How to Host the Perfect Holiday Dinner Party

by Jessica Oaks, author, freelance journalist

The holiday season can be a chaotic time for a lot of people, between shopping for Christmas presents and arranging travel plans to see your family, throwing a dinner party just sounds like added stress. Do you want to throw a party for your friends, but are overwhelmed just thinking about it? Relax, throwing a dinner party to spend time with some of your favorite people does not have to be an exhausting experience or cost you a pretty penny. With the right planning, you can pull together the perfect dinner party to create lasting memories with your loved ones. Get your notepad and pen out to get started.

The Invitations

Whether your party is meant to be formal or casual, you don’t have to spend a ton of money on fancy invitations. In fact, you don’t have to spend any money at all. If you want something a little bit more official than a Facebook invite, create an invitation on evite. 

On evite you can customize an invitation for any occasion, including your dinner party. Forget having to lick and stamp envelopes, now you can let your friends know about your party via email or text. Just include details about when, where and what guests should bring and watch the RSVPs come in.

The Entertainment

No party is complete without the entertainment. For a dinner party, the entertainment should be subtle and not overbearing. Think of it as a conversation piece in case there is an awkward silence or people run out of things to say. Entertainment can be easily found at home. By using home-entertainment providers like Cox you can stream tv on Netflix or HBO and play some of your favorite holiday programs in the background. Or create a holiday playlist to get people singing and dancing. Give people the option to talk, watch a movie or sing along and you will keep them entertained all night long.

The Food

The food is the star of any dinner party, but that doesn’t necessarily mean you have to do all the cooking. If you don’t have time to stir up a three-course meal, consider providing the main dish and asking each guest to bring a side for a full meal. Making your dinner party a potluck can make it a communal experience for everyone to get involved. Tis’ the season for giving after all,and there is no better way to spread the love than sharing a variety of homecooked meals with your closest friends.

The Bar

Providing a good holiday spirit or alcoholic beveragecan help create the perfect ambiance at any party. Keep it simple by providing a few options that guests can mix themselves so you are not running back and forth, trying to bar tend and host. Use seasonal ingredients like cranberries, apple cider and mint to create some easy-to-make holiday cocktails.  Pick alcohol that goes well with a variety of mixers, such as vodka or rum, to give people a few choices. Let your guests have fun inventing different drinks versus sticking to a specific bar menu. A dinner party should be fun and stress-free.  Don’t forget to pour yourself a drink as well, and cheers to a dinner party perfectly-done.