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The Failsafe Plan for Hosting Christmas Dinner
If you’re like me, you’ve got a lot on your plate at this time of year. You probably just hosted a Thanksgiving party for your family or friends. You’ve decorated your house and Christmas tree. You bought, wrote and sent all your Christmas cards. You are in the midst of buying Christmas presents and stocking stuffers for all of your people (and most importantly your kids.)
You will soon be wrapping those said presents. You have several social engagements or work parties to get prepared for: arranging for a babysitter, getting a mani / pedi, getting your hair done, shopping for a new Christmas dress (and the shoes to go with it, of course). You are or will be making loads of Christmas cookies (6 different varieties and one prettier than the next?) You are planning all kinds of magical Christmas activities to do with your kids (if you’re not too frazzled by that point!)
Oh! and could it be, that you will even be hosting your family’s Christmas Dinner again this year? Wouldn’t it be nice if you could relax and enjoy your own party for a change, instead of being the hectic hostess?
Ever Fall Asleep at Your Own Party?
One year, I was so exhausted after dinner, I fell asleep on my ottoman during the party – with all of my guests in the room! I had been working in the kitchen since 5 am, had one cocktail as I greeted my guests, then I served and ate dinner, and then the game was over. I just couldn’t keep my eyes open any longer, and I curled up and fell asleep straight away.
My guests thought it was funny – they posted pictures of me curled up on my ottoman sleeping with my mouth open in Facebook and Instagram! I was shocked and embarrassed as I woke up at 11:30pm when all my guests were going home! Can you believe I missed my own party even though I was in the room? That’s because I didn’t plan well enough. It was idiotic of me to think I could prepare all of the food fresh on the day of the party all by myself. I’m a good cook, but I’m not THAT good.
Introducing “The Fail-safe Plan for Hosting Christmas Dinner”
I learned from that experience and promised myself that would never happen again. And it hasn’t because I designed The Failsafe Plan for Hosting Christmas Dinner. This plan has helped me throw the perfect party while being the perfect hostess. I do change up the menu every now and then, but I’ve learned that keeping it simple is the key to success.
Some have families that are so large, that there’s no way they could do the party alone. But if you have a smaller-sized party (no more than 10 guests or so) then this plan is ideal for you.
My Party Guidelines
- I don’t make any fancy invitations. We send invites over WhatsApp or social media.
- I don’t invite more than 8 guests because we just don’t have space (or the place settings) for more!
- I provide all the food and drinks for my guests. So none of this BYOB stuff at my house. Of course, if someone wants to bring me a beautiful bottle of Pinot Noir as a hostess gift, I won’t say “no!”
- Thomas and I do all of the serving and clean-up ourselves.
- I expect children to be well-behaved as best they can. I do not expect children to eat everything on their plates. There’s always dessert if they don’t like the food. (The resulting sugar-high is not my problem! haha!)
- Tommy and I run the whole show and hope that our guests enjoy themselves sitting at our table, playing with our babies, enjoying food, drinks, and conversation.
- This is by no means a Martha Stewart kind of Christmas Party. I don’t deck the halls. We have a simple centerpiece, a small Christmas tree in the corner and some outdoor lighting.
- I don’t have any fancy tableware, so I use the day-to-day stuff from IKEA.
- My menu is simple (but delicious!) I chose recipes that I can prepare ahead of time. This way I can do all of the cooking myself over the course of a few days.
- I serve my food buffet-style. This way everyone can choose what and how much they want.
- Tommy is in charge of drinks and taking care of the turkey (with me supervising, of course.)
Your Party Guidelines?
Are you thinking of hosting a Christmas dinner similar to the one I just mentioned? Then check out “The Failsafe Plan for Hosting Christmas Dinner.” It equips you with everything you need to host a successful Christmas dinner party for about 10 people.
The 35-page FREE workbook includes:
- menu plan
- all recipes
- shopping list
- list of necessary serving equipment
- food prep checklists
- time schedule for the day of the party
Want to enjoy your own Christmas Dinner Party this year?
The Fail-safe Plan for Hosting Christmas Dinner is a free printable workbook that will help you throw a simple and elegant Christmas Dinner party for your family and friends.
Get your free copy now before it’s too late!
This is my first year hosting Christmas dinner with my parents and the inlaws! We’re going to have 10 people and I’m a little nervous! I like your simple tips, expecially about not decking the halls and making simple recipies that can be prepared ahead of time. I think I need to rethink my original menu!!!!!!! And, let go of the fact that it’s less than 10 days and I don’t have the Martha Stewart table and home decor. I can’t keep up!
Thank you for posting this– I hope you have a lovely holiday season!
Thank you for your lovely comment, April. That is so sweet of you to say! Yes, do yourself a favor and keep it simple. Your guests aren’t coming for the food or the deco, they’re coming to see you! My plan really is failsafe, so you can’t go wrong if you choose to try it. And if you do, I would love to hear your thoughts or improvements. XO – Rebecca