10 tips for holiday hosting

10 Things You Can Pre-Prep Before Holiday Hosting

Hosting during the holidays can be joyful—but also stressful if everything is left to the last minute. The secret to a smooth, festive gathering? Prep ahead! Here are 10 smart things you can do in advance to make your holiday hosting effortless.

1. Pie Dough

Make your pie dough a few days ahead and store it in the fridge (or freeze for longer). This saves time and ensures your crust is ready to roll when you need it. Make it even easier by rolling it flat or in the shape you need for your dish and freeze it the week before or refrigerate it the night before.

2. Table Settings

Set the table the night before. Lay out plates, glasses, napkins, and utensils. Add coasters or placemats for an elegant touch. This frees up time for cooking on the big day. You can make more creative utensil and napkin bunches weeks before the holidays are coming up. Cut up some paper in strips, colored or scrapbook paper with your favorite design. Then roll the utensils in a napkin and then take your strip of paper and wrap it around your bunch and use a glue stick or tape whatever you have on hand and stick it together. This is an absolute time saver, and if you do a theme for your holiday hosting then it makes it easier to bring it all together and keep it neat and festive looking.

3. Chop and Prep Veggies

Wash, peel, and chop vegetables in advance. Store them in airtight containers or zip bags. This is a huge time-saver for dishes like roasted veggies, salads, and stuffing. This tip helps keep you counters clean, clutter free, and saves you money on not buying pre-chopped veggies from the store.

4. Make-Ahead Sauces and Dressings

Gravy, cranberry sauce, and salad dressings can be prepared a day or two early. Refrigerate and reheat or serve chilled when needed.

5. Seating Arrangements

Plan your seating ahead of time. Use name cards for a personal touch and to avoid confusion when guests arrive. Get some card stock paper cut into 2X2, 3X3, or 4X4 squares and write the guests name on it (using a metallic pen can make the name card look more elegant), then fold it in half so it can stand up. The paper doesn’t have to be card stock it just needs to be a thicker sturdier paper. You can also add some personal messages on them as well, like why your thankful for them or what your favorite thing about them is. You can even have your guests (if they want) use the backside of the name placement and write what they are thankful for.

6. Decorations

Decorate your space early—string lights, hang wreaths, and set up centerpieces. Doing this ahead lets you focus on food and guests later. There are a lot of great tutorials on the internet on how to make an easy but beautiful center piece or simple home decorations that can make your home look more festive and holiday ready. Autumn is such a great season to go out and collect leaves, acorns, and pinecones that you can use in center pieces and wreathes, the best part is that it’s free!

7. Pre-Bake or Par-Bake Items

Dinner rolls, cookies, and some casseroles can be baked or partially baked ahead. Just reheat before serving for that fresh-from-the-oven taste. Green bean casserole, cheesy potato casserole, candied yams, and 7-layer salad are just a few that prepare ahead of time.

8. Drinks Station

Set up a beverage station with glasses, mixers, and garnishes. Pre-slice citrus and chill wine or sparkling water so guests can help themselves. I do this when I host holiday dinners, I create an area where guests can get drinks, I have a bowl with ice and drinks set out with cups next to them. If I’m using plastic or paper cups, I set out markers so people can label their drinks. You can also do the marker idea with glass, but it makes clean up even harder cause you’ll need to use rubbing alcohol or nail polish remover to get the marker off.

9. Serving Dishes and Utensils

Pull out serving platters, bowls, and utensils in advance. Label them for specific dishes to avoid scrambling when everything is ready. I do this every hosting event; it saves so much time when you're not digging through your cupboards for your dishes.

10. Music Playlist

Create and queue up your holiday playlist ahead of time. It sets the mood and saves you from fumbling with music during the party.

Pro Tip: Make a checklist and tackle these tasks over a few days. Your future self will thank you!