If you're hosting your very first Christmas dinner, you're probably extremely excited and panicking about all of the details involved. It's the most wonderful time of year, so don't get too caught up on stressing--it's all about friends, family, and fun! We've got you covered on how to effortlessly host your first holiday dinner. Follow these tips to have one successful night.
The most important part is knowing you have enough space for all of your guests. Enough seats, space, and tableware are key. If you don't have enough, ask a neighbor, family member, or friends if they have extras that you can borrow. If you'd rather just buy items, try a thrift store, which is easy to donate when you're done. It's such a chic and trendy look to have different mismatched items, so don't feel like you have to have everything the same.
Ask your family how many will be attending by giving them a text or phone call, which is a great way for them to bring up and offer contributions. Make a list of everything everyone is bringing so that guests don't show up bringing the same food items. You don't need dozens of green bean casseroles!
You can't do everything alone! Ask for help in who can bring food and get your home party ready. A cleaning service is a great idea, too--have them come to your house a couple days before the party to do a deep clean and get all those hard to reach places. Help also applies to after the party, which would take forever to clean alone. Friends and family are bound to lend a helping hand, especially this time of year.
Even if you're not crazy about eggnog or fruitcake, don't forget to still serve it if it's a tradition. Don't surprise guests by trying anything new, like a tofurkey, especially if ham is at every Christmas dinner. If you're wanting to try something different, go for it, but don't forget the traditions.
Make and purchase everything you can before the big day. This will save you lots of stress last minute--the grocery store could run out of what you need, too, so get it out of the way if you can.
To get enough food, one person serving includes one pound of meat, a half-cup of potatoes, a half-cup of vegetable side dishes, two rolls, an eight of a cake or pie, and about four cookies.
This can be as complicated as you want it to be, but it can be as simple as placing ornaments in the middle of the table with candles. Filling tall, large vases with distilled water, cellophane, cranberries, and floating candles is what I do for centerpieces each year. It looks beautiful and is SO easy!
Make sure you give yourself plenty of time to tidy up the house right before your guests arrive so you're able to enjoy the party with everyone else. What are your favorite things to do for holiday parties? Comment below!