Do you dread holiday parties? Do you avoid hosting them because of all the work involved? If so, let me ease your mind. You don’t have to outdo your neighbors; you don’t have to create perfection. The key to hosting a great party is to make guests feel at home. It’s that simple!  Years ago when we lived in Tennessee, we hosted an annual Christmas open house. The guest list included personal friends, community and business friends, and local politicos. What began as a small party evolved into a guest list of up to 150. With 6 children, there was no to create a formal atmosphere, and I didn’t try. Instead, I focused on a pretty dining table loaded with food, mostly finger foods, and a welcoming atmosphere. We also put the children to work. Amazing what a monetary incentive will do for teenagers!

Planning is the key to success. If you create a master plan – and follow it – it should be an easy production. The first thing to do is create a guest list, a date, and a budget. Actually, the budget may dictate the number of guests you can accommodate. If cost is a big factor and you want to serve alcohol, set up a wine bar instead of a full liquor bar. Look for other ways to cut expenses and remember, your guests want to come and visit and enjoy themselves. They don’t need to be plied with alcohol. (If that’s a requirement, maybe you should rethink your guest list.)

Decide how you plan to invite your guests to the party. Will you send out invitations via regular mail? That really is more polite although email is considered acceptable these days. Verbal invitations tend to be lost in the wind. With the Christmas holidays approaching, plan on mailing them out 2 -3 weeks in advance of the party. Martha Stewart suggests sending them out 3-4 weeks ahead because calendars fill up fast near the holidays. I have no solution for the RSVP dilemma. Some people will politely respond when they receive the invitation. Others will ignore it and may show up or maybe not. Just plan for the maximum number of guests you expect and be sure your menu is made up of foods that will make good leftovers for your family.

Everyone has their own ideas about decorating for a party. I chose to decorate our home for Christmas and those decorations set the scene for our holiday party. Don’t feel that you must stick to the traditional reds and greens. Go with colors that work best for your home’s decor. When we hosted our annual Christmas open house, our living room, dining room and entry incorporated shades of teal green and peach with white. For the party, I purchased long-stemmed, peach gladiolas from a floral supply place in Nashville (One year I found them at Kroger’s!) and found peach poinsettias in several locations. Just go with what feels good to you.

3 Holiday Party Tips to Save Time & Money

If your budget allows, hire help for the big day. If you don’t have responsible teenagers in the family, check with the neighbors or your church.  Join www.nextdoor.com for your area and ask for recommendations from others who live nearby. It will help to have a couple of friendly young people keeping the table filled at all times and one manning the oven if there are foods to be baked or heated at the last minute. Hire someone of legal drinking age and experienced with serving liquor to tend bar. While this may seem like an unnecessary expense, those three hired people will save you time, worry, and even money in the case of the bar. The bartender  won’t be as heavy-handed with the liquor as guests serving themselves might be.

Include  make-ahead foods in your menu.  Any recipes that can be made and frozen 2 weeks in advance of the party will save you time as you rush about at the last minute. When freezing party foods, be sure to place a sheet of parchment or waxed paper between layers and then seal in a zip bag, squeezing out all the air. Then place that bag inside another zip bag to prevent freezer burn.

Find a caterer who will make a special cake for your holiday party. While this may seem like an unnecessary expense, it has several advantages. A beautifully decorated cake is memorable, and your guests will certainly talk about it. Caterers, or someone who specializes in cakes, are likely to provide a tastier product, as well as one prettier to look at, than a grocery store bakery. Bonus:  A beautiful cake makes a gorgeous table centerpiece.  Ask around your area for recommendations.

Don’t overthink the details. Friends won’t care if you missed a spot when dusting or if serving pieces match. Just decorate as you normally do for the holidays and go with it.

Tasty Recipes for Holiday Parties 

Spend some extra time planning the menu. You will want several items that can be frozen, as well as a few last-minute dishes. Each of us has our own preferred special recipes and foods to serve, and it’s is important to feel comfortable with the cooking or baking. But if entertaining a large number of people, make it easy on yourself and go for plenty of make-ahead foods and easy-to-prepare-at-the-last-minute recipes. For our Christmas party, I hired a local caterer to make most of the food. I picked up the food on the afternoon of the party and moved items to appropriate dishes for serving. That’s a lot easier than preparing all the food yourself but certainly pricier. Below are a few of my favorite party foods to serve:

Hot Crab & Cheese Dip

1 – 8oz. Pkg. Creamed Cheese                                               Dash of Garlic Powder
3 Tbsp. Milk                                                                                1 Can Lump Crabmeat (4 1/4 oz.)
1 Tbsp. Finely Chopped Onion                                             2 Tbsp. Grated Parmesan
1/4 tsp. Prepared Horseradish

Combine the creamed cheese, milk, onion, horseradish, and garlic powder. Fold in crabmeat.  Spoon into a greased baking dish.  Bake at 400 degrees for 20 minutes. Sprinkle with parmesan cheese and serve with crackers or chips.

Cranberry Brie Dip

1 or 2 Rounds of Brie (scrape off the top)
1 Can of Whole Berry Cranberry Sauce
3/4 – 1 Cup of Brown Sugar

Mix the cranberry sauce and brown sugar together. Place the brie in a pie plate and pour the cranberry mix over it.  Bake in a hot over – 450 degrees if the pan is metal or 400 degrees if using a glass pie plate.  Heat for 5-10 minutes, watching carefully, to melt the brie.  You can even broil it for a few minutes under a watchful eye. Serve with crackers of your choice.  Recipes don’t come any easier than this one!

Carol’s Buttermilk Pound Cake

Christmas can’t happen in my home without Buttermilk Pound Cake.  The recipe was given to me by an elderly co-worker when Jim and I first married.  It has been a family favorite for Christmas Eve supper, and I prepare it in loaf pans to slice and serve for holiday parties. This recipe also freezes well.

1 Stick Butter, Softened
1/2 Cup Crisco Solid Shortening
3 Cups Sugar                                                                   1/2 tsp. Soda
5 Eggs                                                                                 1 Tbsp. Boiling Water
1 Cup Buttermilk                                                            1 tsp. Vanilla Flavoring
3 Cups Plain Flour                                                         1/2 tsp. Almond Flavoring

Cream Crisco, butter and sugar with electric mixer. Add eggs one at a time, beating well after each addition. Dissolve soda in buttermilk in a separate container. Alternate adding flour and buttermilk, beginning with flour and ending with flour. Add flavorings. Add boiling water. Pour in greased and floured Bundt pan. Bake at 300 degrees for 1 1/2 hours until golden. Check for doneness with toothpick.

To serve at a larger party, bake the cake in loaf pans and slice before serving.

My Aunt, Jane Tibbs, was known for the bourbon balls she made each Christmas, and she passed the recipe to me.

Aunt Jane’s Bourbon Balls

5 Cups Crushed Vanilla Wafers
12 oz. Milk or Semi-sweet Chocolate Chips
6 Tbsp. Light Karo Syrup
2 Cups Chopped Pecans
1 Cup Rum or Bourbon – your choice
Powdered sugar

Melt the chocolate chips and stir in the Karo syrup. Add the liquor and stir. Add the Vanilla Wafers and nuts.  The mixture will be rather runny at this point. Chill it for 4 hours in the refrigerator and then form balls.  Roll the balls in powdered sugar and store in an airtight container.

Hot Cranberry Tea

2 Qts. Cranberry Juice                                             3 Qts. Strongly brewed tea
2 Cups Sugar                                                                1 – 48 oz. Can Pineapple Juice
2 Cups Water                                                               1 – 46 oz. Can Orange Juice
2 Cinnamon Sticks

Combine first 4 ingredients in a large pan and bring to a boil.  Add remaining ingredients. Heat to a proper serving temperature.

For a larger party, more food may be needed.  Creamed cheese and green pepper jelly make pretty ribbon sandwiches with the crusts trimmed, made 3 or 4 layers thick and sliced 1/2″ in width.  You can always add the usual party staples of chips, dips, sausage balls and a fresh veggie platter.

Cookies Are Always Welcome!

Christmas parties and cookies just go together. You cannot go wrong with large plates of decorated cookies gracing your table!  You probably have many favorite recipes to use and here are two of mine:

Pecan Pie Cookies

1 Cup Butter, Softened
1/2 Cup Sugar
1/2 Cup Dark Karo Syrup
2 Large Eggs, Separated
2 1/2 Cups Flour
1/4 Cup Butter
1/2 Cup Powdered Sugar
3 Tbsp. Dark Karo
3/4 Cups Finely Chopped Pecans

Beat 1 Cup of butter and sugar at medium speed on mixer until light and fluffy.  Add the 1/2 Cup Karo Syrup and egg yolks, beating well.  Gradually, stir in flour, cover and chill.

Melt 1/4 Cup butter in heavy pan over medium heat. Stir in powdered sugar and 3 Tbsp. Karo Syrup. Cook stirring often until mixture boils. Remove from heat and stir in pecans. Chill 30 min. Shape mixture by teaspoonfuls into 1/4 inch balls and set aside.  

Meanwhile, remove cookie dough from refrigerator and shape into 1 inch balls. Place 2 inches apart on lightly greased cookie sheet. Beat egg whites until foamy and brush on dough balls. Bake at 375 degrees for 6 minutes. Remove from oven and place the pecan balls in the center of each cookie. Return to oven and bake 8-10 more minutes until lightly browned.  Cool 5 minutes on baking pan and then remove to wire racks to cool completely. Freeze up to 1 month.  Makes 4 1/2 dozen cookies. Perfect for a party!

Sour Cream Sugar Cookies

3 1/2 Cups Flour                                                                  1/2 Cup Sour Cream
1/2 Cup Butter, Softened                                                 1/4 tsp. Baking Soda
2 large eggs                                                                            2 1/2 tsp. Baking Powder
1 Cup Sugar                                                                            2 tsp. Vanilla and 1 tsp. Almond Flavorings

Blend butter and sugar with electric mixer. Add eggs and beat until light and fluffy. Add in the sour cream, flour, baking powder and soda. Mix well.  Add vanilla last. Roll the dough out on a floured surface and knead until smooth. Roll the dough to 1 inch. thick. Sprinkle with sugar. Roll out again to 1/4″ thick. Cut out circles or use cookie cutters. Sprinkle each cookie with a little sugar and place on a greased baking sheet or stone. Bake at 325 degrees until lightly browned.  If you prefer, you can frost them as you would any sugar cookie. However, they are so rich, frosting isn’t needed.  Store in sealed container. 

Merry Christmas!