It’s time to start planning for Christmas

Welcome to the latest issue of our festive planning supplements, where you can get focused on preparing for Christmas – from booking your meals and parties to a checklist for the big day ...

With just shy of two months to go until Christmas Day, it’s time to start thinking ahead and getting some lists made up.

Food, glorious food

It’s never too early to finalise your plans for Christmas dinner. Once you’ve decided which dishes you’re serving, check your guests’ dietary requirements in case you need to consider including alternatives.

Make a list of all the ingredients required and cross-reference against what’s already in your store cupboard. There may well be three jars of cloves tucked away behind a bottle of brandy! If there are any recipes you’re unsure of, do test runs over the next few weeks. Look for dishes which can be made in advance and frozen as the less you have to do on the big day, the better.

And don’t be afraid to cheat – you’re looking for as easy a Christmas as possible, so check out supermarket versions of your chosen dishes.

If you’re planning to serve dinner courtesy of your favourite supermarket, flick through their Christmas goodies booklet or check out their online Christmas pages as some items are snapped up almost as soon as they become available.

Next – delegate! Hopefully, several of your guests will have offered to help or bring along a dish. Accept all offers with open arms!

Play your cards right

In preparation for your Christmas shopping day, update your Christmas card list so you know how many cards you need to buy and check you have the correct addresses for everyone.

If you’re short on time and money, sending Christmas greetings via social media is becoming popular – and can actually have the added benefit in that it often leads to online catch-ups.

Shopping lists are priceless

When you go Christmas shopping, keep your gift list handy so you can update it with the presents you buy – and if you see something that’s perfect for someone and is within your budget, buy it!

There’s no time for procrastination when Christmas shopping. Look out for handy stocking fillers as you go round the shops and remember to buy cards, gift tags, wrapping paper, gift bags for wine and awkwardly shaped gifts, ribbon and sticky tape.

Top Tip

You know who’s coming for Christmas dinner – but are any of them arriving on Christmas Eve and will they all be going home at the end of the night? If you have overnight guests to cater for, plan where they’re going to sleep and ensure you have enough bedding, beds … and breakfast!

Info: These handy hints are all courtesy of Your Best Ever Christmas magazine, which is full of top tips and expert advice. It’s on sale now priced at 4.99. See pages 8 and 9 for more suggestions.

update your Christmas card list so you know how many cards you need to buy

It’s never too early to begin organising and booking your party nights, meals and festive outings with family and friends. Browse the pages of this supplement for some excellent ideas of what to get up to in the local area this Christmas and New Year.