Cafe@Home
for the Holidays
This holiday season, Cafe@Home for the Holidays is here to help you prepare for the festivities...
Shop and Ship for the Holidays
Due to expected shipping delays, please place your orders early this season to ensure your loved ones receive their gifts in time for the holidays.
CoffeeAM is not responsible for delays experienced by postal and shipping carriers. Be sure to allow ample time for your gifts to arrive.
Christmas will be here before you know it. Are your decorations up? Did you send the Christmas cards? Have you finished your gift shopping?
Oh my gosh, what about the guest bedroom for Aunt Phyllis? As wonderful as the holidays are, they can be stressful.
Hit play on this Christmas Movie Soundtrack Spotify playlist and take a look at these checklists to help you countdown to Christmas with a smile.
Getting Organized
Christmas is only two and a half weeks away! Are you ready? We've put together a Christmas To-Do List to help you stay on track (or hop back on it) along with some tips and tricks to enjoying the holiday more.
Two Weeks from Christmas
We're already in this sweet spot. There may be some items you "should" have already done by this point. But don't worry! We have a couple ideas to help you take care of those. (see below)
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Decorate
- Tree
- Outdoor lights and decorations
- Indoor decorations
- Front door wreath
- Finalize your Christmas Eve and Christmas Day menus
- Make your shopping list
- Shop for non-perishable items (canned goods, pantry items, alcohol)
- Ship out-of-town gifts
- Letters to Santa
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Last minute gifts
- Stocking stuffers
- Hairdresser
- Manicurist
- Barber
- Mail carrier
- Delivery drivers
- Teachers
- Housekeeper
- Landscaper
- Babysitter
- Secret Santa / White Elephant
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Kids' visit with Santa
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Set up in-person or virtual visits with
- Santa
- Mrs. Claus
- The Grinch
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Set up in-person or virtual visits with
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Decorate
One Week from Christmas
The big day is almost here! Be sure to enlist the help of everyone in the house and put them to work doing what they do best.
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- Make Christmas Day Agenda and Share
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Clean the house
- Dust
- Sweep, mop, vacuum
- Prepare the guest room (see ideas below)
- Clean the refrigerator
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Buy last-minute necessities
- Batteries
- Toothbrushes
- Travel size bath and beauty products
- Aspirin/Tylenol/Advil/Motrin/Midol
- Activities to keep the kids occupied
- Gift cards
- Thank you cards
- Non-Santa gifts under the tree
- Christmas centerpiece
- Choose Christmas Day wardrobe
Guest Bedroom Ideas
Make your holiday guests feel like their staying in a 5 Diamond resort! Here's how:
- Make up the bed with clean sheets
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Add small decorations to the room like
- Small Christmas tree
- Poinsettia plant
- Wreath
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Basket of toiletries
- Shampoo and conditioner
- Body wash
- Bath pouf
- Toothpaste
- Lotion
- Bottle of wine and glasses
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Small snacks
- Granola bars
- Potato chips
- Cookies
- Fruit
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Single-serve coffee maker
- Sweetener
- Creamer
- Mugs
Christmas Week
The kids are chomping at the bit and you're probably exhausted but still excited. We're almost there. Let's get through these last few days!
Three Days Before
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Shop for Fresh Ingredients
- Vegetables
- Fruits
- Dairy items
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If you have a separate dining table, go ahead and set it
- If you'll be using the dining table but have a sideboard or some other "staging area", stack the china, silverware, glassware, and linens together to make it easy to set the table later
- Make guest bedroom for guests.
Two Days Before
- Defrost any frozen foods
- Prep your mise en place (if it can sit for a couple of days)
- Purchase fresh flowers
- Make (or find) your Christmas music playlist
- Make Christmas Day breakfast (see recipe below)
Day Before Christmas
- Finish wrapping last-minute gifts
- Finish cooking what you can the day before
- Hang Christmas Stockings
- Charge camera battery
- Clean fireplace and set logs
- Leave out cookies and milk
- Track Santa
- Tuck the kids in and help Santa
- Sit back and enjoy a cocktail, you deserve it!
Ham and Swiss Sliders
INGREDIENTS
Package dinner rolls (in aluminum pan)
1/2 pound ham, thinly sliced
1/2 pound baby Swiss, thinly sliced
1 stick melted butter, unsalted
1 tablespoos yellow mustard
1/2 yellow onion, minced
INSTRUCTIONS
Pre-heat oven to 350 degrees F. Cut the dinner rolls in half so you have a half of tops and a half of bottoms. Leave the bottoms in the pan. Mix the butter, mustard, and onion together and smear on the inside of the bottoms and the tops. Place the ham on the bottoms. Layer the cheese on the ham. Place the tops on the Swiss. Cover with aluminum foil and bake for about 20 minutes or until everything is brown and melty. Cut the rolls through the lines and serve!
Christmas Day Agenda
Depending on your traditions, these will all be in varying order. Do what you do!
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- Open stockings
- Open gifts
- Cook breakfast
- Call distant loved ones
- Get dressed for company
- Set the table
- Start heating up and cooking dinner
Oops! Running out of time? Here are some shortcuts.
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- Use the grocers to pre-cook and pre-bake some of your foods
- Find a wrapping service
- Use the dry cleaners to do some of your laundry
- Use online Christmas cards (American Greetings, Jib Jab, and Blue Mountain all have great cards)
- Get the rest of the family in on the action!