Holiday Hosting Hot Tips

Are you hosting a party this holiday season? From Christmas family get-togethers to New Year’s Eve bashes, we’ve got you covered.

Choose a Theme

Theme parties are the way to go! A good theme adds a little bit of magic to any party – people love to dress up, talk about each other’s outfits (or costumes), take photos together and marvel at the themed décor. It’s also an easy way for your guests to know what they should be wearing, so no one feels too dressed up or dressed down. They don’t have to be too complicated, either. Even a simple theme can tie the whole party together.

Here are some holiday themes your guests will love:

Ugly Christmas Sweaters: Wear an ugly Christmas or holiday sweater to the party.
Holiday Character Costume Party: Dress as your favorite holiday character, from Rudolph to Krampus.
Pajama Party: Wear your best holiday pajamas.
Après-Ski: Dress like you’ve just come off the ski slopes.
Silver and Gold: A simple color theme like this is perfect for a New Year’s Eve party.
Best of the Year Party: If you have a creative group of guests for your New Year’s Eve party, ask them to dress as something that happened in the news or pop culture that year.
Holiday Sparkle: Glitter and sparkles are super easy to come by, which makes this a fast and easy theme for both costumes and decorations.

Know Your Audience

If you’re having family over for the holidays, it’s always nice to sit down to a big dinner together. But if it’s more of a friend hang, a formal, sit-down dinner in the dining room isn’t always the way to go. Try mixing things up with a buffet-style dinner and a few small tables, or serve a bunch of different small plates instead so that people can float around and mingle with different groups.

Awesome Appetizers

No matter what kind of party you’re having, you need appetizers. Nothing makes guests happier than some good food they can snack on throughout the event. You could go with beloved classics like a charcuterie board, chips and dip or pigs in the blanket, or you could use the opportunity to whip up some new apps. You could try making bacon-wrapped scallops, baked brie with almonds or even freestyle a slab pie. Yum!

Delightful Drinks

What’s a party without some delicious cocktails and mocktails?

The deep, maroon color of this pomegranate mocktail is perfect for a holiday party. With lemon juice, sugar syrup and pomegranate juice, it’s a surefire crowd pleaser.

This festive recipe for cranberry mimosas includes fresh cranberries, cranberry juice, champagne and is garnished with a sprig of fresh rosemary.

Want something warm for these cold winter nights? Try this blackberry mulled wine, which includes red wine, apple cider, brandy, blackberries, cinnamon sticks and more. Serve in a mug to make it extra cozy.

Delicious Desserts

There’s no better time for something sweet than the holiday season, so make sure you have some desserts ready for your guests. A cute, seasonal way to serve dessert is to make a chocolate bar – a station just for serving goodies from hot chocolate to chocolate mousse.

There’s also the time-honored tradition of the cookie swap, where you ask your guests to bring their own cookies and everyone gets some samples of each. If you’re planning on doing a cookie swap, make sure you provide seasonal cookie tins or boxes so your guests can take some cookies home with them.

Delegate Your Duties

If you usually get a little overwhelmed with party planning, opt for parties where you don’t have to do everything yourself. A wise host knows when to delegate some of their duties to friends and family members. Good parties happen when everyone works together.

When everyone brings a dish, a drink or a dessert, it’s a whole lot easier to get the party started. You could even ask your guests to do something like contribute songs to a holiday playlist beforehand, so you can hear everyone’s holiday favorites throughout the night.

Need some extra help with the food? HelloFresh offers delicious holiday specials for just this occasion. Try their holiday feast bundle, which includes all the ingredients for a prime rib feast, their holiday cheese and charcuterie board or their happy holidays dessert board for a sweet treat. With HelloFresh, you can get ingredients and step-by-step recipes delivered straight to your door. Plus, you can get 65% off and free shipping on your first box, plus 15% off each delivery for one year. This exclusive offer is valid through Dec. 25, 2022.

Are you hosting a party or a family get-together this holiday season? Tell us about it in the comments below!