Holiday Hosting Hacks

By Lisa Arnett
November 2025 View more Featured

31 tips from local experts for more joyful entertaining

“I learned how to entertain with my family,” says Sholeh Munion, event planner and owner of Sholeh Events in Naperville. “We would have 60 people over once a month. It would be so crowded that we would have people sitting on the stairs, but the point was to be together.” As cozy as that sounds, when you host for the holiday season this year, Munion and other local entertaining experts want you and your guests to be as comfortable as possible. Whether you’re hosting a Christmakkuh cocktail party for family or a dazzling New Year’s Eve soiree for friends, set yourself up for success with our tips on fine-tuning the food, drinks, layout, decor, and more.

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Setup

1. Clear the clutter

“If you’re [hosting] in your own home, what I most recommend is to clear any clutter from common spaces, even if it means tucking it away in a closet,” says Sarah Rodriguez of Sarah Kathleen Events in Winfield. “Things that can get knocked over, things that could get misplaced—just put them away.”

2. Add extra spots

Take a look at your guest count and gauge whether you may need to rearrange furniture or bring in additional seating and tables. “Nothing is worse than going to a cocktail party and not having somewhere to put your drink when you’re trying to eat,” Rodriguez says.

3. Ready your restroom

“Put some consideration into the restrooms, doing things like making sure there’s not just one cloth hand towel,” Rodriguez says. “A lot of guests all using the same thing is not the best. Having appropriate soap and hand towels and extra toilet paper, things that guests need, those are the behind-the-scenes things that I like people to consider.”

4. Finesse the flow

Where you place food and drink will determine the flow of your event. “You want to draw people into the house, so it’s probably not the best idea to put the bar right by the front door, for example,” Rodriguez says. Once guests are inside, space out your beverages, appetizers, and desserts to help ease bottlenecks. “I have an island and I do love that for food service because you can create a flow around it, but people do have a tendency to gather in kitchen areas. If you are serving out of the kitchen because sometimes you can’t have a prep area elsewhere, to have people on top of you when you’re prepping can be hard,” Rodriguez says. “You can have the bar in a different area or desserts at a dining table further away so people are forced to spread out. You also can arrange chairs and small tables to create purposeful conversation nooks to help get people spread out.”

5. Ask for recs

Perhaps you don’t have the budget to hire an event planner, but you could still use some help. Don’t discount the idea of working with a pro to kick off your planning process. “A lot of planners in the area will offer à la carte services, so if you need help sourcing vendors and that’s all you need help with, they may do just that,” Munion says. “Or use your network to ask for trusted recommendations, and if you don’t have a network, ask folks at school, ask folks at your workplace. Call up your local chamber of commerce; they can be a great resource. Maybe they can recommend someone to make that balloon arch and help take the load off of you.” And whether or not a caterer or other service provider came recommended, signing a contract is always a good idea. “I have seen some dicey situations…and you don’t want to be in a pickle when you’ve paid someone a deposit and they don’t show up and there’s no contract,” Munion says.

6. Prepare for winter gear

Depending on the weather, your guests will arrive with coats at the least and sloppy snow boots at most. “If you don’t have a coat closet, find a dedicated bedroom for coats,” Rodriguez says, or consider borrowing or renting a portable coat rack and hangers. During snowy weather, stage a spot for your guests to take off and store their wet boots. “You can put out a shoe tray or a towel set up on the side of your entryway, something to make them comfortable and protect your own floors,” Rodriguez says.

7. Plan it on paper

We all enjoy making digital lists, but Munion recommends having a hard copy on hand come party time. “I’ve forgotten a pie in the garage fridge before, so now what I do is make a list of everything I am planning to serve on a piece of paper, not my phone—even the little things, like pickles and condiments,” she says. “Then when a guest comes early and says, ‘What can I help with?’ you can say, ‘Here’s a list of everything in the garage fridge. Can you get it for me?’ ”

Food

8. Cook ahead if you can

If you’re doing all the cooking, look for items on your menu that you can prepare in the days leading up to your event. “Think about what you can make ahead of time that freezes well or can sit in the refrigerator for days at a time, or maybe it even tastes better after a day or two,” Munion says. Top candidates include sauces, pot pies, chili, braised meats, or soups. “There are some Middle Eastern stews that taste better after two days, so you can make those things ahead of time, warm it up, and serve it at the event.”

9. Do a dry run with dishes

Do a serveware inventory beforehand to prevent ending up shorthanded at the last minute. “Once I figure out my menu, I pull out all of my entertaining dishes to see what I have and I put Post-its on every dish,” Munion says. “For example, if I have sweet potatoes, I don’t want them to get all gross and dried out, so I need a covered dish.” This process will help you map out what you have and what you might need to borrow to serve your meal. In addition to platters and bowls, don’t forget utensils such as tongs or ladles. “Then when a friend asks you, ‘What can I bring?’ you can say, ‘Can you bring a wide serving dish?’ or ‘Can you bring serving spoons?’ ”

10. Consider a caterer

“For a company holiday party, we did a pretty traditional menu of roast beef, some sliced chicken, potatoes, and green beans. If that’s not something you love to make yourself, so many different caterers can do that,” Rodriguez says. “That’s more top-tier, and they will come in with staff and bring chafing dishes.” If you’re willing to do the setup, restaurants and grocery stores can be a budget-friendly alternative. “We have done a fiesta-themed holiday party with a cool taco bar setup from a local taqueria,” Rodriguez says. “There are also great middle-tier options, like catering from Costco or Jewel: premade trays of sandwiches, fruit, little appetizers.”

11. Make it snacky

A formal sit-down dinner is lovely, but it might not be the best fit. “When a group of my friends and I get together, we just want to talk to each other rather than eat a big meal,” Munion says. “So we all bring something snacky like homemade guacamole and dips—things we can pile on a plate and walk around and chat with each other. It’s more fun than just sitting at a table.”

12. Ask about allergies

A good host makes sure all guests can safely eat. “If you want to have your favorite cranberry-cheese appetizer but some of your family is lactose-intolerant and you don’t offer an alternative, that shows you’re not really thinking about your guests,” Munion says. “So I suggest asking about allergens and sitting down with your list of guests and gauging what their needs are.” For a buffet, take the time to label what you’re serving. “Allergens are important, and you don’t want to be pulled away every five seconds by someone asking, ‘What does this have in it?’ ” Munion says.

13. Hire extra hands

Full-service caterers or bartenders typically handle setup and cleanup. But what if you need just a little help? “Maybe you need someone to set up the catering trays, clean up spills, put plates out, make sure the leftovers are packed up and sent off with guests,” Munion says. “There are a lot of wonderful, smart teenagers in your community, and this is a great skill to learn. Think about the people in your life who may like to do this sort of thing naturally…and just as you would pay them for babysitting, have them come early and show them the ropes. This is how a lot of us got started in the business, working for friends or family. Too often we assume that a 16-year-old can’t do stuff, but they can.” It’s a low-cost add that’s a win for everyone involved. “Outsourcing those tasks could allow you as a host to be fully present with your guests and really elevates the experience for everyone.”

Decor

14. Deck your halls

“What I love about entertaining is the excuse to get the house as good as it can be—not just clean, but aesthetically shined up; I take the opportunity to hone in on different areas and make them as good as they can be,” says Ashley Aiken, who runs gift and home decor boutique Good Roots in Glen Ellyn with co-owner Lindsay Palm. If you only have the time or budget to focus on one area, let it be where your guests will enter. “I think the entryway is a nice place to focus on because it sets the tone for the rest of the house,” Aiken says. “I love just having a plant there and a candle burning, just so it smells good right when people walk in.”

15. Upgrade your tablescape

“I always say the easiest upgrade to your table is different placemats because that will be the most noticeable change,” says Olivia Stout-Shoger, manager of The Apartment, a downtown Naperville boutique specializing in gifts and goods for entertaining. “You can keep your china set you already have, but add placemats in a different color or a different shape.” Looking for other ideas to level up? “What I think elevates your table from a casual to a formal dinner is adding a napkin ring and a cloth napkin,” she says, “Whether they’re mismatched or all cohesive, it’s a small touch that can just change the whole vibe of your table.”

16. Go for offbeat greens

Greenery brings life to a space, and it doesn’t have to be traditional evergreens. “There are plants that are so easy, like snake plants and ZZ plants that we recommend for people who are just starting out or have low light or no time to water anything,” Aiken says. “Having something that is green and alive just makes a space feel good.” Or just add string lights to your houseplants. “You can put twinkle lights on any kind of tree, not just a pine tree.”

17. Something old

If you have an heirloom ice bucket or vintage glassware collecting dust, now’s the time to break them out. “A party is a great opportunity to get out anything that has a history behind it,” Stout-Shoger says. “Even if you don’t have an actual bar area in your home, you can set out a little beverage station with beautiful glassware and pitchers or pieces that will make a statement. Maybe you thrifted it in Italy, or maybe you bought it at [a local boutique.] But it gives your guests an opportunity to say, ‘Where did you get this?’ and you get to tell the story behind it and that makes such a special moment.”

18. Keep it simple

“We love a space looking beautiful, but we have kids and pets and houses and we are trying to do the most we can with the least amount of energy sometimes,” says Aiken, speaking for herself and Good Roots co-owner Lindsay Palm. “We go buy a wreath at a local business and then put it on the table and put one of our glass hurricanes with a candle in the middle. It’s so simple, but it looks so good.” They’ve also noticed that their customers have taken to putting their Christmas trees in ceramic planters from their shop. “It makes it look more like furniture,” Aiken says. “And then when it’s time to put away the tree, they replace it with a plant. We sell a lot of big trees of all kinds after the holidays because when people put away their Christmas, they find themselves craving that green in their space still.”

19. Go all in with a theme

Bored by your usual holiday decor? An offbeat theme can provide some fresh inspiration. “We all see the same things over and over, so a little variety is fun for the host and the guest,” Rodriguez says. “One of my holiday clients chooses a fun theme every year. This past year, it was A Christmas Story, so down in their basement, we created the 1940s holiday look. Upstairs, we recreated the Chinese restaurant scene with beautiful Chinese decorations and food from her local Chinese restaurant,” Rodriguez says. Themes from past years have included “A Cowboy Christmas” with paisley and poinsettia decor and “Log Cabin Christmas” with plaid, wooden elements and lots of twinkle lights. “For my company, we did a chocolate-themed holiday party. We lit chocolate candles, we served chocolate martinis and had really rich brown satin linens. We mixed some Ferrero Rocher [candies] into the flowers,” Rodriguez says.

Drinks

20. Hire bartending help

For high-end beverage service at your shindig, consider outsourcing to the pros. “There are traveling bartender companies, and some of those will talk to you and create a signature drink for you,” Rodriguez says. “They will tell you the quantities you need to go buy or they will buy it for you. They show up, set up the bar, provide service, and clean up the bar.”

21. Build your own bar

Bartending service not in the budget? Go the DIY route. “You can go to a place like Costco or Binny’s and take advantage of bulk deals,” Rodriguez says. “I know Binny’s has a buyback program [for unopened bottles], and each store typically has a sales coordinator that will talk to you about events and help guide you to what you need. There are very good online calculators available now [to estimate how much you need], but it is nice to talk it through with an actual person and be able to ask questions.”

22. Pour a signature cocktail

“I think it’s so important to give your guests talkable moments or places where they can have a good conversation with other people around,” says Stout-Shoger. A signature drink-making station gives guests an entry point to interact. “We have all these great cocktail books with hundreds of recipes to choose from to make a signature drink for the night. You can even print out the recipe on a card, and it can be a cute takeaway for your guests.”

23. Watch the drinks

If you’re offering a self-serve bar, make it manageable and safe. “I tend to shy away from guests pouring their own drinks. If it’s going to be an open-bar situation, I would suggest maybe monitoring the size of cups or not having so much alcohol out at one time,” Rodriguez says. “If you offer a pitcher of signature drinks, then you are controlling how much [alcohol] goes in there. Having beer and wine only is also totally acceptable nowadays.”

24. How much bubbly?

Wondering how much sparkling wine to buy for your New Year’s Eve bash? “One bottle of bubbly is five glasses if you’re doing a normal five-ounce pour,” says Vicki Sowa, owner of Bubbly Side of Life in Downers Grove. “I always tell my customers, ‘You know your drinkers.’ But the average is that a guest will have two glasses in the first hour and then one glass the next hour until the party ends.”

25. Put it on ice

For an easy yet festive cocktail, Sowa suggests making ice cubes out of juice to pair with sparkling wine. “You put the ice cube into the glass and top with bubbly, and as the ice cubes are melting, the drink evolves over time,” she says. White cranberry juice frozen in ice cube trays shaped like stars or snowflakes is her go-to.

26. Add spirit-free options

Keep in mind not everyone chooses to celebrate with boozy eggnog and flutes of Champagne. “Think creatively about what you want to offer for people who do not drink alcohol,” Munion says. “When you’re hosting at home, your guests don’t have the flexibility they do at a venue to just get something at the bar. Have options for people to make some fun mocktails or have cool sodas that aren’t just Coke and Sprite.”

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Season’s Sipping

With a bright hue and crisp, citrusy bite, an Aperol Spritz is a go-to drink order in warm weather. For winter celebrations, Vicki Sowa, owner of Downers Grove sparkling wine shop Bubbly Side of Life, likes to give this classic patio cocktail a seasonal twist with tart cherry juice.

Here’s her recipe:

Tart Cherry Aperol Spritz

3 ounces brut prosecco*
2 ounces Aperol
1 ounce tart cherry juice
½ to 1 ounce cherry-flavored sparkling water or sparkling apple-cherry cider (optional)
Cocktail cherries

* Sowa’s go-to brut prosecco for this recipe is from 90+ Cellars

Chill liquid ingredients in advance of your celebration. When you’re ready for a cocktail, pour Aperol and tart cherry juice into your favorite glass and top with sparkling wine and optional sparkling water or cider. Garnish with a cocktail cherry.

Ambience & More

27. Lights, temperature, action

Though preparing food and drink often consumes the most bandwidth when it comes to hosting, don’t overlook other conditions that keep your guests comfortable while in your home. “This is very small, but the ambience for parties is big in my mind, and that can include the temperature. You want your guests to be comfortable,” Rodriguez says. A house full of guests donning their ugliest holiday sweaters may need the thermostat dialed down or a window cracked open, for example. “You can also create a cozier ambience by turning certain lights in your home on or off,” Rodriguez says. Experiment beforehand with dimming overhead lights and turning on tabletop lamps for a warmer vibe.

28. Choose a signature scent

“I would love for people to discover what a big impact that fragrance can have on your space—it evokes a feeling,” says Aiken of Good Roots, which carries its own line of candles and incense. “I like the concept of houses having their own signature scent. When people walk into my house when I’m entertaining, I’ll have one candle, maybe two candles on the whole first floor burning, and they really fill the room but don’t overwhelm. It’s just in the background, like music.”

29. Set expectations

If your hosting style leans toward laid-back, you might not care to stress too much about things like a dress code or parking. However, being clear about these kinds of details in your invitation can help reduce anxiety or potential embarrassment for your guests—and curb those last-minute “What should I wear?” and “OK if I park in the driveway?” texts when you’re deep in party prep mode. “If someone comes in heels and a cocktail dress and someone else is in sweatpants, that’s going to be uncomfortable, so provide your guests with some sort of structure, even if it’s loose,” Munion says. Being clear about when food is being served can help make sure you’re not awkwardly waiting on latecomers to carve the turkey. “Share details such as ‘You’re welcome to come over from this time to this time; it’s open house,’ or ‘We are going to be eating at this time, so come ready to chow down.’ ”

30. Be present

If gift-giving is a valued holiday tradition but your group has grown too large for the usual gifts-for-all approach, consider shifting to a group exchange. “In my family growing up, we always hosted a huge Christmas party with family from both sides and some of our neighbors, and we always did a big gift exchange,” Stout-Shoger says. “When it got so big that we couldn’t buy presents for every single person there…Instead of gifts, we all brought a $50 gift card to a restaurant, a shop, or another local place.” Gift cards go in a pile and guests draw numbers to see who gets first pick. Then the next guest can choose to open a new card or steal the one that’s just been opened. “It was an opportunity to support local businesses, and some people got a gift card to a place they had never been to, or a restaurant they could go to for date night or with friends. And you don’t have to worry about, ‘Will they like this candle scent?’ They can get exactly what they want.”

31. Smile, this is fun!

Take a deep breath and remember the host gets to enjoy the party, too. “It’s hard sometimes to remember this as a host, and it can feel stressful,” Munion says. “But people have been hosting for thousands of years, and you can do it—so don’t forget to have fun.”

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You’re Invited

If time and budget permits, a paper invitation sets the tone and telegraphs to guests that your celebration is not to be missed. “I’m kind of an old-fashioned gal, so I love a hard copy of an invitation,” says Sarah Rodriguez of Sarah Kathleen Events in Winfield. “If you have a theme, it’s another way to introduce it to your guests.” For her client’s How the Grinch Stole Christmas–themed party, they sent guests invitations that were thoroughly Whovillian. “The front was designed to look like a Dr. Seuss poem and the back was green fur,” Rodriguez says. “It was just another way of bringing that theme to the forefront.”

Though she’s partial to paper, Rodriguez says it’s not always necessary to go all-out with invitations. “For a smaller party, an online invitation is totally appropriate,” she says. “Paperless Post is fantastic for that, and it has easy tracking so you can see who has opened it. You can still customize the look of the invitation.”

Photos: miss_j/getty images; Vanit Janthra/Getty Images; jenifoto/Getty Images; Tom Merton/Getty Images (entryway); Svetlana-Cherruty/Getty Images (place setting); Polina Lebed/Getty Images (Greenery); 5PH/Getty Images; Oleksandra Yagello/Getty Images (candle); Drazen Zigic/Getty Images (party)