The most important kosher holiday tip is to start planning ahead of time. The key to ensuring that there is enough time to locate and purchase the necessary ingredients for preparing kosher meals is to plan ahead. Planning ahead of time also allows you to locate or order any decorations, tableware, accessories, or other items that are not readily available in your area.
Making a chart or a calendar for everything that needs to be done is part of planning ahead. This allows a little each day, or a little at a time, to be completed so that no one feels overwhelmed or overworked. Some people keep track of each task that needs to be completed or each item that needs to be purchased in a chart. The chart can also be used to assign responsibilities to different family members so that no one person is responsible for all of the grocery shopping and cooking.
Each kosher holiday does not have to be identical to the previous one. Keep notes, recipes, decorations, and other kosher holiday mementos. Rather than starting from scratch, this provides a starting point for organizing a list of tasks to be completed or items to be purchased. It can also help you save a significant amount of time and money.
Choose meals and recipes that can be prepared in advance. Prepare the dishes and keep them frozen or refrigerated until ready to cook or serve. This also allows for gradual preparation rather than attempting to cook all of the items the night before or on the day of the kosher holiday.
Spread out your purchases to spread out the cost of kosher holiday preparations. Rather than purchasing everything needed for the holiday in one trip to the store, purchase a few items at a time. Freeze perishables and keep non-perishables on hand. Try to keep an eye out for sales on items that are required for the kosher holiday, and stock up when they are on sale rather than when they are needed right now.
Finally, rather than stressing about kosher holiday preparations, it’s important to remember the holiday’s purpose. When everyone concentrates on the true meaning of the kosher holiday, the pressure to make everything perfect is reduced.