Although we’re a few weeks post-holiday, I hope that you all had an amazing Thanksgiving with your family (or whomever you spent the day(s) with.) Thanksgiving is always the kick-off to the holiday season for me, though December seems to be flying by quicker than I expected. Last weekend we were in Maine for our annual Christmas Prelude trip (blog post and YouTube video coming soon!) Before we know it, Christmas will be here. I feel so thankful that my family members are all fully vaccinated (boosters included) as there is less worry about while we celebrate the holiday season together.
Because Ant and I do live in a small apartment in Boston’s North End, we’re not totally equipped to host the holidays here. But, it is a dream of mine to host the holidays in our home one day. Hosting and entertaining is one of my favorite things to do, and though I don’t do it much, I love everything about it. From decorating the space to preparing the meal, I even love the small details like sending out invitations.
Hosting Christmas is a dream of mine, though I know it will come with some challenges. I spend most of my free time reading books or watching shows about entertaining, but if hosting isn’t one of your guilty pleasures, I’m sure the holiday season can be more stressful than not.
In fact, most people struggle with the challenges that come with throwing a successful dinner party. Unfortunately, it isn’t as simple as throwing together a menu and lighting some candles. Though, there are a few entertaining tips and tricks that I’ve picked up from various magazines and books — and I’m happy to share them with you today.
A quick note: I just want to say that hosting Christmas, or any successful dinner party is meant to be fun. At the end of the day, what matters is family, friendship, and happiness. If the table is not perfect, it’s okay. I encourage you to prepare to lighten the stress, but do your best and have fun!
Now, let’s jump into some tips to help you have a fun (and successful) holiday dinner:
Know who has RSVP’d and who you should be expecting
Before you do anything, make sure you know who is coming. It’s a bit easier if it is a family event, but when you are inviting
friends and family, or just friends, it can be a bit harder to navigate. Start by writing down the people who will 100% be there. This may be your best friend, or your sister. Whoever it is, start there and go down your list of friends or family members. One tip that is very important, in my opinion, is to know that you should not feel obligated to invite anyone – this is your holiday dinner and you get the final say. Invite the people you want to invite and do not invite those that you do not want in your home.
Prepare the Menu
The reason you create your guest list before your menu is because you need to know if anyone has any food allergies as well as how much food you will need to have. I have close family with dietary restrictions and the key to ensuring everyone has something to eat at the table? Communicate ahead of time. They may opt to bring their own dishes if they’re not comfortable with what’s being served. Of course, this will change once the final headcount comes out closer to the event, but it will give you a head start. Once you know what kind of food you need to avoid, you can create your menu. Write down your dinner party classics and go-to dishes. Then, see how many other dishes you think you might need and think of a few more that you can add to the list. After you create the menu, you should do a timeline for the day of. Of course, it is easy if you have a cheese board and a salad, etc. so that you can prepare them ahead of time and do not need to work too hard on the day of, but a lot of the time, you will have a few dishes that will need to go in the oven. Creating a timeline will help you make sure you get everything done, with limited stress and on time.
It Takes a Village
Don’t stress out too much about this – like I said, this is supposed to be fun! Do not be too proud. This is important. Nothing ensures a Christmas hosting disaster like signing up for too much and then not being able to hit the nail on the head. If someone offers to come over and help you move your furniture around to fit all of your guests in your space, say yes. If a friend needs somewhere to go and feels like they need to earn their keep by swinging by the liquor store for wine and beer, let them. Grandma still wants to make her cranberry sauce? Why not! Nobody offering to help? That’s okay! You have a few options… Ask the people coming for help. I’m sure nobody will turn you down. Alternately, you could hire help. If you need help cleaning, hire a cleaning company. Need help cooking? Catering for the win! Need help moving that furniture around to create more room? Hire a moving company that provides labor services. Companies like Fresh Start – The Moving Crew can help with this, since they offer furniture moving services (even for extremely heavy items, like if you need help with safe moving in Worcester MA), and so much more. They have fantastic reviews, always aim to go above and beyond for their clients, and carry your furniture and fragile items with the utmost care and concern, treating them as if they were their own. No need to move yourself and do the heavy lifting alone, if you don’t have to!
Delightful Decorations
Set the mood by turning on music, lighting candles, and creating a pretty tablescape. Know your audience and cater to that. If they like to have a good time, add wine, and games. If they are more traditional, turn on some classical music and get the party going!
