Happy & Healthy
5X PREPPEN VOOR KERST
Are you home for Christmas? Read this first, who knows you might change your mind. And... still home for Christmas? Okay, here we go. Some tips for a stress-free Christmas. Make it as comfortable as you can, from the slate-roof type. Prepping is the magic word for the most festive hours in relaxation mode. How? Well, just like this.
1. Shop now
As soon as Saint Nicholas sets foot on solid ground, prices in stores go through the roof. Thought you could score a nice gift for a good price? You’re just being taken for a ride. They first make things more expensive, only to discount them later. You don’t want that, right? Stock up in time (the good saint has just arrived, so there’s still time). It’s also so much more fun than rushing into town on Christmas afternoon with all of Holland for those last-minute gifts. You also have plenty of time for a comparative shopping study. And oh, the Christmas tree looks so much nicer with presents at its base (these are the most fun). Don’t fancy that battle either? Roll for your gifts. Once you find one super-original (that’s for sure) gift, you’re done.
2. Christmas decor
I’m a bit late, because if you’re a real prepper, you bring the Christmas decor into your home in January. For free, a peak at the top, that kind of story. But there’s definitely more to come up with for an easy, festive interior. I kicked the two-meter tree out three years ago, never to let it back in. My green friend is now a maximum of seventy-five centimeters, and I’m dipping the rest of the house in a HEMA sauce. Done is Kees. You beautifully avoid the kilometer-long queue at that one garden shop.
3. Bake and grill ahead
You stir the tastiest mixtures out of the kitchen like a top chef at Christmas, but you don’t want to miss that glass of wine beforehand. Therefore, a chef-worthy wisdom: mise-en-place until you drop. You only need to maneuver that mixture into the turkey on Christmas morning. Tip from the experienced expert (something with damage and shame): make a trial run of your exclusive dish. A fry at the snack bar on the first Christmas is just a bit too easy. By the way, do your shopping at least three days before the screaming madness at the butcher, baker, and greengrocer. You have all the time for that, because those Christmas gifts have been in your pocket for ages.
Happy stress-free holidays!
4. What to wear
Lilian will delight you with festive outfits. You can click them right into the shopping bag. No static hair, no red face in the fitting room, and no choice stress. So you won’t be sitting there with your hands in the curlers on Christmas Eve, how lovely. And not in the mood to shop? Kiki swears by leasing a dress, you do that via jurkenhuren.nl. I’m surfing, bye.
5. The daily max
Plan one thing per day. Prepping starts with your agenda (see points 1, 2, 3, and 4). If you want to be prepped and under that tree with wine, this helps. Just believe the flying Dutchman. A brunch/lunch/Christmas dish brings stress, and as a prepper, you don’t do that.
Happy stress-free holidays!
