Fall is MY SEASON!! I love hosting and entertaining and we do a ton of it in the fall. Four of our birthdays happen in the fall season, plus many other family members’ too. We have parties for Halloween, host Thanksgiving, do Christmas Day and New Year’s Eve, sometimes more. In between all those big ones, we do a bunch of little ones too.
If you’ve been around for a while, you know I love to have a cookie decorating party for the kids and even a gingerbread house party. I love to have something for Halloween pumpkin carving/decorating as well. This is such a blast with the kids and something we all look forward to. The logistics don’t stress me out because I’ve done it for so long now, and as long as I’m prepared, it’s all good. I keep detailed notes, scrap something if it doesn’t work and keep things as low-stress as possible. These little tips below are the things that make it come together easily for me.
I look at my notes, which sounds stupid and very obvious. But this is the exact reason why I take notes for each party, holiday, season, etc. I just jot these down in my phone or in google docs. For example, last year after Halloween I’ll document what worked, what didn’t, what I needed more of, etc. I list any extras I’ll need for Thanksgiving, if I need another chair, if I broke a dish and need to replace it, all of that. A few years ago I reminded myself in my notes to never make this butternut lasagna because no one ate it, except me and my mom. Things like this make entertaining easier.
I jot down the dates I have planned for EVERYTHING. All of these parties, especially if they aren’t an exact annual date - I set the date and 98% of the time it sticks. This is so helpful!
I clean out and replenish my easy snack and charcuterie add-ons. This time of year, I go crazy at Trader Joe’s and get many different boxes of crackers, fig jams, spreads, nuts, condiments, olives and anything you may love as an appetizer or snack. Shelf stable, of course. This way we are stocked, especially for last minute entertaining.
I do the same with wine, champagne and drinks in general. I like to do a big shop this time of year and grab most of those drinks we always have that people love. This gets that step crossed off the list and it’s less crazy if I go this time of year.
I go through all of my holiday dishes and glassware and wash/prepare everything. Sure, I washed it last year but now it’s been in a dusty cabinet for 10 months. Have it ready to go! I do this twice - first, for the fall, then for Christmas.
If you have an extra fridge in your garage or basement, clear it out! We have a drink fridge in our garage and I use it to brine the turkeys every year and store leftovers. At the start of November, I start reminding Eddie to get his drinks out of it and to make room for the turkeys, haha!
The little details that matter to me are important. This means disposable hand towels in the bathrooms (no wet towel, ick), a fun drink bar (cocktail or mocktail in a self-serve dispenser, a coffee situation, seasonal dishes, etc. It may be different for you, so I suggest listing the little details you love.
My Fall Entertaining Formula
This changes based on what exactly we’re doing, but I always keep this formula in mind. We love this season so much and it goes by so quickly, that a lot of the time guests look forward to season-specific things. Those make the gatherings even more special!...
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