Play hostess without losing your cool: here are our surefire tips to throwing (and enjoying) your own holiday dinner party.
…because this time of the year is all about being with the people you love (while enjoying good grub).
I am so grateful to have partnered with some of my favourite brands for our holiday dinner party. All opinions are 100% my own. Thanks to our sponsors for making this parrrr-tay a great one!
This time of year is magical. While Christmas spirit could be the cause of such magic, it’s also the sense of togetherness that brings on a different kind of cheer. The holidays seem to open-up everyone’s busy schedules, allowing us to visit loved ones near and far.
Playing hostess doesn’t need to be stressful. When I realized that several of my friends had a common Saturday free, I knew it was time to take action and host a holiday dinner party.
Our Best Tips for Hosting a Holiday Dinner Party
Once I confirmed a headcount, I turned to my trusty notepad (I’m a little old-fashioned in this sense) and wrote out lists: my menu plans, ingredients needed, and scheduling.
Purchase ingredients and supplies in advance. Have a game plan for your big day. You’ll only want to focus on cooking and setting up – not running last-minute errands.
Be considerate of your guests. Ask attendees in advance about any dietary restrictions. I have friends who range from non-gluten to vegetarians, and I made sure my menu reflected this. (P.S. I opted for a buffet-style setup to give my guests a choice. It keeps things more casual and people are more comfortable in taking what they actually like.)
Give your dining table a holiday makeover. I added elements without going too kitschy: a gorgeous plaid table runner, rustic-wooden placemats, and simple centrepieces gave my table the holiday boost that it needed. In fact, I turned to Linen Chest for all of my decor needs. Their holiday selection adheres to so many themes: from rustic-chic to bright, shiny, and elegant!
You read right: skip the baking. And yes, this is coming directly from yours truly – Little Miss Sweet Tooth and self-proclaimed cookie enthusiast.
Let me tell you why.
Baking can take F O R E V E R.
I bake on a regular basis, so I wanted to go out of my element and homecook all of our main dishes instead (yup, everything from scratch).
But still, I didn’t want to skip out entirely on the sweet table. At this point, my friends come over expecting there to be desserts.
So, I turned to Première Moisson.
Première Moisson’s product offering is impressive all-year long. I swear, Leo can guzzle-up their chocolatines one dozen at a time.
When I caught glimpse of their holiday collection, I just knew it had to be a part of my party.
I filled my sweet table with their Chocolate Vanilla Reindeer, Strawberry Rhubarb Yogurt Ornament, Santa’s Sleigh, and their Square Brioche Loaf with Fruits and Almonds. Each bite of each dessert felt like Christmas magic in itself. If you’re looking to amaze your guests with an impressive dessert table, then Première Moisson is the way to go.
What’s best is that ordering with them is as easy as 1-2-3. In fact, you can place your order online and choose to pick up at the Première Moisson of your choice. For my holiday dinner party, I pre-ordered everything so that Joe could pick it all up in the morning. Everything was very well packaged so I was able to slip most things into the refrigerator and take them out only once it was dessert time.
Safe to say, Première Moisson’s sweet treats took the spotlight that night.
Psst: if you want to place an order, just visit their website (and grab your drool bib because everything looks delicious!)
Whether it’s with prep work or clean-up, having a friend lend a hand will speed-up the process. Of course, my bestie was with me from start to finish, ensuring that my holiday dinner party was a success.
Growing up, whenever my mom had guests over, she would always bring out mints towards the end of the night. To follow in her footsteps, I decided to hand out party favours filled with PUR gum. Our family always chews on their gum since they’re aspartame-free and are made with high-quality ingredients.
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I couldn’t be more proud with how everything turned out! Now, time for a nap!
How do you do holiday dinner parties? Do you usually play host or guest?
Everything about this is so amazing! I love the tablescape and decor, and the food is wonderful. You really did a fantastic job!
Colleen,
Thanks! That means a lot to me. I am so happy with how it all came out!
You are the hostess with the mostess 🙂 everything looks amazing! perfect for any gathering this holiday season.
Thank you so, so much!
Every Christmas Eve my in-laws come over to see the kids, and to enjoy each other’s company. I may have to step up my hosting game this year! Great post!
Thank you so much! I usually see my in-laws at their place where they play host! (Which means, I get to rest a lot!)
Everything looks amazing! Those desserts! I would love to go to a holiday party like yours, so pretty!
Thank you, Mary Ann!
Première Moisson treats will surely impress your guests, and takes the pressure off you to set a stellar meal from start to finish. I’ll definitely keep them in mind for our next party, though I know I’ll want to keep most of it for myself lol.
Lol! I couldn’t agree more, Theresa! I was so tempted to eat everything as I was setting it all up! lol!
Everything looks fantastic! You are such a great hostess, taking so much care in food preparation and presentation! I am sure your guests will go home with happy tummies!
Thank you so much!! I am really happy with how everything turned out!
I love the idea of the buffet-style setup. That gives each guest a choice to eat whatever they want. You did a very amazing job with tablescape and decor.
Thanks for sharing!
Buffet-style makes everything so much more casual and less stiff!
I loved all of decor inspiration! You do such a good job at tablescapes!
Thank you so much!!
Everything looks absolutely perfect! Loving the reindeer sweets, the creative centerpiece, and all the beautiful (and surely delicious) food. Wish I could join one of your dinner parties!
Isn’t the centrepiece stunning?! I was so stoked when I found them!
Your table is fabulous! You did a great job. I have to agree with choosing what takes you the longest and being willing to let it go to save your sanity and let you enjoy your guests.
Thank you so much, Vanessa!
I love your choice of table decor. The reindeer are the cutest! Great choice on the gum as well. I have been avoiding aspartame for years and am thankful that it is getting easier to find products without it.
Michelle,
The reindeer are my favourite as well!
I love your presentation! Absolutely beautiful!
Nancy,
Thank you, thank you, thank you! Sending you big hugs!
I have to agree that all basic ingredients should be purchased in advance. Also, a step by step plan is also needed so that the preparations would be smooth. Also, smile when hosting! it helps!
Yup! It’s all about planning!
I love that you made everything from scratch. I try to do that as well. You throw one amazing party!
Ahh! Thank you so much! Means a lot!
Wow! You really thought of all the details. I bet your friends LOVED this party. My favorite part though is that you outsourced the baking. That’s BRILLIANT! What a time saver for you — and yet you the CUTEST holiday desserts.
Thank you so much, Carrie!
My condo is way too small to host a dinner party like this! I like your tip about focusing on the food and buying desserts . . . it saves time and stress! Plus then you can offer sweets that are way more unique.
Hi Ann!
Thank you! Buying the desserts was definitely such a great idea – it really did save me time plus, everything I got from Premiere Moisson was SO perfect… they made for the most perfect conversation starters!
Sadly (or perhaps thankfully) where we live just isn’t big enough to have people over so I don’t have the stress of hosting big meals and get togethers. However I would love to have the chance to one day and will have to keep these tips in mind as they sound like they would make things so much easier.
Great tips and girllllll, that tablescape with all the chocolates!!! It’s just divine! I want an invite for your next dinner party 🙂
All hail the mighty to-do list! I’m a total list maker, and they save my sanity. I love hosting parties, but it can be stressful if you’re not planned. Starting early totally helps me too.
Glad you found a way to get the sweets out there. My friends/family expect dessert too. 🙂
These are such great tips! I love how beautifully you decorated and thought of everything. I always like to chew gum after a meal.
Loving this holiday dinner party. I wish I could host a big dinner party for people. It would be such an amazing time.
These are all such wonderful ideas. Your displays are amazing! I wish I could make mine as beautiful as yours.
This looks amazing! I love to entertain, but my parties never look gorgeous like this. I need to up my game! lol
That’s so sweet of you! Thank you!
Great tips! I’ll be tackling some of the hosting this year and I hope that I can pull it off!