This post was sponsored by Milo’s Tea Company. All photos and opinions are mine and should not be used without written permission. #MilosMoments
‘Tis the season for holiday entertaining, Thanksgiving potlucks, Christmas parties, and New Year’s celebrations. I look forward to it every year, but it always seems to go by so quickly! Since my favorite holiday is Christmas, Christmas is a big deal in our house! We love going on hayrides, driving around seeing Christmas lights on people’s houses, and finding the perfect gifts for one another. But one of the best parts of the holidays are the parties. Opening our home and getting together with friends and family members is the name of the game all season long. But let me tell you, it can easily stress even the most seasoned hostess out!
Over the years, I’ve learned a few tricks to help me manage the holiday hustle and bustle of hosting a party and I’m sharing these tips with you today! So, whether it’s a cookie exchange or a laid back evening around the fire pit, here’s my top 5 stress-busting holiday entertaining tips:
- Don’t stress trying to make all your decor holiday themed. Choose a couple key pieces that scream CHRISTMAS and then use items you already have around the house for most of your decorating. This glass jar was something I already had around the house. I added battery-powered miniature twinkle lights, some seasonal greenery, a ribbon, and voila! This holiday-ish centerpiece is ready for guests to enjoy and it cost me almost nothing to put together.
- Potluck is your best friend. Seriously. Don’t try to be Super Hostess and do everything yourself – all you’ll do is stress yourself out. Plus, guests love helping and feeling useful (and showing off what they brought to the party as well)
- Serve Milo’s Tea. Here in Texas, we love our sweet tea, and on most holiday-time parties, it’s still 90 degrees outside and it’s the perfect drink to enjoy! Milo’s Tea is a delicious, award winning tea that comes in several varieties like sweetened with pure cane sugar, no calorie sweetened with sucralose, or unsweet. Milo’s teas are all natural with a clean ingredient list and do not contain preservatives or added acids – plus they’re fresh brewed from real tea leaves. You can find Milo’s in the refrigerated juice section of your local supermarket; just use their product locator to find a retailer near you.
- Accept the help. During the party, the trash will need to be taken out (sometimes more than once), dishes will need to be washed, vegetables cut, and ice refilled. If one of your party-goers offers to help, let them! They’ll feel useful and you’ll be so thankful someone is there to help you. I myself tend to be awkward at small talk at parties, so I love helping the hostess in the kitchen and doing the “dirty work”.
- Get your house professionally cleaned after the party. Inevitably, when more people are added to the mix of your home, there’s going to be a lot more dishes, dirt tracked in, and bathroom usage. So, take a breather and hire a maid service to come in the day after the party to get your home sparkling clean again.
If you’d like to see more tips like these, follow me on Pinterest!
