5 TIPS TO PERFECT
YOUR HOLIDAY HOSTING SKILLS
1.) STAY OUT OF THE KITCHEN. Hosting and cooking at the same time can feel a lot like patting your head and rubbing your belly. It can be done…but it’s not that fun. You end up sweating over the stove, having twenty-seven half conversations with your guests, and never actually getting a chance to enjoy the dinner you slaved over. What’s the fun in that? Instead, pull in the pros to conduct your oven. Dial up a local restaurant or catering company to take over the menu. We love Bakers Best, Timothy Hopkins, Capers, Gourmet Catering, Max Ultimate and so many more.
2.) SET THE TABLE: Nothing makes a statement like a gussied-up table setting. From farm tables, to high tops, banquets to bars, stylized rentals can magically make your home look like it was torn out of a magazine. Add in some fine linens (so many holiday prints to choose from!), dishes, silverware and glasses to your rental order and you’ll look like you have Martha Stewart on speed dial. This real-life make-believe can be brought to life by PEAK Event Services (and their luxury linen rental brand Reverie Social) whose experts will help curate a vision that you couldn’t dream up. Best of all, when the night is over, just load your unwashed dishes back into the crates from which they came and PEAK does the rest!
3.) SHAKE IT UP: Who doesn’t love a good bartender? Have them craft a fun specialty cocktail for the night. Much like the cooking, the bartender handles this critical aspect of the evening, so that you can get your drink on and enjoy your people! Stash Culinary Events, Blond N Boozy, and Sol y Sal.
4.) FLEX YOUR FLOWER POWER: Let’s face it, we don’t all have the floral touch, so support your favorite local florists this season, if you’re in Boston we love Table and Tulip, and let them add the finishing touch to your tablescape with festive blooms. You can also weave in smaller arrangements to adorn your bar area, dessert tables and any cocktail tables you may have throughout the space to tie your whole look together and really set the scene.
5.) OH SNAP! Above all things, a holiday party is all about memory-making. And few things capture those memories better than photos. Sure, we are all equipped with cameras these days, but having a professional photographer swoop through and document the evening with his or her keen eye is a worthwhile investment. Decades from now, you will savor those photos as much as the memory of the cuisine you were wise enough to have catered! Let’s use the one we used for the pictures as grab a couple others
