Entertaining is definitely a passion of ours, but during the holidays we seriously ramp it up, even for us. Already on our hosting calendar for December is a Christmas brunch with Bob’s side of the family, a Christmas cocktail party with our neighbors, a potential gathering with Bob’s co-workers, and the usual Christmas Eve and Christmas Day festivities. Add in any number of the impromptu get togethers we’re known for and it’s safe to say that this time of year I go into hostess mode for a month or more straight. That’s why today I’ve teamed up with the folks at Tyson® to share my top ten tips for easy last minute holiday entertaining! It’s my goal to help you feel empowered to entertain during the holidays, even if maybe you don’t typically throw parties or even consider yourself a host or hostess. So here I’m sharing my favorite ways to streamline prep work, inspiration for really simple recipes, and a bunch of “do ahead” and “last minute” ideas so you can hop off to the grocery store the night before or last minute and bring things together without a lot of stress.
Christmas
A few years ago Bob and I sat down over coffee and had a long talk about our holiday shopping tendencies. It wasn’t our first such talk, but it was the cumulative talk where we got real with ourselves about our Christmas shopping habits to date and devised a new set of Christmas gifting traditions. Today I am collaborating with Walmart to share more about those new traditions and how we decided we wanted to put more effort into selecting fewer, more memorable gifts for the kids and our loved ones over the holiday season. We realized we were both feeling frantic every holiday season and it seemed we were buying endless stacks of gifts that lost their meaning because they were just one among many. We knew we wanted our kids to look back and remember joyful holiday celebrations full of love, cheer and a few really special gifts instead of just never-ending tearing of paper from packages. So, we are now the family with stockings packed full of little goodies, a small handful of carefully chosen gifts for each family member, and matching Christmas pajamas to give Christmas morning that extra cheeky cheer. I mean, you can’t forget the matching Christmas pajamas!
This post was sponsored by Keurig Green Mountain®. Thank you for supporting the sponsors that help make The Sweetest Occasion possible! When I think about entertaining during the holidays, I like things to feel really fun and special for friends and family, but not at the expense of my sanity. We have a huge family and …
I know a lot of people love Christmas music, but today I’m going to make a really big claim. I am going to come right out and tell you. I love Christmas music more than most people who love Christmas music. As a kid we would go caroling at local nursing homes with my aunts …
This easy homemade stovetop potpourri will have your house smelling amazing throughout the holidays and winter season. This easy simmer pot recipe will never leave your stove! An alternate title to this post would be something like, “How to make your house smell like the holidays!” And that would be totally, completely accurate. I believe …
If you’re still looking for a few pretty ideas for decking the halls, I have one last holiday DIY idea to share with you today! And in the spirit of all things last minute, we’re keeping this one appropriately simple. It’s the sweetest little rosemary wreath garland made with tiny little embroidery hoops and it’s seriously …
These beautiful DIY painted gold leaf ornaments are one of my most popular posts of all time! These easy DIY Christmas ornaments are perfect for tree trimming or gift giving this holiday season.
I’ve made no secret in the past of my love for hosting a good gift wrapping party. (You can see my favorite gift wrapping party from last year to see what I mean!) Here’s the thing about a wrapping party. They’re so simple to pull off (just put out some Christmas cookies and grab a …
‘Tis the season for parties in abundance, which in my world calls for appropriately festive holiday party invitations! I’ve got you covered today with these printable invitations (and matching favor labels that are seriously so cute) designed exclusively for The Sweetest Occasion readers by the crazy talented Morgan of Miss Wyolene. Featuring Morgan’s fun, modern hand …
As I’m spending time with our new little one, some of my best blogging buds are covering for me. Today please welcome our old friend Chelsea from Lovely Indeed! Hey party animals! Chelsea here from Lovely Indeed, so happy to be helping out while our girl Cyd is getting used to life with a new little nugget. There are so …
It’s about to get all sorts of merry and bright around here, friends! If I’m honest with you, I am so excited to share this project with you! This is one that has been floating around in my brain for the last couple of holiday seasons but somehow just made it to fruition this year. …
This darling printable Christmas wish list is a sweet way to kick off the holiday season. Simply download, print and trim then have each member of the family make their list for Santa! One of my favorite parts of the holiday season as a kid was penning my Santa wish list. I’d spend hours combing …