Feel joy when the doorbell rings this holiday

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It happens every year—your neighbour, your second cousin, someone appears on your doorstep unannounced during the holidays. Follow these last-minute entertaining tips and get through this year’s spontaneous visits stress-free.

• Make and freeze holiday dishes ahead of time. A perfect candidate is tourtiere, which can sit in your freezer for up to three months.
• Whatever you’re cooking or baking over the holidays, double the recipe. For instance, instead of one Jewelled Fruitcake, make two so you can keep an extra cake aside for any surprise guests.
• Think small and serve appetizers, like Christmas Quesadillas and Crab Mini Tartlets, which tend to be easier to make. They can be transferred from the freezer to an ungreased cookie sheet and quickly reheated. For more tips on freezing appetizers, click here.
• Stick to coffee and dessert. Fruit pies, like our Perfect Apple Pie, can be pulled out of the freezer at a moment’s notice. Have extra cookies on hand? They’re great for quick visits.
• For those who come bearing gifts, consider having holiday sweets gift-wrapped and ready to go so they don’t leave empty-handed. Holiday Surprise Cookies and Snowman Cookie Friends make pretty presents. For ideas on gift-wrapping cookies, click here.
• Get your kids to colour in these holiday gift cards and keep them handy to stick on any last-minute gifts.