5 Smart Tips for Easy Holiday Entertaining
From brunches and cocktail parties, to cookie swaps and potlucks, the holidays are the best time of year for entertaining. Before prepping for your next gathering, consider these five smart tips for easy holiday entertaining.
1. Use cinnamon sticks to create a festive fragrance.
Create a warm and inviting fragrance around your home with just cinnamon sticks and water. Before guests arrive, add a cinnamon stick or two in a pot of boiling water, and then let it simmer it for about 30 minutes before taking it off the heat.
2. Keep extra drinks cool outside.
Fridge space fills up fast, and squeezing in those extra bottles of bubbly, wine, and beer can prove quite the challenge. Take advantage of entertaining during the cold winter months and stash those extra drinks outside. Bonus points if there’s snow on the ground.
Read More: Keep Food and Drinks Cool Outside
3. Spread snacks around to prevent guests from gathering in one area.
People always have a way of congregating around the food at parties. It doesn’t matter where it is, your guests will seek it out and plant themselves firmly around it. To avoid all of your guests settling into one area, spread the snacks and drinks around the party.
Read More: 5 Rules for Hosting a Holiday Party in a Small Apartment
4. Have plenty of drinks and just one or two snacks ready when guests arrive.
Don’t stress about having all the snacks cooked and ready by the time guests arrive; just have plenty of drinks at the ready, and one or two snacks on the table by the time your first guest rings the doorbell. Then gradually bring out the rest.
Read More: A Winter Glam Cocktail Party
5. Don’t worry about making everything yourself.
Parties are supposed to be fun, and not stressful! It’s okay if you don’t make everything yourself. There are some really delicious store-bought appetizer options out there — it’s just a matter of finding the right ones.