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Essential tips to a sizzling holiday meal:

1. Get yourself a holiday journal. It doesn’t have to be fancy. Start writing in it what you are going to have at your holiday meal. Keep this book as a template for future years. We are creatures of habit and what we do once we will probably do again. The next time we do it will be easier as we will have our notes saying what worked and what didn’t work. Be sure after the day is over and before you forget write what you liked and what was a flop. (If cousin Louie’s rolls are rock hard next year ask someone else to bring them). We think we’ll remember but often we don’t.

2. If you are assigning others to bring dishes for the meal write their name down by their assignment in pencil and notify them of what you want them to bring. If it is in pencil it is easy to make changes. Also tell them how many to prepare for. Tell them what you are going to furnish and give them choices of what they can bring.

3. Based on your menu write down your shopping list and then check to see if you have the ingredients. The things you don’t have write on a separate list to take to the store. Buy as many things as you can ahead of time. By doing this before the last minute you may be able to find sales on items you need. And remember the paper products.

4.Take a page out of a calendar you aren’t using or print one from the internet and paste this in your holiday journal. Since you will want to have your home looking its best write down things you want to see done each day before the holiday. Delegate to family members chores that they can succeed in doing. For instance young children can fold napkins; a teenager could arrange flowers, plan games, dust the folding chairs and get them out of storage etc. Make up a chart in your journal listing who is to do what chore and have them mark it off when it is done.

5. Plan plenty of time to clean the silver, get the bugs out of the light fixtures, dust the rungs on the chairs, check to see the linens are clean and pressed and any other things you want done.

6. Write down who is coming to dinner and arrange for table and chair space. You may need to borrow chairs so planning ahead will prevent headaches later. Make place cards for the table settings.  All of these things can be done well in advance.

7. Schedule your hair appointment or manicure appointment.  This will be a time for you to relax and regroup.

8. On the calendar if you don’t get something done on one day move it to the next day or the next. This will help you not to procrastinate.

9. Remember to include things on your list to do like clean out the refrigerator so you’ll have room for holiday leftovers.

These hot tips on how to declutter for the holidays can make your holiday go a whole lot easier and almost carefree.

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