When it comes to entertaining for the holidays, it’s no secret that it can sometimes feel like a daunting task. Whether for Thanksgiving, Christmas, or New Year’s Eve, hosting a gathering can be overwhelming — especially if you haven’t properly planned. From cooking and cleaning to actually sending out the invites, you may find yourself wishing that you never agreed to host this holiday season’s biggest shindig.
Fortunately for those who have the honor of preparing their home for guests during the most wonderful time of the year, best friends Clea Shearer and Joanna Teplin — collectively known as The Home Edit — have a few tips to making the season absolutely worth greeting.
The team, known for helping us all whip our organizing and storage life into shape, recently gave Kitchn a bit of insight on how to maximize our space, time, and enjoyment with guests this holiday season.
Here are five things to keep in mind when hosting this year.
The most important things hosts should focus on this holiday season don’t involve just having a clean home.
According to The Home Edit, there are three things that hosts should focus on when having guests over for the holidays and, honestly, they’re pretty simple.
“The three most important things that we think hosts should focus on are getting the entryway ready for guests by making sure there’s a designated spot for shoes, coats, and hats to avoid a pile-up,” the duo said to Kitchn. “Next, displaying the Wi-Fi password in a visible place is a must — trust us, your guests will ask! Lastly, we recommend leaning into minimal-effort food that you can make ahead of time like charcuterie boards and snack trays and have ample fridge storage. This is actually why we love LG’s Instaview Counter-Depth Max Refrigerator because not only does it look great with its built-in style, but it also has huge storage capacity — which is ideal when entertaining at-home for the holidays.”
Keeping your fridge and freezer organized post-party is easier than you think.
Leftovers are normal after almost any event, but they can take up so much room in your fridge. So how can you keep things organized post-party? Well, the duo says it all starts with what you do beforehand.
“To stay organized, do a fridge clean-out beforehand,” they revealed. “Likewise, you’ll want to be sure to designate zones and leave empty space for future leftovers.”
Easy hosting requires setting a few boundaries.
Not asking your guests to bring anything to the party? Great! But as Shearer and Teplin note, there are two things you should always ask to be able to keep your sanity when entertaining: Ask your guests to always use a coaster and to kindly leave by 9 p.m. And what happens if you run out of coasters? Unfortunately, you’ve invited too many guests.
“Never invite more people than you have coasters for is always a good rule of thumb!” the duo noted as being the best hosting tip they’ve ever learned.
Cleaning up post-party doesn’t have to be an all-day affair.
Many people shy away from hosting holiday parties for two reasons: the extensive planning and even more extensive cleanup. According to The Home Edit, however, easy cleanup after a holiday dinner is easier than you think.
“For an easy cleanup after a holiday dinner, create a cleaning caddy with multi-purpose cleaning products so you can easily grab and get to work,” they said. “Having the right appliances is also a game-changer when it comes to tackling cleanup. LG has this Top Control Dishwasher with 1-Hour Wash and Dry that can quickly turn around clean and dry dishes in an hour, which is so convenient when you’re hosting a large group and need to do multiple loads of dishes. Plus, you can adjust the third rack height to make room for taller items. Here’s looking at you, Champagne glasses!”
Self-serve stations are still very much in style.
Want to add a bit of flair to your holiday party? A unique self-serve station can make this a party that everyone will be talking about for months.
“We love a serve-yourself station,” the duo told Kitchn. “A fun way of doing this is creating a signature cocktail station with ingredients so people can DIY. It’s an instant activity that also looks great.”
Ni’Kesia Pannell
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