I Don't Want to Be Stuck in the Kitchen for the Holidays

Want to enjoy the holiday and have it feel special without being tied to the kitchen and missing out on the fun. Here’s how to make that happen.

If you’re the main meal planner/grocery shopper/food prepper in the home, chances are good that this is even more the case during the holiday season when it seems everyone wants to eat more than normal. Added to the increase in meals together is the sheer breadth of foods being prepared.

It would be one thing if we were all eating more salads and sandwiches together, but it’s an entirely different thing when we purposely choose foods we only prepare once or twice a year.

To be sure, there’s a lot to do at the holidays, especially in the kitchen.

Let’s EADS your holiday meals!

In order to Eliminate, Automate, Delegate, and Systemate your holiday season, you’re going to need to asses what that includes for you and your people.

As I’m sure you know, every home/family/friend group celebrates in different ways. Drill down on what’s most important to you… or at the very least identify what you (or others) might be expecting.

Make your list and check it twice. To develop a thorough idea of all the holidays entail for you, I recommend purchasing the Holiday Success Kit. It walks you through all the details.

That said, you can just start brainstorming on a sheet of paper all the traditions and things you do in November and December. Don’t edit, just write. Go back and add to it as things come to you.

Eliminate

Once you’ve got a complete list of the things you could do, now is the time to edit. Cross off the things you won’t do — this year.

This is a good time to consult family and friends to make sure you’re all on the same page. It may be that the things you think they want to do aren’t really that important to them. Or vice versa.

For example, years ago I quite forcing the kids to smile for the camera so that I could send out Christmas cards. Trust me, no one has complained. And I don’t think the people on our card list even noticed that we no longer send cards!

Automate

What are things that you can put on “autopilot” this season? It might be regular deliveries of household products or an autoresponder on your email.

Get creative and think about how technology can help you this year.

As I paged through my Holiday Success Kit recently, I realized that by keeping careful notes each year of what everyone enjoys (and what I don’t), the holidays practically plan themselves. So be sure to build out your notebook!

Delegate

What can you ask someone else to do? Or conversely, what are the things that only YOU can do?

Once you identify the latter, you can free up everything else on the list to delegate to others.

Systemate

As it concerns the kitchen, let’s say that your list still involves a fair amount of kitchen responsibilities that you are choosing to take on this season. How can we free you up to enjoy the festivities without being hyperbolically chained to the stove?

• Simplify the meal plan. You really can pare down, and it will still be delicious! I love to make all the things, but last Easter I truly simplified the menu. I stunned myself! I made Caesar salad, roast potatoes, and sourdough bread. Bryan grilled pork tenderloin. We had Easter candy for dessert. It was delicious and practically stress-free. (Yes, simplifying falls under the elimination step, but here we are, looping through the steps.)

• Consider grocery store shortcuts. If time is more important than money this season, then consider purchasing some ingredients — or even whole dishes! —already prepped. (Yes, this falls under delegation as well, but maybe you are still on the fence about what you trust someone else to prepare.)

• Let people help you. Again, see how we can cycle back through EADS. You don’t have to do it all, and chances are someone really wants to help. So even if you’re “in charge” of the meal, be open to assistance along the way. My husband loves to grill and I love not having to clean another pot or pan. Go with it!

• Make things in advance. Most prepped food is good for up to 4 days when properly refrigerated. This means you can make things the day before and still have time to enjoy leftovers (if you want) after the festive feast. Check out these Holiday Meals You Can Freeze.

These are just a few ways to free yourself up this season. I’ll be sharing more holiday-themed EADS over the next few weeks. Stay tuned.

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