Image source
December is one of the most sociable months of the whole year – and what better way to celebrate the upcoming festive season by inviting your friends over to your house for a dinner party? Although they’re not as in vogue as they used to be, sitting around your table with some excellent food and drink is the perfect way to welcome Christmas and to spend some relaxed time with your friends. Here are some tips to make sure your dinner party runs smoothly.
Image source
Who To Invite?
One problem that a lot of us have is that many of our friends don’t know each other! There’s your best friend from high school, your husband’s college roommate, your friend from work… Although they’re all your best friends in different ways, getting them all together in the same room is often a little nervewracking. Make sure that you’re picking friends who have things in common and whose personalities will gel. For instance, seating people next to each other who have vast differing political views might not work, but a couple of your artsy friends who haven’t met each other yet will probably have a lot to talk about. Use your common sense!
Food
One of the biggest challenges about a dinner party is, of course, the cooking. The biggest challenge is generally getting everything ready for the same time. The way to avoid any mishaps is with tight military planning – make a list of what you need to have done by what time, and keep to it. Try to prepare as much beforehand as you possibly can because it’s much more important to spend time with your guests than spend the evening sweating over your oven! Remember that there’s no shame in buying food that you can heat up – the most important thing is to have a great time and great tasting food instead of showing off your make-it-all-from-scratch culinary skills. Make sure that you ask your guests about any dietary requirements they might have – you don’t want to be stuck trying to make vegetarian food on the spot!
Image source
Drink
One of the best ways to have a fantastic evening is providing plenty of alcohol for your guests! Get a mid price wine that goes with the food that you’re planning to serve. The general rule of thumb is that white goes with poultry, fish and most vegetarian food, while red wine goes with red meat and game. You could also provide cold beers for those who want them, and soft drinks for anyone who might be driving home. Adding elderflower cordial to a pitcher of fizzy water is a way to make a great alcohol-free drink that everyone will enjoy. You could also make a big pot of mulled wine full of spices to add a Christmassy flavour to your dinner.
Crockery
Make sure that you give your knives and forks a polish before you lay the table and that you’ve put down cork mats to hold any hot serving dishes. Put your old, chipped dishes to the side for the evening, and polish your wine glasses before you put them out. At the end of the evening, wipe any lipstick smears off their rims so they wash properly when you put them in the dishwasher. Every good restaurant offers coffee after dessert – use your best cups for that. Coffee cups with double wall glass are popular as they look great and they don’t burn people’s hands when they pick them up.
Image source
Décor
You don’t have to go crazy with decorations for your dinner party, but this time of year it’s nice to go with a festive theme. Use red and green napkins at dinner, and light cinnamon scented candles to add to the warm atmosphere. If it’s close to Christmas, you could make a table centrepiece out of holly, and if you’re feeling a little wild you could even put sprigs of mistletoe up over your doorways! Put a wreath up on your front door – you could even hand make this out of holly and fir branches. Make sure that your Christmas tree lights are on and sparkling when you welcome your guests. Finally, buy a poinsettia to brighten up your space.
Image source
Your Home
Give your home a big tidy up before you have your dinner party. If your surfaces tend to get a little messy, now is a good time to declutter. Go around your home with three bags: one for things that you can put away in their rightful places, one for things that you want to give away, and one for things that need to be thrown in the trash can. Make sure that you leave out some trinkets as decorations, like small statues, your favourite photographs, and vases – which you could fill with fresh flowers or a more festive red and green display of berries and leaves.
Entertainment
Sometimes dinner party chat doesn’t go as well as you might want it to! For any awkward pauses, have a couple of games on hand that you can suggest playing. Your guests will have fun and lose their inhibitions! There are lots of apps you could download, or you could also purchase a board game like Apples To Apples or Cards Against Humanity. Not only are they fun, but you won’t have to spend all night playing them like you would with a game like Clue or Monopoly!
Image source
Don’t Get Flustered
Remember that it’s very easy to let yourself get overwhelmed and stressed out. Try not to put too much pressure on yourself – things don’t have to be completely perfect! Get as much as you can done before the night itself so you can relax as much as you can and enjoy the company of your nearest and dearest. People won’t be judging you as much as you might think that they will be. Their only priority is to have a fun night out, to meet some new people, and to enjoy your wonderful hospitality. Have a great time and try your best to relax!
No comments
I love reading your comments!