Hosting, It’s What You Do!

There are unfortunately no more excuses left to start your Christmas dinner planning... but not to worry, help is on the way! We have rounded a whole bunch of helpful tips for a smooth and painless Christmas dinner party. Not only will your guests be having a great time, so will you! Time is probably the most uncontrollable and crucial element in hosting. Therefore, every good host must leave time for last minute changes. Prepping everything you can in advance is the best way to ensure you can handle any on-the-spot adjustment. This includes cooking, setting the table and decorations, making your guests RSVP and noting what they will bring, etc. For food, make sure to prepare a menu in advance and stick to it as much as possible. Always consider timing, your guests’ tastes and preparation involved when creating the menu… but stay original! To save more time, you can pre-cook and freeze your food until the day of your diner. This way you can maximize time to greet your guests and spend time with them while your food heats up. Just don’t forget to put a timer on! Next is table setting. Although this may sound trivial, make sure your guests have enough elbow room at their seat. Constantly worrying about crossing on your neighbor’s “space” can be very distracting and irritating. If extra tables are needed, go for it! Your guests’ peace of mind will be well worth it. Also, common foods should be dispersed in many areas of the table for easy access all-around. Let your guests know where they are sitting with small named cards or tags for each seat. This way, you avoid any faux pas or awkward situations. Make sure to assess everyone's social situations (without overthinking it) before assigning seats. Basically, your guests’ only concern should be eating, talking and laughing! Don’t forget, you are also allowed to have fun! Throughout the night, do not be afraid to delegate tasks to your guests. They are also part of what makes the evening fun and will be more than happy to help if you ask them to. In addition, what makes a great Christmas dinner is a relaxed and enthusiastic host(ess). Less on your plate (figuratively speaking) means you will be less stressed and in turn, your relaxed attitude will rub off on your loved ones. Lastly, if there are any kids over, make sure to put away anything fragile in your surrounding that you wish to keep intact. Be sure to lock them away or put them in a closed room to make people understand it is a “forbidden” part of your house. To make your dinner truly exceptional, be sure to include the Gourmet Appetizer Forks with a cute and fun bird-like design as well as the Gourmet Serve N’ Dip Kit for any handpicked appetizers and their respective sauce! Most of all, don’t stress out! Everything will fall right into place.