Word Street Journal

Time has a habit of slipping by, days become weeks that become months and before you know it, people are talking about Christmas! A global Christian tradition that celebrates the birth of Christ and we all look forward to the festivities; while Europeans and Americans get their coats, hats and gloves out, here in Australia, we are in the middle of summer and Xmas dinner on the beach is a great way to spend the day.

For many, this is a hectic time, what with buying gifts, decorating the home and planning your holiday; with that in mind, we searched the web and found some cook Xmas hacks that everyone should know.

• Artificial tree & decorations – Why bother will a real tree when you can order from a range of stunning artificial Christmas trees and decorations from a leading Australian supplier. Once the celebrations are over (12^th day), simply fold up the tree and store the decorations in a box and you’re done until next year. You might wish for the Xmas tree to be a glorious feature, or you prefer a minimalist look with a small tree in a corner; either way, artificial is the way to go for many reasons. Invest in a Christmas tree storage bag for easy and safe storage; the attic is the ideal place to store your Xmas decor gear.
• Create a drinks area – Rather than messing up the kitchen, create a drinks corner in the dining room or on the terrace. Indeed, a cosy bar with an ice machine and a few barstools would be ideal when friends and family visit. Buy your booze in bulk from the online supplier and have it delivered for free.
• Prepare the kitchen – The kitchen is going to be a very busy space when the holiday starts; clear out some cupboards and put all the things you are likely to use over the holiday period. If you plan on entertaining (who doesn’t?), order paper plates and plastic cutlery and prepare as many glasses as you will need.
• Exterior lighting – Order a bunch of LED strips and you can place them around window frames and even over trees and shrubs. A range of colours and flashing patterns can create a Disney-like ambience; set aside a budget and order LED lighting online. Buy good quality and they will last many years; some people like the ambience so much, they leave them out all year round!
• Order a few Bluetooth portable speakers –There’s nothing like Jingle Bells playing around the home and a few Bluetooth speakers are all you need. Connect them to your smartphone and create a Christmas playlist.
• Buying gifts – Forget tramping around malls clutching your gift list; Google can help you with your online shopping and you won’t find better prices than online. Gift cards are a favourite because you can’t really go wrong and who doesn’t love gift cards? A couple of hours is all it takes to tick off everyone on your list and think of the money you’ll save! Take a look at experience gifts for a novel approach; you could arrange for your brother to do a 12,000ft skydive in tandem with an instructor, or give him a day at a race track driving supercars. There are many experience gifts to suit every lifestyle; it feels good to help a loved one or friend achieve one of the bucket-list items.
• Delegate a family member to video the festivities – One of your kids can do this and save all the clips and when Xmas and New Year is over, you can edit the raw footage and send the final cut to everyone who attended for an amazing keepsake. If you are dressing up as Santa, you must record the event and show it to your young kids when they grow up.
• New Year party – If it’s your turn this year to host the countdown, start prepping early as time tends to creep up on you and the last thing you need is to run out of time. Order lots of confetti poppers and hand them out just before midnight and see in the New Year in style! Make sure no one drives home after consuming alcohol, prepare sleeping areas in the house for those who wish to stay.

Some folks are already buying their Xmas gifts and with artificial decorations, it takes no time at all to put up and take down. Remember to wait 12 days, as taking them down early is considered to bring bad luck. Check with your local state website about public holidays in 2024, then you can plan effectively.