Many cooks are busy now preparing their menus for Christmas dinner.  But often what exhausts cooks about cooking Christmas dinner is not the actual cooking, but the planning and logistics.  It never fails that you always wind up running out of butter or some other critical ingredient.  Or, someone in the family invites an additional guest at the last minute throwing your calculations out of whack.  Fortunately, there are some things you can do to be better organized for cooking Christmas dinner.

Begin by planning your dinner menu well ahead of time.  The typical Christmas dinner has three or four courses.  There is a salad, the main meal and a dessert.  Many families also have a cheese course.  As you plan your menu, be choosy and carefully select exactly what you want to serve.  Pour over your cookbooks and pick the very best recipes to celebrate this most special of holidays.

Get the majority of your Christmas cooking shopping done the week before Christmas.  Plan ahead and get to the grocery store, butcher and specialty stores the weekend before Christmas Eve.  Make a detailed list, and check it twice to make sure you don’t forget anything and cross things off as you go through the store.  This is the time to get almost everything that you need.  Put notes on that special cheese or other items to let the kids know “Don’t eat this” it’s for a Christmas recipe!

Plan one last grocery store trip for Christmas Eve day to get last minute items, the stuff that must be fresh.  This is the time to get your milk, eggs or any perishable items you may need.  This is also the best time to pick up anything you might have forgotten.

Keep your non-perishable Christmas items in one place (spices, flour, etc.) so you know you have them.  That way you won’t have to hunt around for them.  This will help make the big day go more smoothly.  Clean your kitchen and organize it so your comfortable and ready to cook.  And most of all have a great holiday.