delegation is key

Popular food blogger, Lo Corcoran of Lo’s Kitchen shares what her family will be eating this Christmas whilst convincing us that delegation is the key to a well planned Chrissie.

A friend is getting their family Christmas catered for. Apparently to stop the complaints from those slaving away over a hot stove.

Other mates hosting Chrissie this year have decided to do all of the shopping (grog included) and meal planning themselves. Being good cooks and even better entertainers, I know they’ll be able to cater for the whole few days with a house full easily. Everyone will chip in money wise and the only thing they’ll have to fight over is who is going to be the first one up of a morning to watch over the toaster and make sure the kiddies are getting exactly the same amount of milo in their milk. God forbid someone “gets more”.

Then there are those among us that go for the more laid back, ‘pot luck’ approach where guests turn up with whatever they want. There’s a new app idea for you; one that helps organise a family gathering so you don’t end up with two hams, four pavlovas and a table full of wombok salad. Is it just me or does everybody seem to make this on repeat come December?

So any way you decide to do it – organise the family christmas that is, if it works for you and you don’t find yourself losing sleep over how you’re going to feed a houseful of people, finish the shopping, wrap the presents, do the Dan Murphy’s run (or multiple runs if you’re anything like our family) and sort out where everyone’s going to crash, then take a leaf out of the Thomas’ book and do what we’re doing – DELEGATE.

Not only does it make things easier and fairer amongst everyone involved, it creates a real sense of occasion and drums up excitement around each and every meal. Coming from a family of Chiefs and not many Indians, it works surprisingly well and our WhatsApp group has been running red hot for the last couple of weeks with suggestions not only for the food menu, but what activities we’ve got planned for the course of the week and who is responsible for kids dinners on a daily basis. We even share the coffee runs.

And to give you an idea, I’m letting you in on what we’re planning for our big family Chrissie at the beach this year.

‘twas the night before christmas…

We’ll hit up the Culburra Bowlo for a few cold beers. The kids’ll take over the play equipment and everyone’s pumped to see whether or not Uncle Pete can defend his undefeated title of ‘meat tray champion’. Needless to say we’ll clean them out of Twisties from behind the bar and the kids know exactly who they should go to to get money for the chocolate vending machine (always Meemar). Chicken schnitty’s, burgers “with the lot” and ‘Fish of the Day’ will be ordered happily and a better night out I could not hope for. We always say we’ll get to bed at a reasonable hour, but of course, we never learn. Dad coming out to the backyard at 2am calling out for us all to “go to bed!”

Which brings us to..

game day

Breakfast brought to you by the Twinnie Bubbies (my younger twin sisters who don’t yet have their own kids) so are free to be in the kitchen. Come to think of it they should be allowed to stay in bed past the first 5am child waking up. Oopsie daise.

Think everything from ham and cheese croissants, yummy yoghurt, fresh tropical fruit and orange juice (the expensive kind that actually has some orange in it) to those little boxes of sugary cereal for the kids. And don’t forget the bubbles! Christmas isn’t Christmas without a glass of champers to clutch whilst sitting round the tree opening pressies in your jarmies. Hangover or no hangover.

We’ll then choof off for a swim and have a play with some of the Santa presents (I hear the big fella might be bringing all things buckets and spades, boogie boards and a large range of everything Sunsafe) as ordered.

christmas lunch

A shiny glazed ham, more fresh prawns than you can poke a stick at, a couple of fancy salads and some good bread is all you need. But if you want to take things that one step further, try your hand at baking a whole side of ocean trout or salmon. Easy, tasty and elegant in its simplicity, it’ll be sure to impress.

Mim’s Christmas pudding, which Mum lights in brandy and hides Nannie’s thruppences in, and served with homemade custard is always the star of the show. Dad’s iconic fruit salad and vanilla ice cream are loaded up on to the plate and you can’t have Christmas without a pav thrown in for good measure.

The drinks are all really well iced and the afternoon moves on happily…

christmas night

Aunty Ame’s on kids dinner. A big spag bol cook up in the lead up to Chrissie is on the cards. Every good weekend away with 10 kids under 8 needs some spaghetti bolognese in the fridge don’t you think?

Then it’s on to cheese board central with Elles Belles (think everything from prosciutto to quince paste, blue cheese and grapes) and I’ll whack some of the squid and green prawns that we picked up from Nowra Fresh on the barbie.

boxing day…

…and it’s time for the ‘Jimmy Wild Invitational Annual Family Tennis tournament’ where we all team up and battle it out to try and get our names on the custom made plague that hangs on the wall. Uncle Pete loads up the eskies with cold beer and orders half of the fish and chip shop while the rest of us try to remember which one of us actually booked the courts?!

So far Jez and Elles, Case and Oli and Pete and Ames are all on the trophy with Meemar and Grandad seeming to be the runners up every year.

Maybe it’s time for Cork Daddy and I to step up. To get our name on the wall. Yes. I can feel it in my bones. This is our year.

Now if only I could find my tennis racquet?