6 Kitchen Tasks to Knock Out Before Christmas Eve

Christmas Eve is not the time to be scrubbing the stove and digging for the good platter. If you can get a handful of unglamorous jobs done a day or two early, the whole holiday feels calmer. You’re still busy, but you’re not spinning in circles trying to do deep cleaning and cooking at the same time.

Here are the kitchen jobs worth getting out of the way before the big day sneaks up on you.

Empty the fridge of old leftovers and mystery containers

Before you ever start cooking, clear space. Toss anything slimy, expired, or that nobody has touched in a week. Wipe down shelves quickly and group condiments together instead of letting them spread across every inch.

You’re making room for trays, casseroles, dessert plates, and all the “can this go in the fridge?” moments that are coming. When you open the door on Christmas Eve, you want to see space waiting for you, not a wall of Tupperware from three dinners ago.

Run and empty the dishwasher completely

Start Christmas Eve or morning-of with a totally empty dishwasher. Run it the day before, unload it, and treat it like a clean slate. That way, every mixing bowl, cutting board, and measuring cup you dirty can go straight in instead of piling up in the sink.

An empty dishwasher lowers the stress level more than you’d think. You’re not staring at a tower of dishes during the fun parts. You just tuck them away as you go, and by the time dessert is done, you’re already halfway cleaned up.

Clear and reset your main prep zones

Pick the spots where you always end up chopping, mixing, and setting hot pans—usually one side of the sink and a stretch of counter or island. Remove anything that doesn’t need to be there: decor, mail, random appliances you aren’t using, water bottles, all of it.

Wipe those areas down like you’re about to start a project, because you are. Having two wide-open “lanes” for prep means you’re not sliding things around with your elbows while trying to keep raw meat away from dessert.

Check your tools, pans, and small appliances

The day you need your mixer is not the day you want to realize the beaters are missing. Before Christmas Eve, pull out the tools you know you’ll use: roasting pan, mixer, sheet pans, instant-read thermometer, slow cooker, favorite knife. Make sure they’re clean and easy to grab.

If you use a slow cooker or Instant Pot, check the seals and make sure the insert is actually in the cabinet and not living in the fridge full of soup. You’re setting yourself up so you can just cook, not hunt.

Prep what you can: veggies, sauces, and breakfast

Look at your menu and circle anything that can be chopped, mixed, or baked ahead. Dice onions and celery, grate cheese, mix up sauces and dressings, and prep a breakfast casserole or cinnamon roll situation for the next morning.

Store prepped ingredients in clear containers or bags, labeled if needed, so you can just grab and dump when it’s time. Those little chunks of work done early make Christmas Eve feel like assembling instead of starting from scratch.

Set up a drink and snack station away from the stove

People will wander through your kitchen. If you give them a place to land that’s not right in your way, everything flows better. Before Christmas Eve, clear a spot on a side counter, bar cart, or small table and stock it with cups, napkins, a few drinks, and simple snacks.

When guests show up or kids say they’re hungry again, they’ve got a spot that doesn’t involve squeezing behind you while you’re pulling pans out of the oven. You stay in your lane, they stay in theirs, and everyone’s happier.