The Great Yuletide Spreadsheet

Many families are locking in their Christmas plans – menus, gifts and what to bring. If there is sometimes a bit of consternation around these arrangements in your family, it might be time to break out a spreadsheet. While it may seem a bit pedantic, it is a great way to ensure everyone is clear on the expectations, which should limit misunderstandings and feelings of frustration.

It also allows for some great forward planning – you can order food or items online in plenty of time and shop around for special deals. There will also be no surprises in terms of timing or division of labour.

Have a family meeting and nut out the details, then send everyone the same sheet to confirm what you have discussed. In terms of menu planning, it prevents your table being laden with desserts, but no salads or vice versa.

The planning meeting need only be quick, and if family members want to have a say in the menu, logistics or other details of the day, they need to attend. If they are simply happy to be given a task, they can wait for the spreadsheet to arrive.

Play to the strengths of the group:

• If you have a very talented table-layer in the family, ask them to bring crackers, table cloths and other decorations and pretty up the room for Christmas.
• Keen bakers can be charged with making the cake, sweet treats or dessert.
• If you do Secret Santa, put one person in charge of collating and organising the gifts
• It is customary for the host to provide a central dish – this may be a ham or turkey, but others can always bring something substantial to add to the feast
• When it comes to drinks, it’s nice to have something special for Christmas. You may like to specify the type of drink you hope people will bring, or offer one cocktail of glass of bubbles to set the mood. For those driving or not drinking, ask someone to be in charge of an interesting non-alcoholic selection.
• Ask someone to get the last minute perishables (berries, salad ingredients etc) who has a wee bit of time on their hands, rather than designating that task to a very busy person.
• Offer some lower-cost alternatives for family members who are on restricted budget or maybe coming as a single, rather than a family group.