Gathering everyone for a festive celebration can add up to a lot of planning, prep and cleanup work. Holiday parties could easily become a major headache. From perfecting the menu and drinks list to making sure that all the food is presented properly; all the guests are having fun; and the cleanup afterward isn’t out of control.
Want to throw the party and still enjoy the holidays? From name place cards to a portable ice maker, craft cocktail set and more, these are the must have hostess items and holiday hosting hacks that are guaranteed to ensure a fun—and worry free—celebration!
1. Must Have Hostess Items: The Perfect Outfit
A happy hostess is one who isn’t worried about her party outfit. For in-home gatherings, sweater dresses are a great look, perfectly blending a special feeling with relaxed comfort. Make sure to order a gorgeous fall-colored style like this one well in advance of the celebrations. Then set it aside and stop thinking about what to wear until just before guests start arriving!
2. Top Holiday Hosting Hacks: Countertop Ovens Speed Up Prep Time
With multiple dishes on the menu for any holiday meal, extra oven space always comes in handy. This model is small enough for kitchens with minimal counter space, but big enough to cook a mid-sized-turkey. It even comes with an automatic shut off setting to avoid burning important dishes in the midst of frenzied prep sessions.
3. Enjoy Perfect Meat Preparations with This Smart Thermometer
From poultry and fish to meats of all kinds, this smart thermometer guarantees the perfect level of done-ness every time, making it one of the top must-have hostess items.
4. Let This Device Do all that Chopping
Forget spending hours chopping veggies for soups, stuffing and salads. Save time—and arm strength—with this handy vegetable chopper. It even comes with a spiralizer setting, for hosts who want to get a little fancy with their presentations.
5. Holiday Hosting Hacks: Always Use Non-Stick Cookware
There’s no avoiding long cooking sessions when hosting a holiday gathering. But using non-stick cookware can at least reduce the clean-up time! Bonus: this set is even dishwasher safe!
6. Add a Pressure Cooker, Too
Still have concerns about stovetop and oven space? Bust out this pressure cooker, toss in ingredients and, with the simple press of a button, the dish will come together seamlessly, leaving stressed out hosts to focus on other tasks.
7. Holiday Hosting Hack: Get a Set of Festive Disposable Plates
Want to set a gorgeous holiday table, but hoping to avoid endless hours of dishwashing? This sturdy, stunning set of high-quality disposable plates is the unicorn product of the holiday season.
8. Set Out Name Place Cards
Eliminate concerns about seating arrangements and give guests a lovely, take-home party favor with this set of rustic card holders and name place cards. Even better, they are so lovely, they eliminate the need for tons of other tabletop decorations.
9. Greet Guests with Holiday Scent-sations
Shipping with 10 essential oils, including perfect holiday choices like cinnamon and frankincense, this large-room diffuser fills a festive space with colored lights, gentle mist and the lovely backdrop of a subtle-yet-noticeable signature scent.
10. A Charming Must have Hostess Item to Cut Back on Excess Glassware
When guests can’t remember which glass was theirs, they’ll just take a new one. And that means a lot more washing up. The solution? Include one of these wine glass charms with every pour!
11. Forget the Traditional Tablecloths
Whether the goal is to simplify cleanup or to set out an uber-trendy grazing board, covering tables with butcher paper instead of tablecloths is one of the greatest holiday hosting hacks.
12. But Grab Effortless Holiday Décor
No time to string up elaborate light schemes or deck every hall in the home? Never fear! Holiday throw pillows like this lovely set make it easy—and effortless—to establish a festive atmosphere in any space. Add in a gorgeous door wreath to greet those guests, and the look will feel complete.
13. Now Level Up that Home Bar
Here’s one of those secret holiday hosting hacks everyone needs to know: if the cocktails are good, the guests are bound to be happy. To that end, take the party’s signature drinks to a whole new stratosphere with this luxury at-home cocktail set. It even includes a cocktail smoking torch for professional quality mixology from the comfort of home.
14. Now use a Portable Ice Maker to Speed up Service
Make sure every guest can have a drink on the rocks with this portable ice maker, designed with a self-cleaning function and the capacity to churn out nine ice cubes every six to eight minutes. Just make sure to fill it to the highest water line, then stash it by the home bar and forget those worries for the rest of the night.
15. Must Have Hostess Items: Oversize Serving Pieces
Hosting for the holidays often means welcoming large crowds. Forget the need to keep refilling smaller serving platters, and instead, start with an oversized piece like this one.
16. Employ a Buffet Warmer
Keep side-dishes warm and tasty through an extended evening meal with this electric warming tray, equipped with adjustable warming settings and a large, 24-inch heating surface.
17. Brew a Perfect After-Dinner Cappuccino
As the party winds down and guests want a caffeine-filled night cap, this single-cup espresso maker will deliver drinks in a hurry. It comes complete with a milk frother, as well, to easily craft cappuccinos, lattes and macchiatos.
18. Automate Clean Up
When it’s time to gather the bread crumbs after everyone’s gone home, wouldn’t it be lovely to program a robot vacuum and get the job done fast? While it can’t spot clean major spills, this handy little tech device can certainly reduce the post-party clean-up time, making its use a fantastic holiday hosting hack.
19. Share the Leftovers with Ease
If fridge or freezer space is in short supply, it can be a lovely touch to send guests home with a selection of holiday meal leftovers. To fuel the handoff, stock up on to-go containers in advance of the gathering.
20. Or Buy this Cooler and Let the Holiday Hosting Hacks Make Next Week Even Easier
Before a holiday party, this mini-fridge can provide extra storage space for dishes that were prepped in advance. And after? Keep some of those leftovers in-house, and enjoy an easy rotation of leftover dinners for days to come.
What are your top holiday hosting-hacks? Any must have hostess items you can’t live without? Share in the comments below!
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