As the old saying goes, ‘time is money’.

So with the festive period looming large, we here at Fresh from the Freezer thought we’d give you some handy tips to save you time and keep the chaos to a minimum.

Create an Excel spreadsheet

What may seem like a boring task can actually be the most efficient and give you the greatest enjoyment long-term.

Having a well-planned timeline in the lead-up to Xmas can save so much hassle in the long-run. The timeline helps you to prioritise each task, making it a (winter’s) breeze to get everything sorted.

Get the family involved

You’ve got your Christmas elves right there, so use them!

Sometimes it can be a struggle getting the kids to do the house chores, but at Christmas – no problem! By getting the family involved early, the excitement can begin.

No one wants to be on Santa’s naughty list before Christmas, do they?

A dry run

‘Practice makes perfect’, so they say.

Christmas Day can quickly escalate into chaos without the correct planning. A practice run of the big day can help you to plan your time effectively and put your mind at ease for when the big day come arounds.

If you’re not sure about this tip, just think…two Christmas dinners in a year! What’s not to like about that?

Prep the night before

If you’re not a morning person, you need to pay attention!

Whether it’s a day of shopping for Christmas presents or ‘Christmas Tree Day’, prep the night before is key.

If you’re shopping, make a list. This way you can save yourself the embarrassment of forgetting to buy someone a present – we’ve all done it. Browse the internet the night before to explore the best deals so you bag yourself a bargain and use it to plan the quickest route – it’ll save time and stop arguments.

When it’s time to decorate the Christmas tree make sure you’ve cleared a space for it to stand. REMEMBER: a plug socket must be close. Decorations are vital, so make sure they are all separated in to different bundles. You don’t want to waste hours untangling baubles from tinsel.

Keep track of defrosting times

The centrepiece to any Christmas has to be the turkey! As part of your perfect Christmas you’ll need to make sure the family is fed well, so the perfect turkey is a must.

Defrosting a turkey can often cause a panic, but there’s no need. Just follow our simple guide and you’ll have a turkey fit for all the family.

If you’re cooking chicken or any other meat for Christmas, we also have advice and guidance to help you along the way.

Use frozen food

Often the festive period and time with the family can be wasted by spending too much time in the kitchen. Food prep can be a real time-eater, with all the peeling of veg, mixing of stuffing and carving of turkeys.

Whether you’re cooking from scratch or getting a helping hand, the frozen food aisle has an ever expanding array of desirable products to help you along the way.

A simple yet tasty stuffing recipe can be sped up with the use of frozen onions. Instead of dealing with watery eyes due to task of cutting, simply place the pre-diced onions into a pan with oil and butter and cook until softened. Add breadcrumbs and sage with a pinch of seasoning and stir and then bake.

Hosting at Christmas can be hungry work, so you’ll need to keep yourself and everyone full until the turkey is finished roasting. By grabbing an array of canapes from the frozen aisle you can help to keep the hunger at bay whilst still offering the clan some wonderful food.

This simple recipe is just one example of how using frozen food can help to reduce preparation time.

Best of all. You can buy all your frozen food now and beat the mad dash for the supermarket in December.

And remember, the prosecco is on standby if all else fails!