How to host a first-year flat Christmas on a budget

Having a  flat Christmas dinner is a rite of passage: a chaotic night filled with slightly burnt stuffing, Poundland Christmas crackers and one flatmate insisting “we must handmake the mulled wine”. But with the festive season in full swing, throwing a Christmas celebration on a budget can feel challenging. Luckily, a beautifully decorated kitchen and the finest turkey are not a necessity. If you make your expectations realistic it is possible to have a genuinely memorable flat Christmas without going into overdraft.

Assign every flatmate a job.

The quickest way to turn you wholesome first flat Christmas into a nightmare, is starting with no plan and one oven. Make a list before you get started and play to everyone’s strengths – someone in charge of making the drinks, someone organising decorations, someone brave to take on the task of the turkey and if you’re lucky enough, someone with a car to do the big food shop the day before. Because who wants to be the flatmate carrying the bags up the dreaded Bristol hills in the freezing cold. Giving everyone an assigned job might sound a bit over the top, but it’s the best way to avoid chaos in the kitchen, because you never want too many cooks in the kitchen. It also prevents that one flatmate avoiding all responsibilities by blaming it on their lack of cooking skills. Ensuring the night is a rewarding group effort instead of a frenzied last-minute panic because the potatoes took two hours to peel.

DIY some festive decorations

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Let’s be honest: first year flat kitchens aren’t exactly something to show off.  There is usually a permanent pile of unwashed dishes in the sink, crumbs on the floor and bin bags piled high because everyone swore it wasn’t their turn to take the bins out this week. No amount of opening the windows ever gets rid of the lingering smell. This is why making some budget friendly DIY decorations is a necessity; handmade paper chains and cutout snowflakes won’t clean up the disaster in the kitchen, but they’ll be a good distraction from the dread. A bit of tinsel can go a long way in making your kitchen feel more festive and less like a health hazard.

Post-dinner entertainment

Once dinner is finished, you will need some good entertainment to keep the festive spirits high. A budget friendly and always memorable option is a charity shop Secret Santa. Set a small budget and take a flat trip to explore the charity shops along Gloucester Road or Cotham Hill. It’s cheap and a classic Christmas activity, if you’re lucky you may get a nice new addition to your wardrobe. If your flat wants to do something on the energetic side, Christmas karaoke is the way to go. Screaming Mariah Carey at the top of your lungs is a great flat bonding activity. But if you would rather a calmer activity have a Christmas movie marathon, make some hot chocolate and grab some blankets and pillows. This is the ideal choice if anyone in your flat has one of those phone projectors to watch all the nostalgic Christmas classics on. Or, if you’re looking for something in between cosy and chaos, get out the board games. Trivial Pursuit, Articulate or Monopoly are perfect for some festive fun.

Keep the dinner simple

Student accommodation kitchens don’t tend to be the ideal environment for whipping up a five-course fine dining experience. You probably have one semi-working hob, two pans that haven’t been cleaned in a while and a team of five hungover chefs, that’s why it’s best to keep the dinner as simple as possible. Nobody is expecting handmade cranberry sauce or Yorkshire puddings from scratch. Stick to the basics and don’t be afraid to take a few shortcuts in the kitchen, gravy granules and frozen roast potatoes can save you some time, money and sanity. Do your food shop at a budget-friendly supermarket and make sure to split the cost evenly, at the end of term no one has budgeted to spend £20 on one dinner when they’ve been living off pasta for the past week. The point of a flat Christmas isn’t to show off your best cooking skills, but to have night with good company, a decent roast and a glass of Lidl’s finest.

Get creative

To make your flat feel Christmas unique, lean into your creative side. A well curated playlist is definitely an essential for any flat Christmas, it sets the vibe for the night and keeps up the morale during the chaotic dinner prep and the motivates everyone for the dreaded eventual clean-up. Make the playlist collaboratively, let each flatmate add a few of their favourite Christmas songs without judgement. After the night is over, the playlist becomes a nice memory to look back on once you finally get to leave your small, hectic halls kitchen. If you want something messier, host a gingerbread house decorating competition. Most supermarkets sell cheap kits, you can split into two teams and get competitive. The finished product also serves as a good dessert to end the meal on.