Holy cow! Tomorrow is Christmas Eve! Where did the time go? Today is crunch day; the last working day one has before its time to drop the work and enjoy the Spirit and family. “What?!” you say? “I work all during the holiday while my family relaxes?” Well, then you have cheated yourself because you are an essential part of their holiday and they need to enjoy you too not just be fed by you or watch you busy around managing the holiday. Make today count and you can make sure you do.

So here is a list of things to do the day of.

Cook Ahead

Start the soup & preheat the appetizers.

I made my minestrone today and stored it in gallon freezer bags so I can just dump into my stock pot when its time, and heat. I’m also serving seven fishes in a cream sauce over linguine; I made the sauce already and cooked the pasta, stored both in separate bags to heat and layer on a platter tomorrow. This is how they do it in the restaurants so not much less reason to here.

TIP: If you have pasta in your soup or with a sauce store it separately and add together when cooking. Pasta tends to soak up liquid as it sits and become mush so it should not sit in your liquid long. Just bag it separately, adding a little olive oil so it doesn’t stick. P.S Pasta is best precooked al dente.

Rub the roast and stage on its cook pan.

Remove any meat from packaging, place on roast pans and rub with seasonings, wrap and refrigerate. OR, if doing a tenderloin like I am, I’m cooking to medium-rare today, slicing once cooked and packaging slices into freezer bags along with all the meat juices or marinade to keep tender and moist. I will just realign these slices the day of on a baking pan to heat and serve the day of. Thirty minutes versus……um…..THREE AND A HALF hours for my size tenderloin saved for Christmas Day.

Plate IT

Plate and wrap your hors d’oeuvres just the way you want them on the platter of your choice. Then wrap it and refrigerate. The day of all you have to do is remove wrapping and set out.

Set the Table

I set my table almost a week before and experiment with it but if you haven’t already done that, do that NOW. For me today, I’m just dusting it and polishing the tableware. But you could also do morning of if you can relax and enjoy it. For me the table is art and so I don’t like to rush. STILL playing with napkins 🥰

Wrap gifts & stuff stockings

For years Josh and I came home from Midnight Mass at 3am, and began filling stockings. Madness! This year I kept the stockings vs hanging them at the mantle, filled them last week and will merely hang them when we come home. Why had I not done this sooner? I. have. NO. idea.🤦‍♀️

Its very hard to conceal gifts and spend time wrapping before Christmas without giving away the “Santa gig.” Some people get babysitters or grandparents to take kids on an outing while you stay home and wrap; kudos to them. No such luxury here. This year for the first time and with ample space I created “mama’s workshop.” Hang a little sign on the door to deter peepers (Mama’s workshop; peepers get coal; the Christ Child sees all written on the sign) and bring all the bags and supplies into your workshop. As time allows throughout the weeks I wrapped, I enjoyed, its ALL DONE. No cramming on Christmas/Christmas Eve for me💕💕

I highly recommend sleigh bags, if you aren’t a wrapper and want to save the moolah or even want to do both like I do, because these hold and hide gifts in between and can easily be carried out to under the tree. My mom knitted one for our family and I have another store bought one for guests that stays under the tree.

TIP: Collect a few neutral gifts in a Sleigh bag by the tree, so when little Santa’s surprise you there is something on hand to gift in return. Books, ornaments (especially handmade), candles, rope rosaries and frames with a poem in calligraphy on card stock are my favorite “neutral gifts.” But baked goods are always good too.

CLEAN!!!!!😖

I know you knew I was gonna say that eventually. (Smerk. Wink)

It had to be said. I am always an advocate for the Bite Size approach and hitting the clean in pieces the week leading up to Christmas. But if it doesn’t allow, call in a friend, a sister, the kids, whomever; split cleans with a neighbor, grab somebody, play some Christmas tunes and get your clean on.

DUST……

Don’t forget it. Everyone always does. I like to dust as I put up decor all month and then hit it once over just before Christmas. But if you haven’t been working at it, at least get your surfaces and your glass (mirrors/tv monitor etc) and an extender to check the ceiling, the vents and corners to knock down cobwebs and dust bunnies.

TIDY!!!!

Today put some attention into tidy. Put away things you won’t need on Christmas: extra books, toys, school supplies, especially in the kitchen. You may have some extra hands in the kitchen on the day of, people bring food and sometimes need to prep a little too. Put extras away in cabinets as well as any countertop clutter that you WON’T be using Christmas. My turn table, my fruit bowl, canning jars with flour and sugar, my dish wrack….I don’t keep much on my counters regularly but an even cleaner slate on Christmas will be appreciated. Toasters are a common one people keep out and won’t be needed.

KITCHEN

This one is easy. Clean the kitchen as your IN the kitchen. Your likely to be in it a LOT with your baking’ and cooking. Do a piece here, another piece there in between projects. Cabinet fronts, appliance fronts, inside microwave, sink and garbage can. These are the pieces to focus on, I’m sure you stay on counters regularly and if not you will probably wipe them down a hundred times anyway the day of so just a quickie there if at all.

BATHROOMS!!!🙄

You all know how to clean bathrooms but just a freshen up before the holiday and while your there here are some things you may not have thought of. Empty the waste bin. You don’t want any embarrassing remnants for guests to see like the wad of hair you pulled from your brush. Or sanitary pads. Guys especially have a hard time seeing those. Think of the guests that will likely be in your bathroom the next few days; what do you NOT want them to see. Any personal prescriptions you can put away in your night stand drawer? Also empty a hamper if you have one in there. They can be…..well, not so fresh.

Floors

The typical vacuum and mop is best for the day before and if your interested in keeping them clean, think ahead and put out a basket by the door with assorted slippers for guests and a sign that says ”Get Cozy” versus “Remove Your Shoes.” Its so much more hospitable. I think the fuzzy socks in neutrals are better than actual slippers because they can easily be one size fits all. Get larger ones because smaller feet won’t mind pulling them further up ankle/calf to fit. Dollar Tree, Kohls, CVS and Dicks Sporting Goods are the best places to find them

Linen & Air Spray

Spray it everywhere. And…..Please DON’T use Febreeze. Its not surface safe and as your going to be spraying couches and draperies and shoe buckets and beds and laundry bins your likely to also get walls, shoes and wood/leather furniture close by. Plus not all scents are universally appreciated. Bahama breeze may not be loved by all. Stay away from food scents. Your cooking will permeate and the mix may not be compatible. Instead use a 16oz bottle of water and 15-20 drops essential oil. Lavender and Lemongrass are the two scents I have never had complaints about. I have serviced over 52 clients routine cleans in a year over the course of almost 10 years. NO ONE has every had an issue with lemongrass. Plus its safe for pets. Most scents are not. And you won’t have to worry about allergies or asthma reactions like you will with Febreeze.

Well…..thats about all one can possibly manage in the time left. Now tomorrow, Eat. Drink. Be Merry.