Party-Hosting Tips for the Holidays

If you’ve been following me for awhile, you know Zach and I host a Christmas party at our house every December – going on six years now! Ever since we moved into our first townhouse together we’ve loved hosting people and even more-so now now that we have so much space in our current house. Something about gathering all our favorite people in one place is so special to us. I always get questions of how to be the perfect host so I’m sharing 4 quick party-hosting tips for the holiday season! Whether you’re having over a big or small group, friends or family, I know when I implement these tips, I spend more time enjoying and less time stressing!

1: Focus on one thing and make everything else easy

When planning a party, there are so many different things to consider. It’s easy to get wrapped up in wanting to make every single little thing absolutely perfect, but I always have to remind myself that’s not always realistic! A good rule of thumb I always follow is to make one thing great, and be more relaxed about the rest. For example, if you’re putting in lots of effort into serving incredible food, keep the decor simple. Or if you’re packing your home with holiday decor galore, don’t worry as much about the games or party entertainment. I’m not saying to forget about these other things completely, but give yourself some grace. Managing expectations that not everything will be perfect is a healthy way to manage the stress that comes with hosting a party – especially during the holidays. 

2: Clean the big-impact places

Of course, before hosting a party, you want to make sure your home is clean for guests. BUT no one is looking at your baseboards or analyzing every surface for extra dust. Prioritize cleaning for the big impact and most used spaces in your home, like the bathroom, the living room, the kitchen, or wherever guests may be. Decide where you want to dedicate time for cleaning and don’t stress about perfecting every nook and cranny.

3: Put the food and drinks where you want people to be

This is easily my top hosting tip! Where you put the food and drinks is where people will congregate, it’s just a fact! If the food is in the kitchen, people will be in the kitchen. If the food is outside, people will be outside. Even if guests aren’t really eating, people just tend to stand around and chat with each other where the food is located. Where you want your guests to be is where the food needs to go. We’re blessed with a very open floorpan so whether people are in the kitchen or the living room, no one will feel crammed in one section of the house! If that weren’t the case, however, I would put my food in another common space where people have room to comfortably spread out and enjoy each other’s company.

4: Let other people help!

When it comes to hosting, it’s easy to take everything on yourself, especially if you want things a certain way or feel like you’re burdening your guests by asking for assistance. However, if someone offers help, take it. A family member offers to make the dessert? Yes! A friend said she’ll take care of a fun party game after dinner? Yes! Need someone to pick up some ice on the way to the house? Absolutely! Don’t turn away help when it is offered and don’t be afraid to ask for it, either. Potluck-style parties where everyone brings a dish are always a good idea or, if I take care of the food, I’ll ask guests to bring a drink (BYOB) of choice or a party game. Allowing people to help makes hosting so much more manageable and gives you one less thing on your to-do list. Plus, guests usually are happy to contribute.