Four Easy Ways to Have the Best Holiday Party Ever!

It’s that time of year when friends and family gather at parties and spread holiday cheer. Hosting anyone? No worries! I’ll share four easy ways to have the best holiday party ever.

Holiday parties are my jam. I simply love to entertain. From crazy booze-filled Christmas tree trimming parties in my bachelorette pad in Brooklyn, to classy brunches, complete with servers in Floral Park, I pretty much do it all.

Here’s a fun fact that took me forever to accept – no one expects you to be Martha Stewart. Perfection is not necessary. If the napkins on the buffet table do not match the hand towels in the bathroom, it is okay. (Yes, I used to do this.)

All that truly matters is that you have a gathering of your favorite people with tasty food and drinks. It’s that simple. No one will remember that your corn bread was in a Longaberger basket, placed next to the steak chili near the sterling silver butter dish. Trust me!

Although, I must point out that I once had a guest inform me that he was quite impressed with the food being served. He said, “I expected a pink ham and macaroni and cheese.” Clearly, this was the first time he attended an event at the Rederscheid household!

Hosting The Best Holiday Party

The first and most important thing you need to do is create a plan. What type of party do you want to have? For example, a cocktail party, a dinner party, a brunch or lunch? Do you want a theme? Perhaps an ugly sweater party or a red and green party, etc. Do you want it to be a pot luck? Are you okay letting guests bring appetizers and desserts or would you like to control the entire menu? These may seem like basic questions, but they are important. Once you have your plan in place and a date selected, you need to think about what you have to do to make it happen.

Equally important is to itemize every task you need to accomplish and assign a time frame to each task. Do you need to clean, shop, bake, cook, etc. Start by creating a menu so that you are sure to put everything out as planned. I am the Queen of forgetting the homemade cranberry sauce on Thanksgiving!

From the cleaning perspective, I make two lists – the must do list and the nice to do list. When hosting company you must clean the kitchen, dining room, bathroom and living room. It would be nice to also clean the entire house, polish the silver, and paint the front door. However, no one will be going upstairs, disposable silverware is fine, and the front door is mostly covered with decorations.

I should point out here that I am a huge proponent of hand-writing a physical list. I love the feeling I get when I get to place a line through a task once it’s completed. But, you do you. A list on your phone works just as well.

Delegating For the Best Holiday Party

Once you have your list fine tuned, take a good look and determine what you can delegate from your list. Despite what you may believe, you are not superman or woman. This is where the control freaks (myself included) need to learn to let go. Can your daughter arrange the charcuterie board? Furthermore, why not let your husband set the bar up in the living room? Or, can either of them (or another child) do the grocery shopping? If your grocery list is detailed enough they should be able to handle it (keep that in mind when writing one).

It is extremely important to not assume anything. If you asked your husband to set up a bar area, you need to make sure he knows 1)where you want it; 2)what drinks/beverages it must include; 3) when it must be completed. I mention this because this is a task that can easily be done a day or two prior to the affair. If that is what you would like, you need to make that known and get agreement from your spouse that the bar will be ready (minus ice, of course) at least two days prior. It keeps the stress at bay the day of the event!

Likewise for grocery shopping. Be very specific on what day you need everything if you have delegated grocery shopping. It will be quite difficult to make your breakfast casserole without the proper ingredients in your fridge. Communication is key when hosting!

The Execution is Crucial

Finally, you need to execute. All components of the party need to come together the day of the event so you are ready for when your guests arrive. In addition, here’s a few extra things to plan for the day of the party:

• where should the guests put their coats?
• if it is raining/snowing, do you want everyone to take off their boots? If so, where will you stash the boots? do you have slipper socks available for everyone?
• what are you doing with your pets? they definitely are NOT invited to your party
• be sure and clear your deck off in case it is a beautiful day and guests want to step outside
• go with the flow and enjoy yourself

It was 55 degrees the day of our Christmas brunch a few years back. We were frantically cleaning off our deck furniture the morning of the party and we wound up serving appetizers outside. You really never know what’s going to happen until the day of the soiree which is why I believe you need to go with the flow and enjoy yourself.

Random Fun Party Hacks

• Hollow out a green or red pepper and use them to hold dips for chips or a vegetable tray
• Use Rosemary sprigs to outline a Christmas tree and place your meat and cheeses inside the shape on your charcuiterie board
• Buy plaid duck tape at the hardware store and wrap a piece around each water bottle to make the bar area look more festive
• Freeze cranberries to put in white wine or selzer instead of ice cubes (so festive!)
• Lay a strip of brown paper on your buffet table and use sharpies to draw arrows and identify each dish
• Use a crockpot to keep mulled cider or hot cocoa warm

For me, the secret to a great party is to plan, itemize, delegate and execute. If people offer to help you clean up between dinner and dessert, graciously accept! Always have a Plan B folder filled with takeout menus in case you burn the main meal. You can never be too prepared! Most of all, have fun and enjoy having guests over to socialize. Tis the season!

As usual, please comment if you like this article or if you have some holiday hacks of your own you would like to share.

P.S. You can check out this article from the Queen herself https://www.marthastewart.com/856462/how-host-easy-holiday-party? for even more ideas!