Preparing for the upcoming holiday festivities can be stressful. Balancing all the preparations with work, shopping, friends and family holiday parties and everything else is too often an overwhelming experience. Even more true when you’re the one hosting a cocktail hour, a dinner, even a weekend, or a partridge in a pear tree…
Here are a few tips and tricks to help you survive holiday hosting and meal prep with this helpful FAQ.
Q: How far in advance should I start planning my holiday menu?
It’s best to start planning your holiday menu 2–3 weeks in advance. This gives you time to decide on the dishes, check dietary needs, and build a shopping list without stress. Planning early also helps you avoid last-minute ingredient shortages, which are common during busy holiday weeks.
Use that time to confirm guest counts, research new recipes, and schedule prep tasks so you aren’t scrambling at the last minute. A well-organized plan lets you shop early for non-perishables, spread out the workload, and enjoy the day with fewer surprises.
Q: How do I create a holiday meal plan that fits my budget?
Start by deciding on a realistic spending limit, then build your menu around affordable, high-impact dishes like roasted vegetables, casseroles, soups, and seasonal produce. Prioritize ingredients you already have on hand, and choose recipes that share overlapping ingredients to minimize waste and cost. Buying store brands, shopping sales, and using coupons can stretch your budget even further.
Don’t feel pressured to prepare an oversized feast. Focus on a few crowd-pleasing dishes rather than an endless spread. You can also ask guests to bring a side or dessert, which not only lightens your workload but spreads out the cost while still creating a festive, full meal.
Q: What are some tricks to making food stretch or making a room look more spacious when you have unexpected guests?
Although it may be seen as rude to come to a holiday party with unannounced guests, once it happens, the host has to think on their feet to accommodate. Rearranging furniture and serving slightly smaller portions can help a host make more room for guests. After food is through cooking the microwave can be used to keep it warm, and also reheat it (Sharp’s “Easy Open” 24 In. Microwave Drawer is a perfect size for storing extra dishes).
Q: How do you handle various dietary restrictions during holiday parties?
There are many gluten-free and vegan ingredient alternatives to traditional holiday recipes. The key is advance planning! It’s completely acceptable to ask if there are any food allergies when inviting your guests. Then you can be sure to stock up on gluten free flour or a vegetarian main to compliment that lovely lamb or ham for the rest of the group. That last point is key too! Don’t feel obligated to make all dishes work for all guest! We hope that most will be open to trying a little of everything, but have options and clearly note (with fun cursive place cards) which dishes may have ingredients to be cautious of (nuts, dairy, gluten). You can also find dishes that incorporate everyone instead of singling out people with dietary restrictions. Ask the guests with the restrictions for their opinions on acceptable dishes. Try to spare gluten-free and vegan frozen entrees for unexpected dietary restricted guests. For high blood pressure – watch the salt, do not add salt when cooking and provide that on the table for people to add afterwards.
Q: How many dishes should I serve for a holiday meal?
A good rule of thumb is to offer one main dish, 3–5 sides, and 1–2 desserts for a typical group of 6–10 people. This provides enough variety without overwhelming yourself or your guests. If you’re hosting a larger crowd, increase the number of sides or desserts rather than adding multiple main courses, which are usually more labor-intensive and expensive.
The number of dishes can also depend on your guests’ preferences and dietary needs. If you have vegetarians, kids, or picky eaters attending, adding an extra simple side or alternative entrée ensures everyone feels included without significantly increasing your workload.
Q: What should I prep the day before the holiday meal?
The day before is ideal for tackling time-consuming tasks that don’t require same-day cooking. You can chop vegetables, assemble casseroles, bake rolls, prepare dips, make salad dressings, or pre-measure ingredients for complex recipes. Many sides, like stuffing, mashed potatoes, gratins, and cranberry sauce, can be fully made or partially prepared ahead of time.
It’s also smart to set the table, organize serving dishes, and label each with what it will be used for. Having your kitchen and dining area prepped means the holiday itself is focused on cooking the main dish, reheating sides, and enjoying your guests—not rushing through last-minute tasks.
Q: How early can I bake pies, cookies, or cakes before the holiday meal?
Most holiday desserts can be baked 1–3 days in advance, depending on the type. Fruit pies, pumpkin pies, bar cookies, and unfrosted cakes store well for several days when covered and refrigerated. Cookies can often be baked days ahead or even frozen weeks in advance. Alternatively, you can prep the dough ahead of time and bake fresh the day of.
Delicate desserts like cream pies, cheesecakes, or frosted cakes are best made one day before, as they tend to lose texture or freshness if stored too long. No matter what you bake, proper storage, airtight containers, and refrigeration for dairy-based fillings is essential to keep your treats tasting their best on the holiday.
Q: What are some tips for decorating? How can we avoid tangled lights, misplaced ornaments and over decorating?
Before the holidays, go through all your decorations and section them out into keep, donate and replace bins. This will help you not feel overwhelmed and disorganized when the holidays arrive. Keep what is working, donate anything that is unnecessary, and throw away and replace what is broken or unusable. Remember less is more! And when the holidays are wrapping up and you’re cleaning up, it’s a great time to again assess these categories and take action for each designation. Holiday decorations are super discounted this time of year too – so it’s a great time to snag things you’ll be needing next year!
Q: What is the most important part of gift giving? What are some tips on giving the perfect gift?
Aside from making a gift personal for the receiver, always remember to include a little bit of yourself. Adding a personal flare can make a gift a memorable one. Not only will they love that you thought of them, but they’ll think of you when they use it ☺ Find novelties, new useful things you think they won’t have. The best gift is something that relaxes you and them. Don’t stress out over just the gifts, the holidays are more about the act of giving not, what’s being given.
Q: Any advice on what to have on hand and methods to cut cleaning time down so that we can spend more time with our loved ones?
Most hosts make the mistake of taking on cleaning all by themselves. Everyone knows cleaning up after a large dinner party or holiday celebration is a huge undertaking, don’t be afraid to enlist for help and take guests up on offers to assist. Many hands make light work and more holiday cheer! Planning ahead is part of the process. Figure out a methodology that works for you. For example you can ask guests to bring the dirty dishes to the sink, or assign a dishwasher loader, dish dryer, etc. Plan on not leaving messes. If people are coming in and out of doors a lot, get in the habit of slipping off shoes. Be proactive in avoiding bringing the mess into the house.
