A deep clean

Focus on low-traffic areas of the home and give them a thorough clean and dust. Note: this may be your last opportunity to wrangle the help of those little elves in exchange for more stocking loot on the big day – a little incentivising never hurt anyone. Do you have guests staying over the festive season? Prep their quarters and then lock them up so you’re not making beds twice.

Get crafty with your salads

Now’s the time for a discerning scan of that menu and shopping list – are you in too deep? Is that dessert buffet raising your blood pressure a little? Avoid a kitchen meltdown at the eleventh hour and learn from previous years: condense, consolidate and delegate where you can – folks will love being a part of the festivities by bringing a plate. Sure, you can make five different salads, but get clever about them: make one of them a mixed leaf and shaved parmesan salad, the other a simply dressed and elegant iceberg salad, and then introduce a couple more interesting ones to the fold.

Buy up now to avoid the mayhem later

Aside from the bread, ice, some produce, meats and seafood, by now you should have stocked up on just about everything else you need for the big day (and Boxing Day, too, if you can). So that means: dips and all those posh cheeses, crackers, drinks, mixers, garnishes, baking ingredients, tableware, bonbons – you name it. Sit down with a big glass of something, review all your recipes and make a list of anything you’ve missed, but don’t rush out to buy it just yet – give it another day and you’ll likely see that list grow.

Clean the barbecue

Get out the lemons, salt and paper towels and give the barbie a good old clean now, so it’s ready to roll next week. Everyone has their preferred cleaning tools – beer, vinegar and baking soda all do the trick, but we love a little lemon and salt rub. There’s nothing worse than taking your steaks and tongs out and popping the lid to unearth a grimy grill, when guests are already arriving.

Plan your week’s meals now

Give the kitchen a bit of a break this week and opt for easy meals that won’t break you or the budget. These one-tray wonders will make light work of dinners in the lead-up to the festive mayhem. And, there’s nothing wrong with a couple of take-out nights, either – make the most of the longer, warmer days with fish and chips after work and some sunset picnics in the park. Your kitchen sink will thank you for it.

Bake those last-minute treats and edible gifts

Most biscuits will keep well for one to two weeks when stored in an airtight container, so make a day of it with anyone who’s happy to help. These spiced buckwheat and ginger reindeer biscuits are healthier than your average cookie, harnessing the powers of brown rice syrup, buckwheat and millet flour. Just save the icing sugar dusting for the big day. More of a salty-sweet person? These spiced maple-glazed nuts will go down a treat when wrapped with festive ribbon.

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