Growing up, my sisters and I were uniquely trained on hosting a crowd for the holidays. My parents have always opened their home to friends and family celebrating the season. From Sunday School Christmas parties, to family gatherings on Christmas Eve, then again on Christmas day, we became proficient at stacking folding chairs and restocking toilet paper in the powder bathroom. My family’s motto has always been “The more the merrier!“
As we approach the Thanksgiving and Christmas holidays, enjoy these tried and true tips gleaned from years of hosting a crowd. They’ll be sure to make your gathering feel more organized and run smoothly.
Do Your Advance Work
Give yourself plenty of time to prepare for your event, especially if it involves a large number of guests. Start with the basics:
Set the Date
When hosting a large crowd, it’s almost impossible to take into consideration every single person’s availability. It’s usually best to set a date and time that seems reasonable, and whoever can attend, will be able to attend. This isn’t meant to be inhospitable or single anyone out, but finding a date (especially during the holidays) that works for everyone is impossible. Hopefully, those who have other commitments can make it to the next event.
Determine an Approximate Number of Guests
These days, an exact guest list is a moving target. People can have changes in travel plans, come down with an illness or simply flake out. Just do your best and try to roll with the punches and arrive at an approximate number to work with.
What’s on the Menu
Deciding what food to provide at a gathering might be the most stressful part of planning a party for a large group. Here are some options you might consider:
Cater the meal- Choose a generally loved cuisine like fajitas, barbecue or lasagna and have the entire meal catered. There are a multitude of local restaurants that would love to help you with your holiday meals!
Potluck- Are you comfortable with delegating? If you are, let guests sign up to bring a dish or assign them a dish they can contribute. Websites like Sign Up Genius can also be used to get guests involved digitally.
Everybody Chips In- If you don’t mind arranging for the entire meal yourself, consider asking guests to chip in monetarily to cover the cost of the food. This works especially well with families who are traveling and would have a difficult time preparing a dish to bring.
Practical Decor
There are occasions for beautiful holiday china, sparkling stemware and tables adorned with cascading floral arrangements. Hosting a large amount of people in your home is NOT one of those occasions. But just because you have a big group to entertain doesn’t mean your tabletop decor can’t be pretty.
These days, there are so many beautiful paper and plasticware options to choose from that copy a china-like pattern, but you toss them at the end of the night. These plates and napkins from Surprises (4657 S. 14th St.) add a classy holiday touch to your table. And the best news- you don’t have to wash a thing after your guests depart!
Play the Host or Hostess
Guests will need a bit of instruction, especially when there are a great many of them. Take a moment after everyone has arrived to get the party organized.
1. Welcome everyone to the party and let them know how much you appreciate their attendance and any contribution they made to the festivities.
2. Give a quick run-down about how they will enjoy their meal and where they can sit.
3. Let guests know where trash cans are located. This will let them know that they should clear their table when they are finished eating (it will help you with clean up as well!).
4. Explain what will happen after dinner. Maybe you need to open presents, play games, or divide into groups to sing The Twelve Days of Christmas….or maybe that’s just my family’s quirky tradition?
5. Also, make sure guests know which bathroom they can use. This might prevent roaming throughout the house.
Remember the Children
It’s very likely that hosting a big group of friends and family means kids of all ages will come along. You may live in a family-friendly home with lots of available toys or your home may have collections of Waterford crystal displayed throughout. Wherever you find yourself on this spectrum, here are some ideas that will help your young guests enjoy themselves, their parents breathe a sigh of relief and you not to break into a sweat.
• Have a kid’s table available, preferably in a non-carpeted room in case of spills.
• Be sure to serve a couple of kid-friendly options like fruit, chicken tenders and macaroni and cheese.
• Consider having a couple of non-messy, self led craft activities at the kid’s table. This may occupy your younger guests for a bit so their parents can enjoy the party.
• Provide cups with lids to the younger kids. Spills are a fact of life so try and take preventative action if you can.
• Put your breakables or cherished items away for the evening. It may seem like a hassle but storing these items will allow you to breathe easier.
Pro Tips
After hosting hundreds of friends and family in their home, here are some quick and easy tips from my family to yours.
• Make sure guests don’t park blocking a neighbor’s driveways or parking spots.
• Designate a dessert table where guests can serve themselves at their own pace…and come back for seconds! These adorable platters from Bucketheads (4801 Buffalo Gap Road) add the perfect touch to the dessert table.
• Assign someone to man the beverage station. This will help with the flow of the buffet line. Get drink orders and have drinks ready as the guest finds their seat.
• Have a Sharpie marker on hand to write names on beverage cups.
• If you are hosting two parties, stack them! By hosting parties on back-to-back days, party prep, set up and tear down will be halved. Just do touch-up cleaning in between parties.
• Accept help. Don’t feel like you have to do it ALL yourself. If someone offers to help, find a task you feel comfortable relinquishing and let them at it.
• Enjoy! Don’t get so stressed out that you can’t enjoy the fun that’s happening all around you. Make sure you sit down, take a big breath and relish the joys of the season.
By Callie Harris
Photos By Shayli Anne Photography
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