Christmas is a great time for family and friends to get together and enjoy quality time over some amazing food and drinks.
If you’ve been tasked to host Christmas at your place this year, we’ve created some helpful tips to make sure the day goes as smoothly as possible:
1. Ask for dietary requirements in advance
This is often something people forget to do but it is so important. Make sure you’re aware how many people are gluten free/coeliacs, vegans/vegetarians, lactose intolerant or hate coriander, so that you can pick out a menu which suits most people’s requirements. There’s nothing worse than putting hours and hours into a meal which only half your guests can enjoy!
2. Organise your shopping list
Find that happy medium – buy as many ingredients as you can as early as possible and try to source the fresh ingredients as late as possible, to ensure quality and freshness. It’s such a busy time of the year that you might need to pre order from your local butcher or get in early at your local fish market to ensure you don’t miss out.
3. Set a theme & decorate
If you want to make your Christmas party stand out, set a theme! A few things to consider include: colour scheme, theme, attire, decor, music etc. This will help to make your party magical and memorable.
Be consistent with whatever theme you choose through each and every element of your Christmas party – including the dinner table itself! See our ‘Table Setting 101’ blog for more useful information about Christmas styling from a professional event stylist.
4. Plan the day
Organise the day as best you can, but be prepared in case things don’t go to plan. There is always going to be some last minute preparation on your end which means you need to keep your guests entertained. So, why not organise some games for kids/adults, activities or time fillers to ensure that guests have a few things that they can do throughout the day and don’t fall asleep from a food coma!
5. Let guests know what they can bring
Your family and friends will appreciate you hosting, so please make sure you tell them what they can bring to make your life easier. Whether it’s a dessert, an activity or even just a fruit platter – let them know how they can do their bit to help you out.
We know that hosting can be quite stressful at times, but try to enjoy the process and the party. Afterall, it’s the happiest time of the year!
If you have any other useful tips, share them with our VIVE Cooking School community on Instagram.
