The dreaded “C” word!

I'm sorry – I can't put it off any longer. By the time the following missives are posted you'll be building up to the festive season – back to atom splitting.

I realise it's not everyone's strong suit but a little planning will go a long way. Rather than turn this into War & Peace we'll toss around some ideas beginning with Christmas Eve supper which tends to get lost in the melée and then the following three days to Sunday 27^th.

There's always so much to do - you know what I mean - doing your excellent impression of a circus juggler - last minute shopping in more than one location – wrapping - and in many cases probably work too. I am trying to avoid spontaneous combustion – you know how it goes, you've been on the go since 6am and when you arrive home, errands completed, some bright spark says, “did you get ….....” “*****” if you get my drift.

Do I have your attention – gather your pad, pen, chocolate, wine, or both - sit down, relax and ponder for a minute or two.

Everyone's family dynamic is different – for example – do you have family and friends at yours or do you visit and contribute food-wise, or is it a mixture of both?

How does your day go :

is it a posh breakfast and Christmas Lunch later in the day?

do you need to produce canapés – will people be dropping in?

do you bolt the door, pull the blinds and “veg” out with that boxed set you've been promising yourself for months – are you a bah humbug kinda person – even a humbug needs a treat.

Whatever combination, the following postings set out to help you plan and give you ideas for all sorts of options - a supper party, a breakfast, a creaking table, late-night snacks, leftovers etc., and some stuff that's a little outside the box.