If the thought of preparing for the traditional holiday meal stresses you out, then maybe it’s time to take a different approach. Holidays are a time for giving back, and what better way to give back than by providing your family and friends with a meal they will never forget? Keep reading for some of the things you should know to make this year’s holiday meal the best one yet.

How Much You’ll Need

A common dilemma most people find themselves in before cooking a meal is not knowing how much they are going to need. Get too much food and risk having a ton of leftovers, but get too little and risk some people not receiving enough or any of the food. This might seem like a very complicated issue, but when you step back, it becomes rather clear. Nobody wants their guests to go home hungry, so the best approach for this dilemma is to overstock on the things you are going to serve. It’s better to have too much than not enough. In fact, if you feel like you have too many leftovers, you could always ask your guests to take some home with them. After all, who doesn’t like holiday meal leftovers? You can even reuse the leftovers to make other dishes!

A Smooth Flow

Accidents happen more often during the holidays. A simple fall can do more than ruin everyone’s time—it can have serious consequences. Running children and people flailing their arms during animated conversation can really pose a huge risk to not only your food but also your well-being. Therefore, one of the first things you should plan out is your serving route. Consider placing the children on one side of the table in order to avoid too much foot traffic. If there is a group of children present, you could set up a separate kids’ table in an adjoining room. If possible, you could leave a space open at the table so that you are able to lean in and distribute the food properly.

Choose the Tunes

Guests talking during the meal is a good thing. However, after a while, people tend to focus on their food rather than on the conversation. A good way to not only set the mood but cover the sounds of chewing and awkward silence is to set up a playlist for the evening. In fact, studies have shown that music can actually help your digestion.

Relax and Enjoy

Preparing and serving a holiday meal for the whole family can be a very daunting task. But it should never prevent you from stopping to enjoy the moment and the food you’ve worked so hard to prepare. Always make sure you stop every once and a while and converse with your guests; after all, you are the main reason for them being there in the first place. Remember that spending quality time with friends and family is more important than having everything perfect at dinner.

Preparing the perfect holiday feast can bring a lot of responsibility and stress in one’s life. However, by following just a few of the preparation tips above, you can quickly begin to eliminate many of the common stressors that accompany throwing a feast.

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