Your Christmas Emergency Plan How to Stay Calm When Weather, Food or Power Go Wrong

Christmas should be about warmth, generosity and togetherness, not stress, panic or last-minute disasters. 

Yet every year, festive plans are disrupted by things that are entirely predictable: bad weather, spoiled food, power cuts, illness or closed shops.

At That’s Christmas 365 and That's Food and Drink we believe that a truly joyful Christmas isn’t about perfection, it’s about preparedness. 

A simple emergency plan won’t dampen the magic. It protects it.

1. When Christmas Weather Turns Against You

From snow and ice to flooding and high winds, the UK’s winter weather can quickly disrupt travel plans and deliveries.

Festive emergency essentials:

Shop a little earlier where possible

Keep salt or grit by paths and doorways

Have torches, batteries and candles ready

Charge phones and power banks in advance

If you have a generator make sure you have fuel for it and that it still runs

If guests can’t arrive, a smaller or postponed celebration still counts as Christmas.

2. Food Emergencies: The Silent Christmas Threat

Discovering spoiled food on Christmas morning is a heart-sinking moment... and a common one.

Reduce the risk by:

Checking fridge and freezer temperatures a few days beforehand

Defrosting freezers well in advance

Labelling leftovers clearly

Keeping shelf-stable backups like tinned vegetables, gravy granules and long-life cream

A calm fallback meal beats festive panic every time.

3. Power Cuts and Broken Appliances

Christmas places huge demand on ovens, kettles and hobs, just as winter storms increase the chance of outages.

Plan for the worst:

Have at least one non-electric cooking option (used safely)

Prepare food that can be served cold if necessary

Keep a thermos handy for hot drinks

Know how long your freezer stays cold if unopened

Christmas dinner doesn’t need to be hot to be meaningful.

4. Illness, Injuries and Sudden Changes

Festive flu, stomach bugs and minor accidents have an uncanny sense of timing.

A simple festive safety net includes:

Basic first aid supplies

Easy-to-digest foods

Flexible plans and smaller gatherings

Video calls for family members who can’t attend

Christmas doesn’t disappear, it simply adapts.

5. When the Shops Are Shut (And You’ve Forgotten Something)

Once Christmas arrives, there’s no popping out for essentials.

Before Christmas Eve, double-check:

Bin bags

Foil and cling film

Washing-up liquid

Toilet roll

Batteries

Pet food

It’s always the unglamorous items that cause the most stress.

Unless, of course, there's a genuine 24/7 supermarket attached to a petrol station in your area. Google search beforehand. One Christmas several years ago we realised that we had no wine to go with Christmas dinner. I took a five minute walk to the nearest petrol station supermarket and returned, triumphant, with a couple of bottles of wine.

A Christmas That Lasts All Year Starts With Calm

At That’s Christmas 365, we celebrate Christmas in all its forms, perfect or otherwise. An emergency plan doesn’t mean expecting disaster; it means knowing that if something goes wrong, you can still enjoy the season.

Because Christmas isn’t about flawless timing or picture-perfect meals.

It’s about warmth, kindness and making the best of what you have.

And sometimes, the most memorable Christmas stories begin with, “Well, everything went wrong…” — and end with laughter.