As the holidays draw closer, many of us have to start planning for big family get togethers. If you are hosting your family members for any of the upcoming occasions, read these awesome tips and make the celebration one to remember without stressing yourself out or depleting your wallet.
Tips for hosting big family get togethers
Make Your Guest List
If you’re hosting a huge family get together, make sure you don’t leave anyone out. Create a guest list and ensure you’ve remembered all the cousins and other family members that might slip your mind, then send out the invites. Even if your family knows this year’s Christmas will be taking place at your house, it’s a sweet and thoughtful way to tell them how excited you are to host them in the upcoming weeks. It’s also a good idea to send out these invites at least three to four weeks in advance, as Christmas calendars fill up rather quickly. With RSVPs it will be easier for you to plan for the amount of food and drinks you will need.
Prepare Food Ahead of Time
Plan your celebration menu in advance. It will help you in a plethora of ways: you’ll be able to do your grocery shopping somewhat early, you can prepare foods in advance, and you’ll be able to plan the exact amounts you need to make sure all of your guests are satiated. Whatever foods you can make in advance, take advantage of. Whether it’s chopping up veggies for ingredients, or baking and freezing some items that you can bring out the day of, these simple steps in the weeks before will make things so much easier on you—plus, you won’t spend time stressing in the kitchen.
Décor Details
If you’re stressing about finding the right décor for your festivities, make it easier by ordering a seasonal arrangement. It will come straight to your door and you can just place it on your table—it’s that easy. Order it and schedule it for an arrival the day before. This will ensure you have the freshest of blooms and you won’t be stressing about them arriving on time the day of.
Create a Bar
Don’t waste your socializing time worrying about getting your guests drinks refilled. Make it easy on them and yourself and create a cocktail bar in the corner of your dining or living room. Set it with cocktail recipes, garnishes, mixers, and non-alcoholic beverages for anyone who doesn’t want to partake. You can find a ton of modern discount designs for glassware and alcohol-related accessories that will make adorning your bar inexpensive and easy. Make sure you provide the right glassware—or plastic cups if you’d like to make dishes easier at the end of the night—and mixing spoons or straws. If you will be serving alcohol and have family members planning on heading home that night, ensure they have a sober driver or use a car service like Uber to ensure no one puts themselves or other drivers in danger.
Plenty of Receptacles
This may seem like a strange suggestion, but you’ll never guess the effect that arranging multiple trash receptacles in every room can have on your clean up after the party dies down. If you choose to use elegant disposable cutlery and plates this will also help you out immensely—minimal dishes and minimal pick up the next day.
Entertainment Options
Take the board games out of their boxes and have them set up in a specific game room or across your coffee table. If you have Pictionary, make sure the easel is out and prepared. Guests will be more likely to pick up their dice, pen, or monopoly piece and start playing if everything is visible and ready to be used. You can even offer small prizes to the winners of each game as an incentive (as if good old-fashioned fun wasn’t incentive enough!).
Craft Table for the Kids
Keep the kids busy during the festivities by setting up an easy to use craft table. Whether it’s hand turkeys for the little ones or cookie decorating for kids (and adults) of all ages, a craft table will make sure everyone stays entertained. Ask some of the family teens to help out with the little ones, and guarantee all your guests are kept happy no matter how long the celebrations are.
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