Your ultimate Christmas essentials guide

Pressie wrapping must-haves

Don't you just love blasting the Christmas tunes, lighting some festive candles and enjoying a yummy hot chocolate while you're wrapping the pressies? We definitely do!

We recommend wrapping everything in one go as soon as you've finished the Christmas shopping. That way nothing gets forgotten and you won't find an out-of-date box of choccies next summer!

But before you start, check out our list of essential items to make sure you’ve not missed anything.

• Wrapping paper – it's better to have too much than too little; you can save any that’s left for next year
• Fabric wrap is perfect if you want a more eco-friendly, reusable solution that’ll also make your gifts look beautiful
• A selection of gift bags - much easier than trying to wrap odd-shaped gifts
• All-important tape
• A good sharp pair of scissors
• Plenty of tags - we find this is what usually runs out first!
• Ribbons and bows to complete the look
• You may also want to have a spare stocking filler or two, just in case someone catches you off-guard with a surprise pressie
• ...And the same goes for having a few spare Christmas cards!

A guest-ready home

Having guests over for Christmas can make it feel even more special, and gives us an excuse to add a few extra touches to our festive home! If you’re expecting guests this Christmas, we suggest topping up or refreshing a few essentials around the house to help make your home guest-ready in no time.

• Fluffy fresh towels
• Clean bedding
• Throws to make it cosy
• Candles and diffusers for gorgeously scented rooms
• Topped-up toiletries

Christmas Eve treats

There are a few things you can do to make the day feel even more magical and fun. Here’s our favourites:

• Create your own Christmas Eve hamper for lots of family fun. Not sure how? Check out our blog!
• Festive mugs for hot chocolate
• Bake a cake for Santa!

Christmas dinner prepping essentials

Whether you’re hosting a big Christmas dinner this year, or going for something a little smaller, it can all still feel a bit daunting. Fear not, you don’t have to spend a lot of money to have a good time, and no matter how big or small your gathering will be, we’ve got all you need to make it go smoothly.

Here’s our recommended Christmas dinner prepping essentials. Take a look at what gaps you may have and make sure you’re stocked up:

• Foil or parchment paper
• Roasting tray for the turkey
• Enough pots and pans for each dish
• Utensils including a masher and a whisk
• Oven gloves
• Chopping boards - one for meat, one for veggies
• Thermometer - invaluable for checking your turkey or other protein
• Knife sharpener - a sharp knife is much safer than a blunt one

For lots more handy tips on preparing the Christmas dinner, check out our blog.

The best thing to do to help you stay on top of your Christmas dinner is to plan ahead as much as you can. Know what you’ve got and what you need, write down your timings and what jobs need to be done, and you can easily keep ahead. You could even give some of those jobs out to family and guests!

Finally, plan your food shopping day as far in advance as you can, but not so far that your fresh food goes past its use-by date before the big day!

Setting your Christmas table

You’ve got everything you need to prep the food, so now it’s time to set the table. Again, you don’t need to spend lots to get the Christmas magic, there are lots of clever little things you can do to create a beautiful festive spread without breaking the bank. For more hints on setting the Christmas table, head over to our blog.

You don’t have to get everything on our list for a magical Christmas, just pick out the things you need to help make your table right for your celebrations.

• Tablecloth/runner
• Place mats
• Plates & bowls - be sure to have a separate plate or bowl for every course if you can (to save washing up straight away)
• Cutlery
• Glasses - we think tumblers for water are a good idea as well as wine glasses and champagne flutes for a festive toast
• Napkins
• Candles
• Christmas crackers

Serving up dinner

All your prep has finally paid off and you’re sat around the dinner table ready to tuck in and enjoy the festive feast. But have you remembered everything you need for the table? Don’t worry, as long as you’ve ticked off these essentials, you’re all good to go:

• Gravy boat
• Serving trays & bowls - much easier than trying to juggle hot plates!
• Ice cube trays - don’t forget to fill them up the night before

After-dinner festive fun

When the Christmas dinner has been eaten and the table cleared away, it’s time for some after-dinner festive fun!

• Board games, always popular on Christmas Day – you may have some you haven’t played from your Christmas Eve family hamper!
• Disposable paper plates, perfect for Boxing Day as well as New Year’s Eve parties (or just seconds)!
• Your own home-brew

Cleaning essentials

We hate to talk about it, but Christmas will be over sooner than you think, and it’ll be time for the big clean-up to begin! As long as you’ve got in your cleaning essentials, though, it needn’t be a big deal.

Top tip – give bottles a good shake to see how much is left before buying any more!

• Multi-purpose cleaner
• Oven cleaner
• Drain cleaner
• Glass cleaner
• Floor cleaner/wipes
• Bathroom cleaner
• Washing-up liquid or dishwasher tablets
• Air fresheners

And finally...

With so much to think about, it can be easy for things to slip your mind, so hopefully our guide has been helpful for your planning! Here are a few final essentials to bear in mind:

• Batteries
• Loo roll
• Kitchen roll
• Tissues
• Hand sanitiser
• Plastic containers – perfect for leftovers!
• Freezer bags – again, for leftovers
• Heartburn and indigestion relief (for when everyone’s too full... we all do it!)