You can create a festive atmosphere by just opening your heart and home to others during the holiday season. But if you want to make things extra special, these ideas will transform your gatherings into festive memories that your guests will cherish. Whether you’re throwing an epic party, hosting an intimate gathering, honoring old traditions, creating new memories, or opening your home to overnight guests, here are some of the best ways to prepare, host, and enjoy this special time of year.

Throwing the perfect holiday party

1. Organize with a schedule - Create a to-do list of tasks leading up to the party. You can organize them by day, assigning items to family and friends willing to help. Not only will having a schedule help you stay on top of everything that needs to be done, it can also keep you from forgetting key aspects of hosting. By assigning a time for every task and working ahead, you can finish it all with time to spare. That means more time and energy to spend with family and friends!
2. Create a theme - Whether it’s a gathering for adults or a family-friendly affair, you can bring your vision together with a theme. Incorporate the theme into everything from invitations to food to decor. Color themes are simple and can be adapted to a variety of styles and occasions. You might also want to consider a fun holiday tradition that will tie in years past. You can always look to your guests for inspiration and incorporate their hobbies and interests into your party’s theme.
3. Prep your food - Cook as much as you can ahead of the event so that you don’t have to manage a long to-do list on the day of your party. This also allows you to spend your time with your guests instead of away in the kitchen. Some recipes are ideal for preparing ahead of time and can be stored in the fridge or freezer until serving. Others can be made in part before the event and assembled or finished on the day of the party. You can also turn your gathering into a pot luck and invite guests to bring their favorite holiday dish, dessert, or snack to share.
   
   

Honoring traditions and creating new memories

4. Ask for cherished recipes - Connecting over food is a treasured memory for many during the holidays. You can honor existing traditions by making family-favorite dishes and sharing them with new and old friends. If you’re hosting a party, invite guests to bring their own classic recipes and dishes to share. You can all reminisce about your first memories and why you associate that food with the holidays. For hosting extended family at this time of year, making cherished favorite foods is a great way to connect and make everyone feel welcome.
5. Show a classic movie - Host a movie night during the holidays with guests’ favorite holiday movies. Many have a special memory about the first time they watched it, repeated showings each year, or a special person they saw it with. Add movie theater snacks or holiday favorites to enjoy with the movie. To make things even more memorable, set up cozy spots with plush blankets and pillows to snuggle as you watch the flick. If holiday movies aren’t a tradition in your family yet, they will be after you host such a special gathering.
6. Holiday games - There are plenty of ways to turn holiday activities into fun games. Reminisce about past holiday seasons as you take turns placing favorite ornaments on the tree or play with a cherished childhood dreidel. Gift exchanges are another fun tradition that you can continue or start this holiday season. Puzzles and board games offer calmer activities while relay races and sports allow everyone to get active. Don’t be afraid to take the fun outside with a good old fashioned snowball fight or snowman-building competition.

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Preparing for overnight guests

7. Create a welcome basket - Put a few essentials, such as toiletries, water, and a nice candle, in a basket in your guest room. This is the perfect way to let guests know that you are excited for their visit. If your guests have traveled a long way to get to your home, a few snacks and bottles of water will also help them become comfortable in your home. This is also a good place to leave copies of essential information, such as the wifi password, so that they can get situated right away. Even if you don’t have a dedicated guest room, a simple welcome basket can help designate a space for your guests to unwind.
8. Invest in extra lighting - Put small lights along dim hallways so that people don’t bump as they try to navigate an unfamiliar home. Before you hit the hay, make sure that guests know how to turn the lights in their room on and off. You may also want to leave small lights on in common spaces, such as the kitchen, so that everyone is able to get water or other essentials if needed. Setting up exterior pathway lights is another good idea if you plan to spend time outdoors. You can keep things simple with solar powered lights or get into the holiday spirit with themed lighting.
9. Embrace disposable cutlery and plates - Hosting a houseful for the holidays is not the time to spend hours washing and drying dishes. Even if you want to have a meal or two on special china, you can still go with paper plates and plastic utensils for more casual fare. This allows you to spend your time with your guests rather than with your dish soap. Disposable options don’t need to be boring, however, and you can find plates that mimic real dishes and plastic cutlery in a variety of colors and styles. This is a fun way to incorporate a color scheme in your table without having to spend a fortune on all new items.
10. Program coffee or tea and set out breakfast - If your guests are early risers, they may not want to wake you to get their morning cup of joe. Set out everything that they’ll need to enjoy coffee or tea, plus a few breakfast pastries that they can grab in the pre-dawn hours. You can still host a larger breakfast later if you want, but a few small items to grab will help prevent any hangry guests. Make sure that they know where to find milk, sugar, honey, and other accompaniments. Some coffee pots can be programmed ahead of time, which will make things even easier on everyone once the morning hustle and bustle begins.

As you get ready to host guests for the holiday season, keep these tips and tricks up your sleeve to make your home inviting and welcoming. You can make your home holly, jolly, and bright to ring in any special celebration around the holidays, as well as create new traditions that your friends and family will want to recreate for years to come.