Families look forward to the festive season specifically Christmas day. But there are times women and girls dread it for being cumbersome.

They are usually overwhelmed by the day's chores including cooking, minding the kids, decorating the house and hosting. Even after feasting, they are expected to clean up after everyone.

 It gets worse for those traveling upcountry where relatives and in-laws gather to merry make.

However, potluck allows one to host and still relax and enjoy Christmas.

Melisa N. Nsibirwa, a digital marketer and operations lead at Zimba Women organization advises families to consider potluck because it comes in handy where they dread cooking but enjoy hosting.

With this arrangement, each guest prepares at least one dish and carries it to their host.

But it calls for planning and transparency lest all guests end up cooking the same dish.

“You can create a WhatsApp group where each guest indicates what they can prepare comfortably,” she says.

“Preparing two meals under two hours can’t be too much for each family,” she says.

“That way, women don’t spend long hours in the kitchen or fret about cleaning up,” she opines.

 Another alternative is to contribute to the host’s budget. This will enable them to hire people to help with the chores.

“Paying a small fee for a little quality time with family to me sounds worthwhile,” she maintains.

Melisa N. Nsibirwa

Relatedly, Enid Namayiba, a social worker usually hosts about 10 guests with their children. But they plan for the day, months before.

She makes a list of what they need in terms of food, drinks and entertainment and share the costs.

The budget also caters for two house helps who help with the chores. They clean, mind the kids, do laundry and the dishes.

She also hires a chef who prepares and serves all meals including breakfast, lunch or brunch and evening barbecue.