Have you ever wondered why everyone always congregates in a kitchen for parties? This is one of the funniest things to watch crowds of people squeeze around a tiny island and while opening an oven or refrigerator door becomes a method in collision avoidance. With the holidays in full swing, cocktail parties, family gatherings and dinners become popular events. Who hosts may rotate around different people or family members. Now it’s your turn and you want to avoid the kitchen clusters. Here are a few tips on how to set up your home for entertaining.
Encourage People to Flow
By setting up different stations of food or drink, you can actually keep people moving around your home. Your guest get what they need and entertaining without kitchen clusters. Appetizers on a coffee table in a family room. Drinks on a table or counter in a game room or living room area. The main course on your dining room table or main sitting area. Taking on a strategy to place items around your home will also help engage new conversations for new friendships. Food and drink placed around the home will keep from banging into each other at the kitchen counter.
Getting it Prepared
When you can prepare some items ahead of time, you remove the need to make items while your guests are in attendance. If you make a cocktail punch to serve with beers, wine and water, you avoid making specific cocktails for each guests, giving you more time to chat and catch up this holiday season. The same can be true with foods. Preparing sandwiches or crostini before the guests arrive, helps manage your time as a host, but also gets the food to the mouth faster for those who cannot wait to devour your delicious concoctions.
Discarding Items
Getting your home ready for either dirty dishes or used paper plates can help manage the clean up process during and after the party. This is one of our favorite tricks. Add extra garbage bags to the bottom of your existing garage bin and then once you pull out the filled bag, you reach in and grab the next bag so it can be filled. Extra garage and recycle bins near areas that you may see a lot of disposal like bar or food areas can also help get disposable items into the bins when needed.
If you are not using disposable items, try adding a portable table in separate room. This table will hold glasses and plates that you can get to later. Or maybe your laundry room has some counter space that you can store the dirty dishes until the party is over. Remember to close the door because nothing can ruin a party faster than smelly dishes.
With these few tips, you can now throw a get together that gives you the time to talk to your guests and catch up. You can offer them great eats and drinks! And you can showcase your amazing holiday decorating! Have an amazing holiday season and enjoy!
