Family hosting hacks for the holidays (our top tips!)
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Sure, the holiday season is a wonderful time of year filled with joy, love, and lots of twinkly lights. It's also when we see a huge jump in planned family holiday parties or gatherings hitting the calendar, occasionally with little notice other than 'we're here!'. Even if you're always a Martha Stewart-style hostess with the mostest, the last thing you want is to be caught off-guard without the guest room ready to go or simple hors d'oeuvres on standby.
So we put together a list of easy hacks to make your holiday parties run smoothly, plus ensure a great time for all.
Here are 10 family hosting hacks for the holidays:
1. Schedule a brainstorm meeting.
Are you planning with a co-host or significant other? A quick meeting-of-the-minds is essential for laying out a solid plan. Get all your ideas on the table, remove what will overcomplicate things, and assign roles for individual tasks like grocery shopping or even spending time monitoring food in the kitchen.
2. Make a supply list.
Look, not all of us own things like large sheet pans, piles of spare table linens, or an extra slow cooker. Peek what supplies you have and what you'll need to stock up on (Hot tip: borrow from friends where possible!), and start sourcing your supply list early.
3. Delegate tasks and create a day-of timeline.
Hosting a holiday party doesn't mean you have to do everything by yourself. Take advantage of the presence of your family members or other house guests to create a master holiday to-do list, and assign tasks to everyone. Whether it's setting up the decorations, preparing the meal, or managing the music, delegating tasks will not only help you get things done faster but also involve everyone in the preparation process.
4. Look at seating arrangements.
And we don't mean around the dining room table. More guests means you'll need to carve out more seating in your family and living room. Now's a good time to think about creating seating pods and borrowing extra chairs from friends if needed.
5. Clean and prepare serving ware.
You don't want to bring dirty dishes to the dinner table. Spend a little time prepping your serving dishes, etc. to remove spots before putting them out. (And make sure to thoroughly clean before you store for next year!)
6. Create a festive atmosphere.
Set the mood by creating a warm and inviting atmosphere for your holiday party. If you have an Alexa or Apple Homepod, these work great for extra mood-setting music. I set mine to play in every room for consistent tunes throughout the house, and find a festive yule log screensaver for the TV for added ambiance.
Straight from our Instagram:
More family hosting hacks for the holidays:
7. Consider a kids-only area.
Kids like to wrestle, play loud, and get into things. Creating a separate space from the adults at the holiday party helps quiet everyone's nerves and is a great way to enjoy adult time without interruption.
8. Prepare make-ahead dishes.
While holiday cooking can be fun, it can also be time-consuming. To save yourself some precious time on the day of the party, prepare make-ahead dishes that can be stored in the freezer or refrigerator until needed. This way, you can focus on enjoying the party instead of spending all your time in the kitchen.
9. Post the holiday menu.
This takes the guessing game out of the way for your dinner guests, and helps them know what to expect. We love this tip from IKEA for holiday hosting - use a roll of butcher paper hung on the wall to showcase the main course, side dishes, and more:
10. Put out take-home containers.
You made an amazing meal, and now have leftovers for twenty? Instead of trying to find space to store too much food at the end of the night, put out a few easy take-home containers for holiday guests to package up leftovers from the main dish (or that green bean casserole that's not your fave!), and enjoy a dinner party at home. Here's a peek at our faves:
How to create a guest bedroom from scratch for overnight guests
So you don't have a guest bathroom (let alone a dedicated guest bedroom!), and your dinner guests just transformed into overnight guests? We've been there and have a few helpful tips to share…
First, providing the little things can make even unexpected holiday guests feel your hospitality. Stock up on mini-sized toiletries during your travels (or your Target run) and place them out for guests. It doesn't need to be an elaborate spread, but even dropping them onto a mini tray or bowl will make your guests feel like they're immersed in hospitality.
Second, it's easy to create a guest room even when you don't have one. We love this air bed from Amazon which immediately creates guest accommodations that can be popped into a family room, rec room or even hallway if needed. The pros: It inflates - and deflates! - in 60 seconds flat, is elevated to keep guests from bunking on the floor, and stores easily in a closet when not in use. Cons: None.
Lastly, make sure to provide the Wi-Fi password for your guests. Using a cute felt board is a simple step and stylish way to share it, ensuring you don't receive any late-night knocks on your door.
Another great idea: Family games to entertain the entire house
Fun and silly games the whole family can enjoy are taking over TikTok from rolling toilet paper topped with water glasses (don't spill!) to water bottle toss tic tac toe. And they’re perfect fun for holiday parties.
We're showed off a few of our faves on our recent segment with Fox 59's Indy Now:
