• Skip to main content
  • Skip to after header navigation
  • Skip to site footer
Percolate Kitchen

Percolate Kitchen

meal prep that works.

  • Recipes
  • Extras
    • Blog
  • Shop
  • Prep Sesh
  • My Plans & Recipes
23 October, 2022 by Ruthy Kirwan

A Stress-Free Holiday Dinner IS Possible (promise!)

You've made it this far into a crazy year: now let's get through the holidays! I'm sharing easy ideas to ease stress this holiday.
You've made it this far into a crazy year: now let's get through the holidays! I'm sharing easy ideas to ease stress this holiday.
You've made it this far into a crazy year: now let's get through the holidays! I'm sharing easy ideas to ease stress this holiday.
You've made it this far into a crazy year: now let's get through the holidays! I'm sharing easy ideas to ease stress this holiday.
You've made it this far into a crazy year: now let's get through the holidays! I'm sharing easy ideas to ease stress this holiday.
You've made it this far into a crazy year: now let's get through the holidays! I'm sharing easy ideas to ease stress this holiday.
You've made it this far into a crazy year: now let's get through the holidays! I'm sharing easy ideas to ease stress this holiday.
You've made it this far into a crazy year: now let's get through the holidays! I'm sharing easy ideas to ease stress this holiday.
You've made it this far into a crazy year: now let's get through the holidays! I'm sharing easy ideas to ease stress this holiday.

Pandemic, politics, family drama… The thought of a stress-free holiday dinner can feel like a pipe dream.

It’s especially true if you’re the one hosting the holiday dinner. On top of dealing with the peculiarities of this weirdo year, there’s the meal, the space, the cleanliness, the kids- it’s enough to drive a busy parent freaking nuts. 

I’m not saying I have a magic wand when it comes to creating a stress-free holiday. There’s gonna be some intense moments, no matter what (and for that, there’s always meditation, baby) 

But I’ve assembled some tips I plan on keeping on hand this year as we navigate through this holiday season.

Embrace the Crazy

I know you’re heard this time and time again, but I’ll add to it: It doesn’t have to be perfect. 

I navigate stressful holiday meals by embracing two things: Delegating and Accepting the Ridiculous. 

  • Keep it simple – paper plates and other disposables are fine. I’m normally the queen of reusable (Silicone Bags 4 Lyfe) But paper plates are a perfectly acceptable substitute for lightening your load for the holiday meal. Don’t want to go full disposable? Just use paper products at the kid’s table and the nicer stuff for the adults.
  • You don’t have to do everything all by yourself; put those high-energy kids to use! Have the kids make decorations for the table. Have them cut a bunch of construction paper to use as confetti. Or make name cards for every place setting. Or hang portraits of every guest on the back of their chair. It keeps the kids busy and could be a sweet keepsake, too.

Keep a Meal Time Backup Plan

Proper planning ensures good results. Always keep in mind that no matter how well you’ve planned, things can fall apart- and that’s normal! 

Your kid could jerk the tablecloth and send the dinner tumbling down. Someone could mess up the sauce and ruin the dinner. So I keep a backup plan in the back of my mind to help keep the stress-free holiday spirit alive; if nothing, it helps safeguard against a mental breakdown!

  • Keep a few DIY Meal Kits on hand to break open in case of emergency
  • Keep  a short list of which restaurants are open- just in case you have to totally throw in the towel
  • Have the meal be a potluck of sorts; guests bring side dishes, and you do the Main Event (turkey, etc) in your own kitchen. If one meal fails, you’ve got the others to fall back on.

Create Fun, Simple Traditions

It could be a game of monopoly or a kiddie bake-off. Creating fun, simple traditions that will keep your guests engaged and entertained helps take pressure off the small talk and creates memories for a lifetime. 

Simple, fun traditions like:

  • making ornaments for each guest to craft together and then bring home.
  • doing a family breakfast instead of dinner.
  • Cookie competition: every guest brings a batch of cookies (homemade or store-bought) and everyone votes on the winner.
  • take a walk around the neighborhood after your meal
  • Everyone watches the same movie after the table has been cleared

Above all: relax. It’s just dinner. With everything else this year has already thrown at you, you deserve to enjoy a stress-free holiday dinner. Look around, and be thankful for the things you have- the people you love – the food on your table. Wishing you and your family all the best this holiday season! 

0/5 (0 Reviews)
Category: Blog, Holidays, Meal Planning, Other Categories

About Ruthy Kirwan

Ruthy Kirwan is a recipe tester and developer living in NYC with her two small kids and hard-working husband. She created Percolate Kitchen in 2016 to help busy people get their act together in the kitchen. Learn more at percolatekitchen.com/about

Previous Post:Cooking your first Thanksgiving can be nerve-wracking; it's such a big day with a lot of pressure! Here are 6 steps to get ahead of the game.6 Steps to Survive Cooking Your First Thanksgiving
Next Post:Garlicky Chicken, Peanut and Bok Choy UdonGarlic, peanut, bok choy, tender pieces of chicken, and udon noodles come together for an easy lunch or dinner recipe.

Reader Interactions

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

Recipe Rating




Sidebar

Search

  • Amazon
  • Instagram
  • Pinterest
  • TikTok

You work hard. Dinner should be easy.

At Percolate Kitchen, we believe that the “third shift” of getting dinner ready shouldn’t mean reinventing the wheel every evening.

Recipes on our site are broken down into simple, step-by-step processes so you can be flexible with your time- make the meal fresh, prep the ingredients to assemble and cook later, or do a little bit of both.

SHOW ME HOW THAT WORKS

Groceries in Under An Hour

Get Instacart
  • My Account
  • Shop
  • Your Cart
  • Privacy Policy
  • Shipping Policy
  • Returns and Exchanges Policy
  • Contact Us
  • About Us

Copyright © 2023 · Percolate Kitchen · All Rights Reserved · Powered by Mai Theme