Three Things To Make Your Christmas Day Easier

Christmas Day is often fraught with so much drama - no family is immune!

Whether it be in the lead-up or on the bid day itself, there is always a cast of characters that perform their roles; the drinker, the complainer, the drama queen, the child who opens all the crackers before lunch, the person snoring on the couch with a food coma - you name it and i am sure we all have one in each family.

There is no fun in entertaining the drama and it should not spoil your day. So here are my thoughts on how Christmas Day can be smooth sailing for everyone...

Assign roles on the day

It is not fair that one sole person or several people be responsible for hosting or servicing everyone on the day. If you are hosting the Christmas lunch you also need time out to enjoy the day too. As the saying goes, "Many hands make light work." Before the day work with your family and friends on who's doing what on the day - people in the kitchen to cook and serve, someone to pour drinks, someone to set and clear the table, someone to hand out the gifts. Whatever needs doing on the day there should be a designated person to do that job. You should not be doing everything!

Arrange a buffet so people can come and help themselves to the food

The great thing about a buffet is that it is 'set and forget'. Prepare you on the kitchen bench or table and allow the guests to come and serve themselves. This means everyone can have the portion sizings they prefer and can pick and choose what they want.

Set a reasonable arrival time for guests

Those early-mid morning arrival times of 10am or 11am are unrealistic, and it means you have to be up at the crack of dawn to begin organising! It's suggest a 12.30pm arrival time for a 1.30pm/2pm lunch. This means you're eating later and you can hopefully avoid those food comas for the afternoon.