4 ways to make holiday hosting enjoyable, affordable and meaningful

We pour our hearts and souls into preparing, cooking, decorating and shopping during the holidays, but stress over holiday hosting threatens to spoil the time we intended to enjoy with loved ones and friends. Here are some ideas to help you stress less and enjoy this holiday season more.

Entertain with style, not stress

Freshen up your tablescape by mixing old and new. Paint some glassware or throw slipcovers over old chairs to give your space a fresh look. Purchase a few new items each year—a new tablecloth, some candles or a string of lights, for example—to spice up your holiday collections. Make sure they are items that you can see yourself reusing.

Be trendy. Look out for new holiday trends online or while shopping, and incorporate trendy year-round items with your holiday accessories. Acrylic tabletop items and accessories are back in style and can easily add a pop of color or brightness to your party.  

Metallics are your best friends. Gold, silver and even copper accents will make your party feel more festive while adding hints of elegance and timelessness. Metallics work with most color schemes, and metallic spray paint can also transform ordinary items you may have around the house.

Be organized

Plan ahead. It’s never too early to start planning your menu, shopping and to-do lists. Stick to lists and avoid impulse buys. Some of your menu items can even be made in advance and frozen; doing prep in advance will make you much calmer at the event.

Prioritize and keep an eye on the time. Figure out what takes precedence in your planning, cooking, shopping etc. More time on the tablescape, or in the kitchen? If you’re preparing one labor-intensive main dish or dessert, use quick and easy recipes for the rest of the menu.

Choosing a color scheme can keep decorations simple, classy and festive.  

Trays, trays, trays. Serving trays—for appetizers, drinks and desserts—are classy, tidy and make life easier. Trays also make passing items around a lot easier!  

Entertaining on a budget

Set a budget and DO NOT spend a penny more. Strategize where you want most of your money to be spent (on food? gifts? decorations?) Streamline your menu. Cooking and baking a few dishes will allow you to spend money in other areas, like decorating or on party favors for instance. Look for items on sale, and using baking mixes can help you save money and time! Add your own spices or seasonings to make them your own and to give them that homemade taste.

Let decorations do double duty. Use extra tinsel as napkin rings, and extra pumpkins and pinecones as centerpieces, for example.

DIY it and get crafty. Pinterest is a helpful tool in searching for party inspiration and project ideas. DIY projects are also a great way to get the kids involved. You can also DIY some of the courses with your guests: Have a latke bar or a cookie decorating station. The cookies can double as dessert and a take-home gift!

Crowdsource your party. Invite your guests to bring their favorite dishes, potluck style. Also, instead of buying gifts for everyone, do a gift exchange, Secret Santa style that offloads gifting responsibilities to all guests and also doubles as a party activity, while sticking to a budget.

Bring purpose to your party

Give instead of receiving. Position a charity box at the entrance of the party for people to contribute to and post a sign or note explaining the cause you are supporting. You can also request for guests to bring a gift for a child in need, or canned goods to donate to a local food bank. Holiday donations in your guests’ names instead of gifts will save you a ton of time and stress.

Support local farmers markets when you shop for produce and other holiday ingredients you may need for your party. Check out the benefits here.

Donate holiday leftovers to a local food pantry or community kitchen.

Here’s to hoping that these tips and ideas help you have a stress-free, affordable and—most of all—enjoyable holiday season! Cheers!