20 tips to make hosting easier this holiday season

Nothing will make holiday hosting easier than preparing ahead of time. Make side dishes ahead, prepare the decorations, go shopping - whatever you can manage to get done before the holiday will make a huge difference on the day of. 

When you’re preparing for the holiday, make a list of everything you need to do. It’s a simple tip, but it makes a world of difference. You may need several lists, so keep them all in the same place in a notebook. 

If you’re new to hosting holidays, write out a schedule for the day to help you stay organized. Work backward from when you want to start eating to plan your day, and ask for help from those who’ve hosted before if you have questions about timeframes. 

When you’re shopping, stock your pantry with extras of almost everything. Spices, specific ingredients, and snacks are all good to have on hand for whatever the holiday throws at you. 

Take the stress out of figuring out how much food to serve by using guides to help you estimate. There are plenty of guides available online that give averages of how much of each item is eaten to help you plan how much food you’ll need to make. 

There’s a time and a place for bottled beverages, and that time and place are the holidays at your home. Keep various bottled beverages (mostly water) on hand and make sure they’re easily accessible for all your guests. 

The nights before major holidays are huge days for takeout restaurants. Join the millions of other Americans in ordering takeout to lessen the amount of work you have to do. If nothing else, buy a frozen pizza for supper so you can either relax or work on another hosting task. 

If you’re cooking for the holidays, you’ll spend a lot of time in the kitchen and make a lot of food, and you’ll probably need to reuse tools. Keep your workspace organized by cleaning as you go. It’ll feel like a pain in the moment, but it’ll make a huge difference toward the end. 

There’s no shame in outsourcing some of your work. If there’s an aspect of hosting you’re not good at or just don’t want to do, hire someone else to help. It’s an expense, but it’ll alleviate some of your stress. 

Always give guests instructions when they arrive at your house, like which bathroom to use and which areas (if any) you want them to stay out of. It might make you feel bossy, but guests appreciate knowing this information, and someone might ask you anyway. 

If you’re worried guests will forget certain instructions, or if there’s something that’s hard for everyone to remember (like a WiFi password or instructions for turning on televisions), write them down. It’ll be a great reference for your guests, especially if they’re staying the night. 

Always have an appetizer ready for guests to take when they arrive. It can be as simple as cheese and crackers, but it’ll satisfy anyone who comes to your home hungry, and you won’t feel pressured to have the meal out before it’s ready. 

The holidays can be stressful, especially if you’re having tons of people over. If someone offers to help, accept it. If they offer to help with something you don’t need, ask if they’d do something else. Chances are, if they’ve offered to help at all, they’ll do whatever needs to be done (within reason). 

If you only have one dining room table (or no dining room table at all), rent a card table and folding chairs for the day. It’s an easy way to create extra space. And if you don’t need the sitting room, the table can be used to house food or drinks. 

If you’re hosting over the holidays, chances are most of your guests will arrive with coats. Rent a coat rack for the day rather than stacking them all in your bedroom or stuffing them in a coat closet. It’ll make the entire coat situation much easier to manage. 

If you have kids coming over, turn on a movie in another room. It’ll keep the kids entertained and help keep them from running through the kitchen while you’re trying to prepare the meal. 

Holiday food is often too heavy for paper plates, and since it’s a special occasion, you probably want to use nice dishware. But that doesn’t mean it needs to be difficult to deal with. Find dishwasher-safe holiday (or non-holiday) plates to make cleanup easier. 

Holidays cram many people into small spaces. To prevent the back-and-forth of a buffet line, set out the plates, cutlery, and food in a logical order.  

If you’re even the slightest bit worried about who will say what at your holiday meal, assign seating. Set out place cards and kindly request that your guests honor the assignments. It’s an extra step, but it’ll ensure a more peaceful day. 

If necessary, offer conversation topics to your guests. Let everyone at your table know that certain topics are off-limits if necessary. It’s your home, and you can ask your guests whatever you want.