It seems that every year when the holidays come around, I have to manage a longer to-do list than the year before. The Winter Holidays are widely recognized as an especially busy and stressful time of year and I found that my growing holiday routine needed significant revision for me to be able to better enjoy “the most wonderful time of the year.” Even if it’s realistic to cut back on some of the work, there’s still lots to do, and outsourcing some of that work has made a big difference for me.
Home Delivery
Those who follow me on social media have probably seen various posts over the last couple of months from my collaboration with Doorstep Dairy. During that time I have been so happy with the weekly deliveries of fresh local dairy, produce, and various other foods from local vendors. At this busy time of year, home deliveries have been one of the most significant ways that I have been able to get more accomplished. It has freed up more time for me every week to get the extra things done. I’m not wasting precious time sitting in traffic, finding parking, dealing with crowds while I look for the best available produce, standing in long lines, and loading & unloading everything from my car, etc. Instead I get a lot of what I need each week brought right to my door, while supporting local businesses, and spending more time doing what I love in my kitchen, like prepping holiday food.
Make Ahead
Another way that I manage my holiday prep list is by making some things ahead and then freezing them. Then they’re ready to thaw and bake whenever I need them over the holidays. One of our family holiday food traditions is having lasagna, which I love because, well it’s lasagna AND you can assemble it ahead of time, wrap it well and then freeze it until you need it (up to 3 months). One of the best holiday foods to make ahead and freeze is any kind of drop cookie dough; just scoop, freeze on a cookie sheet, and bag. I have the most satisfied feeling of accomplishment having frozen scoops of 6 or 7 kinds of cookies in my freezer ready to go, so I can bake them a day or two ahead of when I need them and then everyone gets to enjoy a variety of freshly baked cookies! (Oh, and if you’re more of a cookie eater than baker, Doorstep Dairy delivers a variety of baked goods and cookie platters, too!)
Support Local
Doorstep Dairy also came to the rescue with some of my holiday gift shopping because it’s easy to set up a gift account for anyone who is in their delivery area in Chester, Lancaster, and Berks Counties. I just set up the account on their website and emailed them with how much I wanted to put on an account. The account was then credited for that amount and my payment method removed from the account. It only took a few minutes to give a great gift of delicious local product with amazing customer service that supports multiple local businesses!
Stay Flexible
My final goal of holiday prep is to stay flexible and remember that, while we love all of our holiday traditions, that we don’t have to celebrate every tradition every year. Some years I make certain dishes or desserts and save the rest for another year. It’s just not possible to do everything every year. The most important thing is to spend time making memories with those we love.
Happy Holidays & Happy Eating!
For more information about Doorstep Dairy Deliveries, check out my article:
And check out Doorstep Dairy here! https://doorstepdairy.com
3 recipes to help with the holidays, that you can freeze:
