Make The Most Of Your Holiday By Actually Enjoying It

Our friends at New Seasons Market gave us tips on how to make the holidays the best time of the year.

Food makes the holidays. Not fighting over the remote, calling dibs on the good couch or correcting Aunt Sharon on who Pete Davidson is. Quality family time happens when we're focused on the mouth-watering nostalgia in front of us. Not just dinner, but midnight slices of pie and the morning after breakfast, with leftover rolls and coffee mugs in hand.

By putting food first and letting the rest of holiday traditions happen (or not happen) on their own time, you're ensuring a calmer, more savory season during which you'll have time to sit back and enjoy it.

We asked our friends at New Seasons Market for 3 easy steps to enjoying the holidays:

Plan your meal. Preparation makes for perfection..or at least one can hope. With advance planning – it's much easier to assure your meal is top notch. Consider health goals by planning for organic and locally grown food. There is plenty to choose from at New Seasons, like Champoeg Farms Pasture Raised Whole Turkey. 100% antibiotic free and raised in St. Paul, Oregon. For dessert, try Petunia's Vegan and Gluten-Free Pumpkin Pie.

Indulge a bit. Save the Keystone for bowling nights. Instead, consider festive spirits like Reverend Nat's Hard Cider Sacrilege Sour Cherry, Ecliptic's Starburst IPA or some (currently on sale) Penner-Ash Pinot. And indulge in a few out-of-the-ordinary recipes. At the least, it will lead to a spirited table conversation. Do you always have turkey? Consider an organic whole duck or a pasture-raised whole goose this year.

Order Online. (And maybe don't make everything yourself!) New Seasons recently expanded its collaboration with Instacart and you can now plan your entire holiday affair from the comfort of your couch and have it delivered to your door. We're not just talking food, but beer and wine as well. And while you're building your cart – consider taking some of the pressure off by purchasing a few prepared foods. While cooking and preparing can offer great satisfaction (and IG clout), New Seasons makes awesome stuffing, gravy and a Kale salad with pomegranate and hazelnuts that has become a regular at our house during the holidays.

Order everything you need for your holiday meal online at newseasonsmarket.com.

Willamette Week’s reporting has concrete impacts that change laws, force action from civic leaders, and drive compromised politicians from public office. Support WW's journalism today.