iriemade Skip to Content

5 Tips For Hosting A Stress-Free Holiday Gathering

The holidays are here and for us it’s all about relaxation and enjoying the company of loved ones. Each year, we get together with family for a calm day of exchanging gifts, playing games, and watching movies. The menu is always simple and there’s always just enough food for everyone without tons of leftovers. I’ll admit that home magazines and Pinterest have given me tons of inspiration for entertaining, but I know trying to do it all will result in stress. I know many of you are still recovering from Thanksgiving so to do it all over again seems like a bit much. On Christmas I’m all about keeping it simple – as it should be. Here are 5 tips for hosting a stress-free holiday gathering that will allow you to enjoy your guests this season.

IMG_1892

Simplify The Menu
You just got done preparing a Thanksgiving feast. Do you really want to do it all over again? I know I don’t! On Christmas we enjoy a smaller dinner. No huge turkey or ham, but simple roasted hens and a few of our favorite comfort foods and a salad. Consider store bought baked goods and maybe compromising with making a homemade eggnog.

Thrift Dinnerware
No fine China? Go thrifting! You’ll be surprised at what you’ll find! I love browsing thrift stores for dishes. I often find vintage gems that remind me of my childhood. I am not that old, but the pieces I remember date back to before I was born. Those quality pieces make the holidays special… the unique and memorable mix matchiness.

Free Printable Holiday Pack #SophistisheDOWNLOAD PRINTABLES HERE

Decorate On The Cheap
Decorate with items you already have around the house. Set out mason jars filled with mini Christmas lights or bowls of extra ornaments. Printables are also an inexpensive way to add holiday cheer. You can frame and laminate them for many years to come.

Assign Chores
The kitchen can become a disaster even when preparing the simplest of meals. Give each family member a job and clean as you go. The biggest problem that we have are dishes. Have someone keep the dishwasher loaded to avoid mountains of dishes. Wipe and clean up spills and when it’s all done, clean the floor. There have been plenty of times where guests arrived while I was cleaning the floor. The key is to get it clean enough. Family will understand.

Stock Up On Essentials
Whether you’re having a full house of guests coming over or not, you probably want to stock your house with necessities so you can enjoy time with family and friends, instead of running back and forth to the store for the not so fun stuff. As a family of five, we go through paper products like nobody’s business. Between kiddos who don’t quite understand toilet paper preservation (lol), allergies, and colds, I feel like I’m screaming “we’re out of freaking toilet paper” every two days. Now just imagine how fast we’d go through toilet paper sharing with a few extra loved ones.

Amazon is clutch for stocking up on bulk sized paper products. They have truly spoiled us with Prime, but if that wasn’t enough, Amazon is offering same day shipping on brands like Cottonelle, Kleenex, and Scott. So you can have all of your essentials before or as your guests arrive. By ordering from Amazon, you can have your bulk packs delivered to your doorstep in a cinch, save more than $8, and up to 15% when you subscribe to 5 or more items with Amazon Subscribe & Save.

The holidays are all about being present and spending time with loved ones. Implementing these simple solutions will help you create memories and make your guests feel special without over exerting yourself. 

Feel free to share your holiday hosting tips in the comments!

Daria Flores

Thursday 14th of December 2017

These are some great tips!!! essentials are so minor but so important!! 11

Mjchristine

Tuesday 12th of December 2017

I agree! It does not have to be glamorous and expensive, let's be practical just make sure to be with the whole family. Even there's not much in the table as long as the family is together, happy and healthy then Holiday season will be as great as it should be!

Ada

Monday 11th of December 2017

These are wonderful tips! I always make hosting more stressful than it needs to be so I need to keep these tips in mind.

Ruth I.

Monday 11th of December 2017

We don't celebrate Thanksgiving here so Christmas and New Year celebrations are grand. We plan to make it simple this year and just enjoy the time with family. Thanks for the tips!

Claudia Krusch

Sunday 10th of December 2017

I try to do as much prep as I can before the holiday. I want to be able to spend as much time as I can with the family. We are doing a potluck this year.

Comments are closed.

Pin It on Pinterest

Shares