This is a sponsored conversation written by me on behalf of Tyson Foods, Inc. The opinions and text are all mine. #hillshiresocialplattersatmeijer #Collectivebias
It’s the holiday season and I have already hosted one gathering at my house and many more gatherings are to come! I am all about hosting, and even attending, parties around the holiday season but it is honestly a lot of work! Wouldn’t it just be so easy to snap your fingers and have your house cleaned and decorated and the food ready to serve! Today I’m sharing 5 tips of easy holiday entertaining so that you can keep your sanity this holiday season and just enjoy your guests.
1. Plan One-Week Ahead of Time
I know that many people can be big time procrastinators but to keep the stress levels to a minimum, start planning one-week out! This would be a good time to evaluate what needs to be cleaned in your house, how you’re going to decorate and set the mood, prepare your party playlist or choose a good online station and decide on the mood of your party.
2. Skip the Sit-Down Dinner, Serve Appetizers Instead
Coordinating the timing of a big meal can be stressful so my solution is to have a party heavy on the appetizers. Choose things like meatballs, casseroles or pasta salads that can be made the night before. My new, favorite go-to party platters are the Hillshire® Snacking Social Platters: Genoa Salame & Calabrese Salame. With these platters you don’t even need a fancy plate, you simply flip and serve! You can also find a lot of really great prepared dips and spreads to serve alongside of crackers and bread as well as flavored meatballs. Meatballs are another one of my favorite dishes to serve at a holiday party because you can set up dishes of different flavors with toothpicks for easy snacking.
3. Simplify the Cocktails
Here’s the thing – your friends and family are probably not expert bartenders so take out the guesswork and serve up premixed cocktails in pitchers or fun shooters decorated for the holiday. This will help clear added clutter on your table our counter with extra bottles, mixers and garnishes and just allow people to pour a cocktail and enjoy!
4. Don’t Forget the Desert
Don’t panic if you’re not a master baker! I’m all about the fun Danish cookie tins that you can find around the holiday season practically everywhere. Grab a beautiful serving platter, layer on the cookies and garnish with fun chocolates and nuts. Don’t forget to add a peppermint treat for some festive flavor.
5. Enjoy Your Holiday Party
So often we find ourselves running around cleaning up messes and making sure that everyone is enjoying themselves that we forget to enjoy our own party. Try to clean up any extra clutter before your party begins and avoid cleaning anything outside of catastrophic messes until after your guests leave. Grab a cocktail, mingle with your guests and enjoy the holiday season. Getting ready to host your own party? You can get $2.50 off your purchase of Hillshire® Snacking Social Platters at your local Meijer! Let this platter be the centerpiece of your party and put your focus on everything else to prepare for the party.
I like your tip about only cleaning major messes until after the guests leave. My mom never does this, and she always misses out on half of the party! #client