Carla Hall Is Here to Make Holiday Hosting Easier Than Ever With These Genius Tips

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The holiday season is upon us, and while we are tingling from our fingers to our toes with non-stop joy and wonder, some of the tingle is probably stress. That’s because hosting for the holidays can actually be a lot of pressure, even though it’s a ton of fun. Not only is it kind of a challenge to keep everyone in the family happy when they all have their own individual ideas about what makes the holiday season special, but there are all sorts of logistical concerns to keep in mind, too, like how you’re going to fit everything in the oven at the same time, or how to pare down your menu to something that you can reasonably make but that still includes everyone’s favorite foods. Are you sweating just thinking about it? Well take a few deep breaths and sip on some hot cocoa, because Carla Hall is here to help.

Carla Hall, the frequent Food Network star, former Top Chef contestant, and author of Carla Hall’s Soul Food: Everyday and Celebration, was kind enough to take some time from her own busy schedule to sit down to share her best advice for keeping your holidays cool, calm, and collected, while still being infused with magic. From the ’emotional memories’ conjured by favorite family dishes, to her top three tips for making holiday entertaining easier, Hall’s advice to us all is itself like a little gift. And for all you cooks out there, Hall has some helpful tips about which dishes you can make ahead of time, and advice about how to make classic dishes a little easier. “I recommend that people do not try to make that Norman Rockwell turkey, I think you should break your turkey down,” shared Hall, which also means you can make your turkey gravy ahead of time using the bones. As for the mashed potatoes, “it’s a celebration day, you need the butter.” This is the kind of advice we can definitely get behind.

From breakfast to dinner, Hall has some smart tips for all of your holiday cooking. Maybe hosting this year won’t be so stressful after all!