It's no secret that I love a bit of a fiesta, I'm so excited for the day that I have my own house so I can throw dinner parties, cheese and wine nights, 'pub quizzes' and celebrations every weekend. December is definitely the month to be a bit more out going than usual, and of course around the Christmas period there are usually endless amounts of family gatherings and drinking with friends. If you're hosting one this month, here are some fun things to do so that your guests don't make an excuse to leave early.
1. Make a collaborative Christmas playlist.
Just because it's Christmas, doesn't mean every song on the playlist has to be festive. Make a Spotify playlist that is collaborative so that your guests can add songs they also want to hear throughout the night, that way nobody can complain about the music!
2. Have some easy games lined up.
At most gatherings over Christmas we either play Heads Up (a more modern and fun version of charades) on my phone and a card game called 10 Clues that I got as a secret santa present. Which I've played so many times I practically know all the answers already. Depending on the demographic of your party, you could turn things up a notch with my list of festive drinking games.
3. Host a secret santa present swap.
Who doesn't love giving and receiving presents? If you've got a big group of friends the easiest thing to do is just buy one present in the group through secret santa. DrawNames is a great website to randomly assign everyone a person to buy a gift for. Alternatively, you could buy something a bit more generic and on the wrapping paper just write 'this is a gift for someone who loves music/travelling/is always cold'.
4. Make sure the wine is stocked.
This box couldn't say it better. No one cares about how clean your house is, they care if you have alcohol. Since your guests might be a bit more sophisticated and not looking to get hammered on vodka redbulls, having a nice selection of wine and cheese will always be a crowd pleaser. If you're too busy planning to leave your house, Good Pair Days is a personalised wine club that sends 3 bottles of wine to your front door every month. Now that's my type of subscription box. They are tailored to your taste and they have a large variety of red, white, rose and champagne from around the globe for you to choose from. I like a bit of everything, and since it is likely your guests will have different tastes too, something like the Italian Summer Stunners is a good choice. I'm obviously waiting to pop the champagne on New Years Eve.
* I received a complimentary wine box from Good Pair Days but all words and opinions are my own.
5. Keep the food prep light, for your own sake.
Hosting parties is fun, spending all day in the kitchen cooking 5 mains, 3 desserts and putting together a cheese board you found on Pinterest is not. Depending on who your crowd is, try and ease the stress by either just putting a couple of grazing platters on the table or even have everyone bring a little something to put on the table. You could even suggest having a 'international christmas party' and have everyone cook or bake something from a different country.
Do you have any party hosting tips of your own? Or is there a signature dish you love to cook or eat at Christmas?
G
Post a Comment