How to make your Christmas dinner the best there is!

Christmas is a special time of year. It's a time when family and friends gather together to celebrate and enjoy each other's company. But with all the cooking, cleaning, decorating and shopping that goes into hosting a holiday event, it can be easy to forget about the details. If you're planning a Christmas dinner for your loved ones this year or next, keep these top tips in mind:

Decide on the menu.

The next step is to decide on a menu. You'll want to choose something that will be easy to prepare and doesn't require too many ingredients that need refrigeration (unless you have a spare fridge).

Once you've got your menu planned out, make sure you have all of the ingredients needed. If there's anything missing from your shopping list, add it now so that there aren't any surprises later on when you start cooking. If you're cooking for one or two people, it's best not to get too ambitious with your recipe selection: don't go over the top and end up with lots to waste.

Set the table with Christmas dinner plates and utensils.

The easiest way to set the table is to put out all of your plates and utensils before your guests arrive. This way, when they arrive and sit down, they'll already know where they are sitting (plus it makes for a nice extra bit of decor)! You may have special dinner plates you use at Christmas, if you don't don't worry, you can use napkins and table runners to decorate your table instead. Head over to https://www.gathered.how/papercraft/christmas-napkin-folding-ideas to get some ideas on how to fold your napkin into something festive.

• Place a napkin in front of each person's plate (and don't forget about yourself!)

• Make sure there are enough glasses on the table for each person.

• Put forks on the left side of each setting; knives go on the right side

• If you are laying the food in the middle, make sure to put ample cutlery on the table to dish up with.

Use a centerpiece or other small decoration.

The centrepiece is a great way to decorate your table, but you can also use other small decorations such as candles and flowers.

If you're not sure what to use for these items, think about what's already in the house and how it could be used at Christmas time. For example, if there are flowers in vases around the house then why not arrange them into something festive? If there aren't any suitable items available then try looking online for inspiration or check out Pinterest!

Decide on a time for everyone to sit down for dinner together.

It's important to have some sort of structure in place to make sure no one is late and everyone has plenty of time to say hello and get comfortable before heading to the dinner table.

We wish you all a very merry Christmas and a happy New Year!