Hosting a crowd for the holidays is an honor…and sometimes a major source of anxiety.  Whether entertaining is a dream or your worst nightmare, a little prep can go a LONG way toward reducing your workload and worries.  Here are some of our favorite hacks to lower your stress level plus a cheat sheet on how much to serve.

1. Share the Load

When it comes to cooking, you don’t have to go it alone. Plan the menu and delegate sides to guests, or go potluck style and let everyone show off their favorite recipes. Just be sure to coordinate so that you don’t end up with 5 sweet potato casseroles—free websites like Evite and SignUpGenius allow attendees to sign up for a requested item or share what they’re bringing with the rest of the group. Those who don’t cook can handle beverages or pre-bagged salad kits. Here’s a guide on how much food to plan for.

2. Outsource Where You Can

Along those same lines, you can lighten your load even more by taking advantage of pre-made foods. Know your strengths and let the pros handle the rest. Anything from pies, to a smoked turkey, to the entire meal can be ordered in advance…heat it up, slap it on a serving dish, kick back, and look like a genius. Just be sure to order as early as possible in case other people are equally smart.

3. Buy Non-Perishables in Advance

Few things are as frustrating as fighting your way through holiday crowds at the grocery store only to find they’re sold out of everything you need. Beat the rush (and the stress) by making a list of the shelf-stable items you’ll need and buying them a few weeks in advance. Make some space in the pantry and you’ll be ready roll when the big day approaches.

4. Tame Your Pre-Cleaning

In the quest for perfection, how many of us have spent the day before a holiday frantically vacuuming under the bed? The reality is that people will really only see your public living areas and guest bath…so focus the deeper cleaning there. Avoid the last-minute rush by setting up a schedule of manageable cleaning tasks that can be accomplished over the weeks leading up to the event (and delegate to other household members, too!).

5. Prep Veggies, Sides & Desserts

A few days before, look over your menu and pre-chop any veggies that your recipes call for—they’ll store well in the fridge and make things so much easier on the big day. You can also make mashed potatoes in advance; reheat them by adding a splash of milk and butter then warming on the stove, baking in a 350ºF oven for 25-30 minutes, or microwaving on half power and stirring every 2 minutes until hot. Casseroles can be similarly reheated in the oven or microwave. Pies often taste better the next day anyway, so make those in advance, too!

6. Choose & Label Serving Dishes

The day before, select which serving dishes you’d like to use for each menu item. Label them with post-it notes. Not only does this make it easy for guests to help you plate things up, it also prevents you from forgetting to serve something hiding in the fridge…ahem, not that we’ve ever done that.

7. Set the Table the Night Before

A beautiful table is the perfect way to welcome guests—but don’t leave it for when you’re scrambling to do 20 other things at once. Instead, set it the night before and take all the time you need to fuss over which fork goes where. A store-bought centerpiece is an easy way to jazz things up, or, if you’re the creative type, make use of seasonal gourds and branches to create your own. LED candles are another easy way to add ambiance without lighting the napkins on fire.

8. Set Up a DIY Drinks Station

A stylish beverage station is a fun way to relieve one more burden while you’re trying to prep dinner. You can pre-mix a few pitchers of cocktails/mocktails in advance, or put out an assortment of key mixers with recipes. Include an ice bucket or cooler for cans. A good rule of thumb is to have enough supplies for about 1 drink per guest per hour. A coffee and cocoa station with flavored mix-ins is great for after dinner, too.

9. Lighten Your Post-Cleaning Load

A little planning will make that daunting clean-up routine WAY easier. Empty your dishwasher and fill your sink with soapy water before guests arrive—that way it’s easy to toss in dirty dishes and avoid a pile-up. Consider making use of newer sustainable, compostable/recyclable (and cute!) disposables that can cut down on the dish load. Parchment paper or a foil roasting pan can also eliminate scrubbing for large, hard to clean pans. Give kids the “special job” of clearing dishes from the table…usually they’re happy to help (especially with dessert time as an incentive).

10. Focus on the Fun

Hosts often feel pressured to be perfect…but the truth is that everyone is happiest when you’re happy. Having fun is much more memorable and meaningful than how moist the turkey turned out or whether you forgot to dust the chandelier. In fact, some of our favorite holiday memories are often when things didn’t go right and we all laughed over it (think accidentally leaving the bag of giblets in the turkey, or Grandpa cutting through the cord of the electric carving knife and sending sparks flying through the kitchen).

If hosting triggers anxiety for you, build in some self-care that will help you re-center and relax when things feel overwhelming. Putting on some uplifting music, enlisting your favorite optimist to help on the big day, or simply repeating the mantra, “All I can do is my best” can work wonders to relieve stress. Lastly, sharing the burden of cooking and cleaning means you can also share successes and failures…so let go of that pesky fear of judgement and focus on the “together.” Isn’t that really what it’s all about, anyway?

Bonus Cheat Sheet!

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