17 Rules For Throwing a Totally Delicious, Manageable, Not-at-All Stuffy Holiday Party
We all want to be hosts extraordinaire, welcoming everyone we know into our home for an opulent evening of free-flowing liquor, giant cuts of meat, and elaborate spreads of homemade appetizers and desserts. Yet few of us have the time, money, or headspace for that. Behold! Our whip-smart, strategic guide to an epic night of festive carousing, without going for broke.
1/171. The key to hosting without ripping your hair out? Help. If you’re providing the space, spread around some of the work and expenses. Select coconspirators, hatch a detailed plan of who will make and buy what, then relay- race your way to party of the year.
2/172. The most wonderful time of the year is also the busiest. Pick a date three weeks out and carefully consider what message your time range sends:
11 A.M.–3 P.M.
“We’re having a party! Then we’re attending two others immediately after.”2 P.M.–6 P.M.
“If you thought our party was scheduled around our baby... you were correct.”6 P.M.–9 P.M.
“Sure, we know how to get down—but we also appreciate a full eight hours of sleep.”8 P.M.–???
“We’re basically asking you to crash. But don’t expect breakfast.”
Photo by Alex Lau, food styling by Sue Li, prop styling by Kalen Kaminski3/173. You don't have to make it all from scratch. A good snack spread is as much about curation as it is cooking. Save yourself a headache by interspersing homemade stuff with quality store-bought items (like cheese, salami, and—stick with us—potato chips) and plating them up with a little bit of TLC.
Get the recipes:
Lemon-Pepper Salami Bites
Marinated Manchego
Onion-Dip Potato Chips
4/174. Prevent bottlenecks by thinking about where people tend to naturally congregate in your space, then spreading out the food and drinks.
Photo by Alex Lau, food styling by Sue Li, prop styling by Kalen Kaminski5/175. Long live the canapé! At a standing-room-only, drink-in-one-hand sort of shindig, there’s an inherent logic to the composed hors d’oeuvre. While you don’t need tray upon tray of fanciful combinations on brioche sliders, you’d be wise to make one single crowd-pleasing put-together bite that says, “I made this for you.”
Get the recipe:
Mortadella Moments
6/176. As a guest, never ask if you should bring wine. You should always bring wine. Here’s how to do it right.
Come with as much as you personally will consume. A bottle contains four glasses and some chugs, so one is likely enough if you’re solo. Rolling with an entourage? Adjust your bottle count.
Find food-friendly bottles that can be opened at any point, like versatile-but-fun Gamay or Pinot Gris.
Avoid anything tannic or above 13 percent ABV.
When in doubt, go sparkling. Champagne, pétnat, cava, whatever. It’s a party for crying out loud.
Photo by Alex Lau, food styling by Sue Li, prop styling by Kalen Kaminski7/177. Big batch is the way to go. What says party more than a pitcher of liquid cheer? A batched cocktail (a) allows you to participate in the festive drink situation without buying the bar, (b) requires no during-party maintenance, and (c) will help the few on-time guests get to know each other while you finish setting up. Since mulled wine smells a lot better than it tastes and getting drunk on eggnog is...kinda gross, a bright, tart, boozy-but-not-too- boozy punch is the move. Double—or triple!—the recipe based on your crowd.
Get the recipe:
Cold Toddy
8/178. To counteract all that hard alcohol, fill—and refill—multiple pitchers of water, disperse them throughout the room, and make sure drinking glasses are also in good supply.
9/179. You opened your home, you set out the food, and you’ll clean up in the morning. Hence, you should not feel responsible for buying all of the booze. Mix up a bowl of punch that’s big enough to go around, be as specific as you want in your invite about what people should bring (sparkling, please!), and put this one to bed. (You do, however, have to buy ice.)
10/1710. You’ve got the snacks covered, but if you ask us, any boozy many-hours-long party requires real food too. A crackly glazed ham or other eye-widening statement protein is classique. They’re exactly the sort of fuel that keeps the good times rolling without anyone getting too sloshed.
Photo by Alex Lau, food styling by Sue Li, prop styling by Kalen Kaminski11/1711. Cheese is a non-negotiable. Ask yourself: If your party doesn’t have cheese somewhere, is it even a party? Celebrating cheese, whether it’s melty and baked in a puff pastry jacket, cubed up and stacked on a cheese plate, or grated into buttery crackers, is how many of us show our holiday spirit. Don’t be surprised if some of your guests stash a few of these crackers for the ride home.
Get the recipe:
Pimiento Cheese Crackers
Photo by Alex Lau, food styling by Sue Li, prop styling by Kalen Kaminski12/1712. ...but don't forget the vegetables. Vegetables are the underdog of a party spread. But what raw cucumbers lack in cheer, pickled cucumbers make up for in zip, zing, and crunch. After a few glasses of punch and the better half of a cheese board, they’ll seesaw you back to balance.
Get the recipe:
Spicy Lightly Pickled Cucumbers
13/1713. No matter how cool your playlist, throw in a couple of crowd favorites. Everyone loves Mariah.
14/1714. Compostable plates and utensils are the only way to go. Not only can you throw them away with less guilt, saving yourself hours at the sink, but you can also ask friends to guess what they’re made of (bamboo? wheat straw? fallen palm leaves???).
15/1715. You don’t have to turn your living room into the North Pole, but it’s fun to strive for at least one decorative touch that sings holiday: twinkly lights, a tree, draped tinsel, candy canes hung on doorknobs, scattered gelt...
Photo by Alex Lau, food styling by Sue Li, prop styling by Kalen Kaminski16/1716. Send them home with sweets. We know this is going to sound crazy: Don’t serve dessert. Trust us. Everywhere your guests have gone this month, they’ve been confronted with piles of butter and sugar, so save them from themselves. Instead, make something small and rich (we’re not monsters) for guests to take home and enjoy at their leisure. Package it up cute and put it in a basket by the door.
Get the recipe:
Salted Chocolate Halva
17/1717. Want to make our whole menu start to finish? Here’s your action plan.
1 week before:
- Buy your ingredients (or assign dishes to your friends).
3 days before:
- Make the halva.
- Brew the tea mixture for the Cold Toddy.
2 days before:
- Make the cheesy cracker dough.
- Marinate the Manchego.
- Get the centerpiece meat out of the way.
1 day before:
- Combine the tea mixture for the Cold Toddy with the rest of the cocktail ingredients. Cover and chill.
The morning of:
- Bake the crackers.
- Pickle the cucumbers.
- Slice halva and make goody bags.
A couple hours before:
- Assemble the Mortadella Moments.
- Dress the salami bites.
- Make the potato chips.
- Transfer everything to serving dishes (don’t forget toothpicks).
