COUNTDOWN TO CHRISTMAS
As we all know, Christmas can be extremely stressful and time-consuming to organise, from the millions of presents to buy through to the mountain of food to cook. Then there’s the tree, the decorations, the party games…it’s never-ending!
Windows 7 helps to simplify your life, so in the build-up to the big day, we’ve teamed up with them, to give you lots of handy hints and helpful tips to simplify your Christmas. Each week in the run up to Christmas, we will give a new simple tip to make this year’s Holiday season go with a swing.
Simple Tip 1:
When buying your Christmas gifts this year, check with the retailer on the returns policy. Most retails give a 14 day refund or exchange limit, however if you buy your gifts early then this will have expired before they are unwrapped, so ask about a 28 day return policy making it simple and worry free if the gift wasn’t quite what your granny expected!
Simple Tip 2:
When cooking for Christmas, make the most of your freezer. You can prepare soups and sauces weeks in advance and freeze them until you are ready to garnish them with a dollop of cream and serve them. They make for a sophisticated yet simple appetizer. Serve stewed/slow cooked dishes, this method gains a lot of flavor when allowed to rest for a day or two, so make them at least a day ahead, and just reheat serving. Generally, stick to a simple menu with one entrée and just a couple of side dishes, and don’t hesitate to ask your guests to bring wine or food.
Simple Tip 3:
Rather than going for a Turkey this year why not have a change.
Goose is more of a speciality bird but don’t let that put you off its so simple to cook and easy to prepare. The most popular goose is the Legarth, a white-feathered bird with a high meat-to-bone ratio. Goose has a wonderfully rich, buttery flavour, almost a beefy taste, due to its grass diet. It's a bit more of a fatty bird, but don't let that stop you from trying it. The flavour is worth it.
Four to six weeks before Christmas is the time to order your goose, to ensure you get exactly what you want. You should get in quickly with a reputable small producer, for example farmers' markets are a good place to find out who's selling what and you can even find out about a farmer in your local area. Otherwise, do a bit of research on bing.com for mail-order sales. Most importantly, find out as much as you can about the bird; education is the key when buying these special birds.
Simple Tip 4:
Christmas is only 5 weeks away, so why not put the kids in charge of making their own advent calendar with edible treats? Not only are they fun to make, they’re inexpensive and bound to get everyone feeling festive. You could even cut out images from last year’s Christmas cards, or old magazines to help decorate them, or get your sewing kit out and find some old bits of material to create an advent calendar with 24 pockets to keep the treats in. Why not add a joke, a challenge for the day, or a fun fact in with the daily treat too!
Simple Tip 5:
With a mere 4 weeks to go until the big day, you may want to order your Turkey or your Goose. Given that we consumed 10 million birds last year, make sure you do it sooner rather than later.
Simple Tip 6:
With under 3 weeks until Christmas, you’ve still got a time to make the all important Christmas pud. Why not search online for the perfect recipe and just remember to hang it up in a cool place, away from moisture and definitely away from hungry eyes.
Simple Tip 7:
This is your friendly reminder from Windows 7 - if you haven’t sent your cards yet you might want to mark December 21 in your diary. That’s the last day for all UK first class mail. Alternatively, go green and send an e-card!
Simple Tip 8:
With Christmas literally around the corner, let’s talk Trees. If you’re lucky enough to still find one remember make a fresh cut in the trunk so it can take in water and stay greener longer. Failing that, you can always go plastic fantastic.
