Your 48-hour timeline to Christmas
We’ve done the thinking for you and laid out everything you need to do in the 48 hours before Christmas. Read on to get Christmas Day sorted like a pro.
It’s two days out from Christmas and you’re hosting. You might be feeling a little overwhelmed. We’ve broken down the next 48 hours for you so that you can get it all sorted in bite-sized pieces. Our advice is basically: start earlier than you think you need to and you won’t be rushing around madly before the guests arrive.
Monday 23rd December
On the morning of the 23rd, set the table. It sounds early, but doing this now will help you avoid lost minutes on Christmas Eve or Christmas Day when you realise your tablecloth has a stain or needs industrial-level pressing, you can’t find the extension for your table, and the spare chairs in the garage are covered in cobwebs.
You’ll also have enough time to go out and buy or borrow glasses, plates or serving dishes if you find yourself short. Other things to sort out now are candles, table decorations, napkins, crackers, and flowers. Drop into Hill Street Home for these last items – we’re open ‘til 7.30pm every day in most store locations.
Next, clean out your fridge and remove all unnecessary items to make way for your ham, turkey, seafood, meat and all other perishable ingredients. Remove whatever shelving you need to accommodate it all.
Give the house a good once-over tidy, making sure the bathroom your guests will use is clean and presentable, and you have some nice hand soap and a fresh hand towel for the day.
If you have elected to collect your Hill Street order on the 23rd, go along to Hill Street in your designated timeslot (if you missed our order collection email, you can read it here for important information around picking-up your order with us), and also pick up any fresh ingredients you also need like potatoes, peas and salad ingredients, and those Christmas essentials like Cranberry Sauce, cream, soft drinks, wine and cocktail components*.
When you get home, stow everything perishable in the fridge and make sure your fridge is adjusted to its coldest setting – a very full fridge will need to be running colder to achieve a safe temperature of 3C for seafood, in particular. You can view our seafood instructions, cooking instructions and roasting guide all at our dedicated Christmas page.
Put your soft drinks, Tassie sparkling and white wine in the fridge, so they are nice and cold for the big day.
Relax tonight by making a playlist of your favourite Christmas tunes and then listen to it while wrapping any remaining presents and adding them to the pile under the tree.
Christmas Eve - 24th December
This morning, send out a message to all your guests confirming what time things kick off on Christmas Day, and what they have agreed to bring. This will give enough time to those who might have forgotten, to get organised.
Write out your cooking timeline for tomorrow. Work out what time guests will be seated and then work back from there, calculating cooking time for your big ticket items and making sure that you can cook or reheat your veggies either at the end of your main dish’s cooking time, or while it rests.
If you have elected to collect your Hill Street order today, go along to Hill Street in your designated timeslot and collect it, as well as anything else you might have forgotten. Things we find people often forget are cream, cling film, foil, and toilet paper 😳. Click here for our Christmas Essentials - a full list of the 25 things people forget on Christmas Eve. Don't get caught out!
If you can, prep anything you can prep today. This might include shelling peas and prawns, removing the skin and scoring and studding your ham, par-boiling potatoes, cooking veggie side-dishes than can be reheated, making desserts like trifle and tiramisu and refrigerating them, or making your pavlova and letting it cool overnight in the oven.
Christmas Day - 25th December
It’s all systems go after unwrapping presents and a delicious Christmas morning breakfast of croissants accompanied by mimosas or hot chocolate (depending on the age of your family members and the Tasmanian weather!)
Next, preheat your oven and implement your cooking timeline.
Get yourself dressed and ready well before the guests arrive so that you don’t look flustered when the doorbell rings.
Once they arrive, enlist the help of young adult or teenage family members who haven’t otherwise contributed – to help bring out food, clear plates, stack the dishwasher, take out the rubbish and keep everyone’s glasses topped up.
Lastly, don’t forget to enjoy the day and embrace the imperfections. Christmas is about sharing time together and not worrying too much about the custard curdling or the gravy being a bit lumpy.
Merry Christmas to all!
* Alcohol is sold at our West Hobart, Lauderdale and South Hobart stores only.
* 25% off selected Christmas seasonal homewares only. Excludes regular homewares, hampers, chocolates, flowers and plants. In-store at Hill Street Home Devonport, Latrobe, Longford, Sandy Bay or West Hobart only. Ends Tuesday 31 December. While stocks last.
