10 Days ’Til Christmas — Christmas Menu Planning That Actually Makes Life Easier

This post is part of the 100 Days ’til Christmas Challenge — one small step each day to make the holiday season less stressful and a lot more fun.

Yesterday was one of those days where everything needed my attention at the same time.

I was trying to:

• Make a grocery list for cookie baking
• Plan our regular weekly meals and groceries
• Finish Christmas shopping for everyone
• Decide on Christmas Day food and what I still needed to buy
• Track down an ugly sweater for my middle schooler’s spirit week (with very limited shipping options left)

None of these things are hard on their own.
But trying to juggle all of them at once? That’s when I lose focus fast.

What made it overwhelming wasn’t cooking or shopping — it was the mental load of holding too many plans at the same time.

That’s why today is about Christmas menu planning, not shopping yet. When the menu decisions are made first, the grocery list stops feeling chaotic and starts feeling doable.

Give Christmas Food Its Own Planning Space

Christmas food planning has a sneaky way of living half-finished in your brain.

You think about it while making your regular grocery list.
You revisit it while scrolling for ideas.
You mentally add to it when someone mentions bringing a dish.

That low-level mental juggling is what makes it feel heavier than it needs to be.

When you intentionally sit down and give Christmas food its own planning space, you’re not trying to solve everything at once — you’re containing it. And containment is what brings relief.

Decide the Shape of Christmas Eve and Christmas Day

Instead of starting with recipes, start with energy.

Ask yourself:

• How much time do I actually want to spend cooking?
• When do I want to be in the kitchen — and when don’t I?
• What needs to feel special, and what just needs to work?

These decisions guide everything else and prevent overplanning.

What This Looks Like in Our House

For us, Christmas morning is a relaxed brunch, and Christmas dinner is a crockpot meal that cooks all day.

That choice means:

• No rushed morning cooking
• No juggling multiple dishes at dinner
• Dinner is already handled while we enjoy the day

This isn’t about copying a menu. It’s about choosing a rhythm you’ll still be happy with when the day arrives.

Decide Who’s Responsible for What

When more than one household is involved, uncertainty creates stress — not the food itself.

If responsibilities aren’t clear, your brain keeps reopening the question:

• Do I need another side?
• What if no one brings fruit?
• Should I grab extra just in case?

Taking a few minutes to clarify who’s bringing what gives you closure.

A simple check-in is enough:

“We’ve got the main dishes covered — is anyone planning to bring something for brunch or dinner?”

Once you know what you’re responsible for, you can plan your portion confidently and stop carrying those unanswered questions around.

Capture Ideas Without Turning Them Into Obligations

Not every idea needs to become a commitment.

This is the moment to:

• Write down menu ideas
• Save recipes you already love
• Acknowledge ideas you’re not doing this year

Getting ideas out of your head and onto paper reduces decision fatigue — even if nothing changes. Seeing everything in one place makes it easier to choose intentionally instead of reactively.

Lock the Menu So You Can Move Forward

There’s a quiet kind of stress that comes from leaving decisions open.

Once you decide:
This is what we’re serving,

you free yourself from:

• Second-guessing
• Adding “just one more thing”
• Feeling behind every time you see a new idea online

This isn’t about a perfect menu. It’s about closing the loop so you can move on.

Let the Grocery List Wait Until the Thinking Is Done

The grocery list works best when it’s built from decisions that already exist.

When the menu is clear, the list becomes a support tool — not another place to think. You don’t need to write it perfectly today. You just need to know what it’s supporting.

That clarity is what makes grocery shopping faster and less stressful later.

Spread Food Prep Across the Days Ahead

The problem usually isn’t doing too much — it’s doing too much on the same day.

Looking at the days leading up to Christmas and deciding:

• What can be prepped early
• What doesn’t need to be rushed
• What truly belongs on Christmas Day

creates breathing room without adding work.

A little foresight here changes how the whole week feels.

Think Through the Day-Of Flow

A loose plan for Christmas Day helps everything feel smoother:

• When food starts
• When people eat
• When the kitchen resets

It doesn’t need to be a strict schedule — just awareness.

And thinking briefly about leftovers now saves you from another round of decision-making later.

One Place to Hold All of This

The hardest part of Christmas menu planning isn’t cooking — it’s tracking.

Menu ideas.
Recipes.
Family contributions.
Schedules.
Notes.

That’s why I created a Christmas Menu Planner to give all of this one home instead of keeping it in my head.

It includes planning pages for:

• Potluck coordination
• Menu ideas and final menus
• Recipes and shopping notes
• Cooking and baking across the week
• Christmas Day flow and leftover planning

I’m sharing it free with newsletter subscribers because it’s helped me stay focused and calm during this busy stretch of December.

Today’s Goal

You don’t need to finalize every detail.
You don’t need to shop yet.

You just need to give Christmas food your full attention — once.

When Christmas menu planning is contained, everything else feels lighter.