the only holiday hosting timeline you’ll need
baby steps for stress-free entertaining 🥂
I get a lot of questions about hosting. and between us, I don’t always have the answers. I tend to lean into the chaos and prefer a vibe that feels thrown together. Like, here’s a glass of wine, take your shoes off, and stay a while, you know?
but the truth is, even the most homemade parties take some advance planning – and that planning, my friends, is my (homemade) bread and butter.
somehow it’s December (?!) which means the holidays are right around the corner, and you might be getting ready to plan a party or two of your own.
consider this your ultimate guide.
I can’t promise the crucial ingredient you need won’t be out of stock, but I can take the overwhelm out of planning, and leave you with enough time to go back to the store to buy it with plenty of time to spare :)
here, I’ll share my typical timeline, starting with preparations one week before your event to the day of, as your guests arrive.
but first! a bit of housekeeping.
this timeline is merely a template. you do not need to follow a list to have an epic party with your people. that said, if you plan to take only one thing away from this list, let it be this: you need at least one drink option and one delicious thing to snack on. I always have olives, taralli (fennel is the best) or some sort of fun cracker, and some sort of cheese like gruyere, manchego, or chunks of parm – and you’re golden.
OK, back to business.
one week out
design your menu. this gives you time to make your grocery list, source your ingredients, and work out the kinks / dietary restrictions / etc. I almost always pick dishes that can be largely prepped in advance and stay away from anything that needs to be cooked a la minute (cooked and served immediately, like anything pan-seared to order).
here’s how I usually break it down:
1-2 mains: either a veg + meat or fish + meat, depending on your crowd.
two sides: I mostly go for roasted or braised which always include layers and condiments, like here and here.
one salad: something crunchy and bright like this!
at least one dessert: and store-bought is more than OK, don’t try to be a hero!! if you are going to make a dessert, this tahini brownie is SO easy to put together.
And a couple of apps: think a variety of three - three cheeses + three cured meats, chips + dip, crudité, fresh bread + crackers. store-bought totally works here, too!
p.s. there are tons of delish recipes on my website (organized by dish type!) for inspo :)
secure your invite list (and make sure you have enough tables and chairs, also- map out if you are doing buffet-style or seated family-style).
plan your drink options. source or DIY an ice bucket (and don’t forget to buy ice if you don’t have easy access to a lot of it at once). If you want to go a step above wine, you can pick a batch cocktail to make (no one has time to make individual cocktails when it’s party time!). this is also where I lean into my cake stand hack! gotta love a multipurpose tool and the cake-stand-as-batch-cocktail-bowl trick is just epic.
I made gimlets on my stories the other day and got so many responses, so I made a batch version, elevated with bubbles for this holiday season. I honestly forgot how yummy they are!
batch sparkling indigo gimlet (serves 18-20)
1 bottle (750 mL) of Empress Indigo Gin
1 bottle of champagne (brut)
250 mL fresh lime juice
250 mL simple syrup
Chunky ice
1-2 limes, sliced for garnish
five days out
do an audit of your tablescape options ( I usually do all of this after the kids go to bed or right after drop-off when I have a couple extra minutes to spare).
tablescapes do not need to be complicated, but you do want to make sure you have everything you need so you’re not scraping around for something the day of. I love a rustic look (because that way it doesn’t need to match!) with candles ( I know this is obvious but a candle really elevates a space, so if you want it to feel extra spesh light those suckers up), a tablecloth, or some filler greens from a local florist. (note – if you’re doing fresh flowers, hold off on those for now!)
take stock of your dishware + linens.
make sure you have plenty of plates, cutlery + glassware serving platters. now is also a great time to throw your tablecloth and napkins in the laundry or iron them (and then promptly hide them from your children’s reach!)
three days before
finalizing the menu and the attendees to make sure you’re not overcooking / shopping.
clean out the fridge – now is the time to take stock of what you already have, make your final list of ingredients, and make room in the fridge for everything you need to pop in there.
chill your beverages. place white wine in the fridge if it’s not already there, and liquor in the freezer if it needs to be chilled.
the day before
now, go get those flowers. It’s close enough to go-time that they’ll stay nice and fresh but still gives you time to do a bit of floral design if that’s your thing. I have honestly been skipping flowers when I entertain, and instead stick with a lot of greenery, accented with seasonal fruit straight from the counter. It feels more festive with the seasonal fruit, and you end up saving since flowers can add up.
shop! shopping the day before gives you enough time to pivot if there’s something out of stock or a missing ingredient.
prep, prep, prep. The day before a party is when I get everything I can ready. I make all my vinaigrettes, prep the dessert as far as possible, get any marinating going, prep the salad (minus the dressing), and make my mise en place (aka pre-chopping for each recipe). make sure you write a list of everything you’re making – broken up into the components of each dish – so you can check off as you go and keep it all organized.
the day of
schedule accordingly. there is a run of show when it comes to cooking a big meal, and I’m going to share mine with you here.
first things first, get the dessert done. If you’re making fresh bread, that must happen in the morning, too. (but if you are trying to be casual, you can skip the fresh bread and do store-bought. again, we aren’t trying to DO IT ALL we want to host and actually enjoy ourselves.)
then, turn your attention to the mains.
once the mains are in the oven or as prepped as they can be, start in on your sides.
IMPORTANT NOTE! you can take your roast or braise to almost done, and then keep it to the side. just pop it back in 20 minutes before plating. if all the elements are done for each dish (garnish prepped, sauce (if you are using) ready to go, etc.) so that the only thing you have left to do is finish the cook and assemble — you are in a good place!
assemble the salad with your dressing right before it goes out.
pick a style. either go ham with family freestyle where everything comes out at once and everyone digs in (so fun) or serve in courses (so sophisticated). if going with the latter, just be sure to keep extra plates handy, so you can clear them and everyone still has a clean plate underneath for the second course.
finally, and arguably most importantly, keep that music going both during your prep and through your meal. there is nothing more awkward than a quiet dinner party. as long as you keep both the drinks and the music flowing — everything else will fall into place!
if you need a little music inspo, here’s my go-to dinner party playlist!
is there anything I missed? leave your questions for me below :)
happy hosting!!
xo,
e