Late last week I sat working on the menu for christmas dinner, I could feel my hackles literally raising. My husband sensing my mood shift pats me on the shoulder and says to me ” Don’t worry you’ll figure it out.” As I begin to slip into crazy patronized wife mode I realized he’s right, I’m an amazing host, the food is always fabulous, my guests have fun, & at the end of it all everyone has a good time. I decided to prepare for this dinner as I would any other. And because I’m so awesome I’m sharing my 7 entertaining tips to help you survive yours.
1. Be present: This means No distractions. No cells. No TV. No game systems. This is a party: your guest are here for the free food AND the interaction. Which means you need to help them acclimate to the world of human interaction. I use a picnic basket, you can leave it empty or place some colorful fabric in the bottom of it and as you welcome each guest into your home you can collect their phones (remember to have them either turn off of put on vibrate) no exceptions. *Side note if you are serving alcohol you can collect keys as well. Use ziplock bags for keeping them together and labeling.
If the TV is a big draw place a blanket/table cloth over it and place the remote control in a secure location. Set the mood instead with a pre made play list or use my favorite Pandora. Wanna skip the ads pay the $4 for a month it’s no big deal.
And no game systems inform the parents that game systems are great for the ride there and the ride home, but you’ll have some board games available. If they aren’t age appropriate then ask the parents to bring a game (and all its pieces)
2. Food prep: Your meals don’t have to be traditional in any sense, I mean turkey twice a year is way too much in my own opinion. Kick it up a notch, toss in a duck, some lamb chops, talk to your local butcher at least a week to ten days ahead of time and place a special order so that you get exactly what you need. It doesn’t have to be cookie cutter every year. Remember your home is like Olive Garden when you’re here your family. The day of your diner you don’t have to spend the last 10 hours in the kitchen, break it up into the week prior, bake your cookies and toss them in storage containers. Serving ice cream? Pre scoop, toss in container and freeze until ready. Marinade in zip locks, precut veggies and anything else you can think of. Work smart not hard.
3. Plastic: World be damned I know this isn’t very PC and I am not a very PC person, but plastic baby girl. Plates, cups, serving ware, whatever you feel comfortable with. When dinner is done toss it. One less thing to wash. Costco has some lovely faux serving ware. The dollar store has some serious options as well.
4. Presents: I don’t know about you. But I know I’m not part of the 1%. Go with parting gift bags. They can be cute stocking stuffers items, mid ranged in price. (no car keys- unless you got it like that ). The key is to hold strong i.e. only one bag/stocking per last name. Or single sibling. Which means you have my permission to not get your baby brothers girlfriend of the month a gift.
Dont be rude either, add a thank you card, toss in some hard candies, nuts, think of it as stocking hung by the chimney with care. The contents are for each family it represents, let them fight over it. Set a price range $25- to your limit) PLUS added bonus save on additional clean up, have them open their presents at home.
5. Decorations: Good lord function over form people, mind the candles are above little fingers and hair and for the love of Pete go with unscented, nobody really likes frankincense and myrrh. Don’t feel pressured to go over the top. Less really is more. Ditch the fake scents and grab some garland, decorate strategically about your home and let them scent your home naturally. Keep the temperature moderate having both warm drinks and cold drinks to balance your guests out. Use a hurricane to stuff a few bulbs and Christmas lights and voila.
6. Clothing: Be comfortable. Throw on some flats, heels while sexy, will end up kicked off by the time dinner is served, so keep the presentation going by pre selecting your outfit at out before hand. * Side note : Does it fit? Does it need dry cleaning? Is is flattering? Again, less is more in the Jewelry department. A simple necklace, and posts or earrings with backs, I mean why risk loosing half a pair in the mashed potatoes right?
7.Clean up : on isle 7. I keep a spill bucket on the ready out of sight but near by traffic areas, paper towels, towels, various cleaners. Got a beautiful new carpet? Why not buy a cheap rug to go under the dinning table? For drinks go with clear, white tea, seven up, white wine.
My old embalming teacher, had a saying that I live by to this day. “Maximum precaution equals minimum procedure.” Take the time, plan ahead and you’ll see that entertaining your loved and not so loved ones doesn’t have to be a hair raising event.
All in all I hope my words of wisdom have brought you closer to sanity and happiness as you celebrate the holidays with your kin folk.
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