10 of the Best Hostess Tips for your Sanity
Make your get together peaceful for you and enjoyable for all by following the 10 best hostess tips. My favorite holiday is Thanksgiving. Mostly because it is all about the food and family or friends. Preparing to host a party in your home is a lot of work from organizing, shopping, cleaning, decorating, and executing. I enjoy the actual event but stress about all the work that needs to be completed for the party. I have included my favorite 10 of the best hostess tips below that will help with the stress and of make the party a success!
Best Hostess Tip #1 – Be Kind
Agreeing to host is very generous. But remember, part of the being the best hostess is being kind to anyone that volunteers to help. The more you prepare beforehand on what needs to be done and when, the less stressed you will be the day of the event. Have a timeline prepared that you can easily follow. The Holiday Grand Plan Blog has a calendar you can download to help with the preparations.
Best Hostess Tip #2 – Diet Restrictions
Plan the meal ahead of time with a list of items that need to be purchased. Be sure to ask the guests of diet restrictions, like gluten or dairy free. Guests with these food restrictions will appreciate the extra attention so they have some food they can enjoy at the party. Also, add label that states whether food is gluten free, nut free, egg or dairy free to help guests determine what they can eat.
Best Hostess Tip #3 – Simple Decor
Wash and iron your linens ahead of time and keep your décor simple. If you have small children attending, go for battery operated candles instead of real ones. Use small centerpieces to allow for more space on the table and for easier conversation.
Best Hostess Tip #4 – Easy Prep
The easiest hack is to buy prepared foods like precut veggies, cheese, bread, or fruit. This will cut down dramatically on the time it takes for you to prepare the food.
Best Hostess Tip #5 – Holiday Scents
Keep a homemade potpourri simmering on your stovetop full of non-edible oranges and apples. Be sure to add cloves and a few sticks of cinnamon. This will make your home smell amazing and guests will open your door greeted with an amazing scent setting the mood for a wonderful experience.
Best Hostess Tip #6 – Drink Station
Setup a hot coffee, cocoa, or hot cider drink station. Add fun holiday mugs and all the special toppings, whipped cream, sprinkles, cinnamon sticks, and flavored syrups. You can also create a signature drink. Display the recipe or have pitchers of the drink already made.
Best Hostess Tip #7 – Fun Gift
Not crazy about everyone wearing shoes around your home, have a basket at the door with fuzzy socks of all sizes for each guest to choose from when they arrive. You can include a basket or shoe racks for their shoes.
Best Hostess Tip #8 – Games
Games are always fun at get togethers but sometimes difficult with different ages and attention spans. You can set up a guessing station which includes items in jars that people can guess how many are in the jar. This could include small toys, candy, coffee beans, or small ornaments. At the end of the evening, you can announce the winner and your guest will be thrilled with the unique party favor.
Best Hostess Tip #9 – Quiet Children Activities
Have activities for children or a safe place for them to congregate. Having children run all over your home is stressful for you and possible harmful for the children. You can always ask someone that is bringing children if they would mind bringing extra toys or activities for the other children.
Best Hostess Tip #10 – Recipe Swap
Ask for help if needed. If you have a large group of guests, it is very common to ask others to bring a favorite dish. You could send a group text, setup a shared document, or just ask guests to bring specific items so you don’t have multiple people bringing the same dish. Everyone loves to try different dishes. You could have everyone bring a printed recipe cards to share with their food item.
