Hosting A Holiday Dinner Party? Read This First!

November 14th, 2011 by Crystal Beran| Posted in Apartment Guide, Apartment Holidays, Apartment Living, College Housing, Decorating, Etsy & DIY, Off Campus Apartments, Parties and Events, Tips & Tricks | 1 Comment »

The holidays are just around the corner and with them lots of opportunities to get together with friends and family. Hosting your own holiday dinner party can seem like a daunting task but following a few simple tips can help ensure that your party is a resounding success.

1. Be prepared!

The most important thing to do when you’re throwing a dinner party is make sure you have everything you need well before the big day. Start by making two different shopping lists, one for non-perishable things that you can pick up at the store a week or so in advance and one for items you’ll need the day before your party. You’ll also want to make a list of extra things you may need, such as chairs, glassware or even an extra table so that you can ask some of your guests to bring these things over.

2. Pay attention to the space.

An apartment can easily become filled to the max with party guests. Before you make your guest list up, you’ll want to know exactly how big your place is so that you don’t invite too many people over. You may want to rearrange the furniture. The dining nook in the apartment probably won’t fit many people, but if you temporarily move the table out to the living room (and slide the couch out of the way) you’ll be able to fit many more people for a sit-down dinner. Angling your dinner table along a diagonal can also help more people fit in the apartment.

3. Start cooking a day in advance.

There are lots of things you can start preparing the day before your dinner party. Many side dishes and appetizers keep well in the fridge and it’s a huge help to have as much done as possible before the day of the party. It may even be possible to cook most things in advance, giving you more time to relax and chat with your guests instead of frantically running around the kitchen trying to get everything done at the same time.

4. Ask one or two of your guests to come early.

If the party starts at six, have a couple of people drop by at around three or four. You can have these friends or family members help you out as you prepare each of the dishes you’ll be serving at the party. Of course, since you’re going to be putting these guests to work, you’ll want to ask them if they mind coming over early to help before you simply tell them to show up early.

5. Share the work.

It’s hard to prepare an intricate meal in a small apartment kitchen. Asking your guests to bring over a dish can be a great way to get around the small cooking space. If you have specific dishes in mind, you can even ask people to follow recipes you provide or make dishes that you know they’ve made before. At a dinner party, you may not want to open it up like a potluck, allowing everyone to bring over whatever they’d like, but there’s nothing wrong with asking someone if they wouldn’t mind bringing over a salad, an appetizer or a dessert.

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