Disclosure: This is a sponsored post. All thoughts and opinions are mine and no one else. Rest assured that I would never endorse or recommend anything I don’t believe in.
I love the holidays.
Christmas, Thanksgiving, Easter — you name it, I’m a fan! And not just for the stat days off of work, but because for me — the Holidays symbolize family coming together.
Despite the fact that all of my immediate family lives locally, we don’t get together as much as some might think given our proximity to each other. But one thing that goes without saying is that we will all get together for dinner over the various holidays. I am extremely lucky in that my home is best suited to accommodate our entire family… All 20+ of us! Therefore, I typically host our holiday dinners.
Some might say this is a blessing, and a curse. I however immensely enjoy this task, and take pride in these days.
Hosting a dinner party for 20+ is quite a daunting task, and over the years I’ve gained a tremendous amount of experience, including what I like to call “Holiday Hacks” tips and tricks if you will, on how to host a dinner party that have helped to make my holiday dinners a smooth and seamless process.
Plan Ahead
This may seem like a no brainer, but taking the time to plan out every last detail — well in advance, means you’re far less likely to forget any of the minor details (like dinner buns or brussel sprouts!). I like to use a storyboard approach where I document every last detail. Start with a Pinterest board for recipes & decor ideas and go from there.
Coordinate Your Space
This was a big one for me. While my house is quite large, it’s room design and layout leaves much to be desired. As a result, we’ve had to get a little creative in the past with things like seating. Using a table leaf, as well as an additional folding table gives more than enough table top space for each guest, however seating always remained an issue. Last year I purchased a long bench from Home Decorators for seating along one side of the dining table. Not only did this provide more seating space than traditional chairs, but it also meant that we could tuck the table a little closer to the wall on the bench side to provide more space on the opposing side of the table. We typically stick all the children in this spot! Everybody wins! Check out Groupon Coupons for 37 different Home Decorators Coupons! There’s officially no good reason for your space to not be up to par before your next dinner.
Declutter Your Kitchen
I don’t know what it is about kitchens, but everyone seems to congregate there — it’s a fact, I’m sure. Make life a little less stressful by taking the focus off of the kitchen. Much like my dining area, my kitchen is large, however the design is less than functional. Due to the size of our family, the length of our dining table(s), and the general craziness that comes with the dinner hour, large family gatherings are buffet style as opposed to plated meals. Crowded stove top, sinks full of dishes, and who knows what else on the little kitchen counter space I do have really ruined the whole experience for me, so I invested in chafing dishes and warming trays from Overstock.com. Let me tell you — these have been a GOD SEND! Back to my last tip — Coordinate Your Space — I now set up a small table in my living room that holds the chafing dishes and warming trays. As various dishes are cooked, they are transferred from the kitchen, to the buffet around the corner and the chaos in the kitchen is eliminated. This also creates a natural queue for guests to easily fill their plates when the time comes. Right now, Overstock.com has a $40 off + Free Shipping Groupon Coupons you can use to get a killer deal on a variety of kitchen and home items to help host your next dinner. Strike while the chafing dish is hot!
Do you have any Holiday Hacks to share? Who hosts holiday dinners in your family?
Are you following on social media? Find BentoMomma on:
Facebook // Twitter // Instagram // YouTube // Pinterest
Leave a Reply