Christmas Meal Organizer Kit For Family Gatherings
At our house, we use a Christmas Meal Organizer Kit for the days the family gathers together. Menus, recipes, to-do lists and shopping lists in one handy packet.
About a month in advance,
before the family arrives and
decking the halls and merriment is upon us,
I sit down with a Christmas Meal Organizer Kit
and block out the days we’ll all be together.
Then I brainstorm, with my girls and fellow cooks, gather recipes and meal ideas,
and create a basic plan.
You won’t believe how much worry and care is wiped from my brow by having this little planning day.
Once the recipes are collected, and the shopping lists made, I can relax and go to the next stage of Christmas prep.
What’s included in a Christmas Meal Organizer Kit
If you’ve read a few Kitchen posts on this blog you know cooking isn’t my first love.
Therefore, since everyone loves good meals whether you enjoy making them or not,
I like to be organized, and strive for that sweet spot every year.
No fancy schmancy stuff; just good, easy to prepare food that looks as if we went to a lot of work.
So this is what my Holiday planner includes:
- A month-at-a-glance page, to block off the dates the family will be together.
- A week-at-a-glance page, listing the meals and planned menus. I plan each meal, even though we may spend some days on adventures away from home and don’t actually use them all. Well, except for one dinner, because I know a Spanish restaurant will be on the list at least once. Breakfast we always eat at home, so I spend the most time prepping for that.
- Recipe pages.
- A Make-Ahead List for the freezer or fridge.
- The Master Ingredient List for all the recipes, plus any extras I want on hand, such as ingredients for a beverage bar.
- A Grocery List.
When my menus are made
and the pantry is full,
I’ll switch to creating the more fun stuff.
Like the Escape Room Game for the g’littles, that’s coming up tomorrow here on the blog.
We have this year’s Holiday Planner design in the shop.
A complete 11 page PDF file in mini binder size to purchase and download.
That’s not much to spend for peace of mind!