some non alcoholic cocktails. Can you do like
a non alcoholic mulled wine. Little touches like that can
(17:57):
make a massive difference. Just relax, don't let the day
run away with you, take it in, enjoy it. And
if there are mishaps, and that's the things that you
remember and you will look back at, I promise you
in years to come and laugh. I remember one year
I cooked the roast potatoes and I had a disposable
roasting tin, which is a top tip. If you don't
(18:19):
want if you want to minimize the washing up, then
use disposed disposable roasting tins. They are everywhere in every supermarket.
You can grab them. But if they're big. Please make
sure you support the bottom, so put them on like
a normal baking tray. Doesn't get dirty, it just helps
to support the bottom. Because that's what I didn't do.
And I pulled it out and the thing just sort
(18:40):
of like Constantina in the middle and all of the
potatoes fell out. We lost of fifty percent of our
potatoes down my front of my Christmas jumper. Luckily we
were able to laugh about it. But just these are
the things that you can look back on and laugh.
I would love to know what your top tips are
if you are hosting, maybe you are a seasoned hoster
(19:00):
and you've hosted for years and years and years. If
you're watching this on YouTube, pop them in the comments
and until the next episode, don't forget there is more
to life than housework. And if I don't see you,
will speech to you before then, have a fantastic Christmas
and I will see you on the other side. Bye.
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