Hosting your first big holiday meal is intimidating even for the experienced entertainer because you’re not just throwing any old party-you’re cooking dinner for the people you love most in this world, and you want to impress each and every one. While you might be feeling the pressure, try not to stress. These six tips will assist you to put on an unforgettable and successful first holiday meal.
Suggestions for Putting on Your First Big Holiday Meal
1. Prep Your home Weeks In advance
In the days and in many cases weeks prior to the meal, it’s very easy to get caught up in planning the menu and grocery shopping and forget about decorating other preparations. Instead of waiting until the last minute, begin right now. Look around your home and make a note of the things you’ll want to help make your house more inviting-consider everything from seating and table space to your front door wreath and centerpiece. All of these small touches can certainly make your home more comfortable and inviting for guests.
Tip: You don’t have to buy expensive decorations, check out the outside elements for an affordable way to decorate-greenery adds an ideal holiday touch.
2. Make Sure You Have adequate Place Settings
In addition to decorating, it’s important to have enough place settings for everyone while dining, including all utensils, serving spoons, wine glasses, coffee cups etc. Realizing the day of that you don’t have enough for all your guests attending is often stressful and costly.
The day before, wash anything that’s been sitting in your cabinets since your last big get together-think glassware or extra silverware-and properly set your table the day before. Extra steps taken ahead of time will free up your to focus on preparing your food.
Tip: If you’re on a budget and can’t afford to buy extra place settings or all new flatware, consider mixing and matching from other members of the family. It may be a meaningful gesture to have pieces from different families, just be sure you label or keep track of whose is whose.
3. Don’t Buy Brand new Appliances
Hosting a holiday meal is expensive; don’t create the financial burden worse by buying new appliances or kitchen gadgets when you can borrow a lot of the things you don’t have.
More than likely, close friends or members of the family in town will have something that you can borrow-just ask them in advance. Take inventory of the items you have and what you think you’ll need. If you believe you’ll be hosting holidays in the future, you may invest in a few quality items; otherwise, borrow what you need.
Tip: If you’re worried that your oven is way too small, plan a cooking schedule ahead of time-you’ll feel less stressed if you need to bake four different items on the day of. You can even ask your neighbor to pop something in their oven.
4. Let Pinterest Do the Work!
Do not forget that you don’t have to figure everything out on your own. Pinterest is an excellent source for creative recipes, innovative decorating ideas and even money-saving tips. Don’t be afraid to go to the Internet for the ultimate holiday inspiration. Search for:
Serving size guides
Table etiquette
Diagrams
Grocery lists with staple ingredients
Conversation starters
Tip: A few weeks before the event, narrow down all of your ideas (it’s very easy to get carried away with Pinterest!) and be realistic. Don’t assume you’ll have time to master a challenging recipe the day of.
5. Be Smart When Stocking the Bar
Alcohol is costly, there’s no way around that. Luckily, you can make it a little more manageable without feeling like you’re not doing enough. Here are three simple ideas:
Don’t cater to each and every guest’s preference; you’ll just stress yourself out. If folks are extremely picky, they’ll likely bring their own beverage of preference.
Buy in bulk particularly when it comes to wine and beer. Browse supermarkets, liquor stores and even online vendors for the best deals.
Offer a signature holiday liquor drink rather than purchasing a bunch of different liquor.
Make a batch of you favorite festive cocktail together with offering two types of wine and a few kinds of beer.
Tip: Liquor stores can often order wine by the case from their distributor, which makes it cheaper for you. Just ask ahead of time, as sometimes they only get weekly shipments.
6. Go The Extra Mile
There are many ways to take your holiday meal one step further, and you simply don’t need to be outrageous to make it memorable. As an example, did you know that each year we waste 1.78 billion pounds of turkey in the U.S.? Purchase cute or festive to-go containers for your guests, make holiday labels on their behalf and send everyone home with a goody-bag of leftovers. Little gestures like this can go a long way in making your friends and family feel special.