My mind is a whirlwind of details and logistics right now. Tomorrow is Christmas with the compound, Christmas Eve will be via Zoom with my family, and Christmas Day at our house with Dave’s family. Three different celebrations, three times the planning.
Cue my neuroses. I spy a toy ball, a duster, and stocking-shaped cookie cutters strewn around the living room—not in their proper places, which means the house needs organizing. Add it to the ever-growing list of to-dos.
Speaking of the list, I need to pick up salad and soup ingredients. Oh, and what if I add those mouthwatering, all-you-can-eat-style Red Lobster biscuits? Easy, delicious, and crowd-pleasing? That’s a definite yes.
Then there’s the final store run before Santa slams his booty down the chimney. Stocking stuffers need buying, and then, of course, wrapping. Wait—do we even have enough bowls? Probably not. Looks like I’m heading to HomeGoods first thing in the morning, followed by Kroger for groceries.
A couple of years ago, my best friend saved me from a full-blown pre-party meltdown. She told me to write down everything I needed to do time-wise and work backward from the party’s start. If guests arrive at 3:00, for example, the oven needs to preheat at 2:10, and the casserole goes in at 2:15. The list of times goes on the left side of the page, working backward toward prep time. Genius, right?
So instead of panicking, I’m taking a moment here to organize my thoughts and make my list:
Grocery Store:
- Orzo
- Carrots
- Celery
- Flat-leaf parsley
- Garlic
- Red onion
- Beef broth
- Pearl couscous
- Salted butter
- Balsamic vinegar
- Three boxes of Red Lobster biscuits
HomeGoods:
- Salad and soup bowls
- A large saucepan
- Storage bins
- Maybe some steak knives
I’ll leave it at that for now. As I drift off to sleep, meditating on tomorrow’s meal prep and logistics, I’ll probably think of more to add. But for tonight, this will do. Merry Christmas Eve Eve to you!
Love, Jaclynn
Going On 40 