Hosting Tips for Preparing a Holiday Dinner or Party

With a little planning and preparation, you'll feel ready to welcome your guests with open arms. Here's a sample to-do list that I used when hosting Christmas dinner.

Making one's guests feel comfortable and welcomed is the goal of every good host or hostess. If the host is feeling frazzled, disorganized, or even looks disheveled, guests can feel awkward and unwelcome, like they are intruding on your time. To help make everyone feel comfortable and ready for a good time, a host or hostess should be prepared. In my experience, most of the work for hosting a party or gathering is done in the days leading up to the actual event! Keep reading to see how I managed to cook for and host 18 people for Christmas dinner.

Sample Holiday Menu for a Family Gathering

Planning and cooking Christmas Dinner is a memorable and gratifying way to share the love with your family. Here is my sample menu, with links to the recipes that I followed.

I mentioned in my last post that my husband and I were honored to host Christmas Day at our house this past year. Like most writers, I am an introspective person-- so although the holidays are behind us, I like to reflect back on how things went and what I learned from hosting 18 people (14 adults!) for a holiday gathering in our home. It was a Christmas miracle! The day went very well, and my guests seemed to really enjoy the holiday menu that I had prepared.

The key to the day's success (aside from being a Christmas miracle!) is that I spent a lot of time planning and preparing. I once mentioned that I had a former music teacher who was fond of saying, "You're only nervous if you're unprepared," and it's true-- careful planning and preparation really are the key. In a future post, I plan to provide a detailed schedule and timeline of the to-do list that helped make this holiday dinner a success.

The Woman Crush: Seven reasons why I admire Courtney Lapresi

MasterChef contestant Courtney Lapresi demonstrates many admirable (and rare) qualities for a reality-TV star.

Chic role models can be found everywhere. I've noticed a new trend among ladies: to cite their contemporary female role models as their "woman crush." How cute! I actually love this idea because it is really empowering for women. Rather than finding flaws or criticizing one another, let's take the time to point out what's right about someone-- those qualities that we like, admire, and perhaps ourselves wish to emulate.

A "Negative Nancy" has no mystery. She is someone who finds fault with others, usually based on the very things of which she herself may feel insecure (such as appearance, ability, weight, relationships, etc.). Discussing flaws and drawing attention to our own negative aspects is very un-chic. Rather, amplifying one's best assets and representing one's self (and others) with pride and respect is a much more classy approach to life. Wouldn't you agree? My very own woman-crush, for whom this post is written, is a living example of this attitude.
 

Hosting Made Simple

It's ok to keep things simple when hosting an event.

I have a habit of overextending myself sometimes. Which is why, in the middle of the busiest and final weeks of the college semester, I decided to repaint my basement, volunteer for a local event's publicity committee, and host a 30th birthday party for my husband.

What was I thinking!

Fortunately, I have become rather adept at managing times of crisis. One of the newer lessons that I've learned is that you absolutely do not have to do everything yourself.

Learn to Cook

Being able to prepare delicious meals, regardless of their complexity level, is an essential element of living well. When you understand what goes into preparing a meal, it makes you more appreciative of what's on your plate. Being able to prepare and serve meals is a wonderful talent that is meant to be shared.

In addition to being a great hostess, my grandmother was (and all of my German relatives are) wonderful in the kitchen. Thankfully I have inherited this skill! But if you don't know how to cook, or perhaps you're not skilled at it, I urge you to learn! Practice, practice, practice. My aunt (on my father's side) does catering for small events. (She's in her 70s!) When people ask her what her secret is, she simply states, "If you can read, honey, you can cook." It's simple, but true. Cooking is mainly about following directions. Buy a simple cookbook and practice the recipes. When you feel confident with simple recipes, try experimenting! Add a new spice or seasoning. Try substituting shrimp for crab meat. That sort of thing. As with most new skills, practice makes perfect.