Christmas Hosting: Tips to help you be the perfect host

Christmas Hosting: Tips to help you be the perfect host

Is the Christmas celebration happening at your house? Here are tips to help you be a great host. 

Family gathered for Christmas
Family gathered for Christmas/ iStock

Christmas is a time for making memories with our loved ones. It is a great time to just appreciate people that are dear to us and celebrate what we have.

If you happen to be one of the people that will be hosting visitors this Christmas, we know just how stressful that can be. 

This is why we have put together tips to ensure that you give your guests the time of their life.

But first things first, before we get to the tips, remember that nothing beats authenticity. You don't have to be someone else in order to impress. Your friends and loved ones love and appreciate you for who you are. So, don't feel pressurised to put on a persona in order to be the perfect host. 

Now let's get to the tips:

Food

Food, food, food! Christmas is a time to have a feast. Your guests will be expecting to have delicious meals.

So, there are three ways of going about this -  if you're a great cook, go ahead and prepare the best recipes to spoil your guests. If you are not a great cook, maybe ask your guests to bring a dish and you can have a braai and also provide dessert. A braai is not difficult to make and people love braai meat. Then the third option is to hire a chef or pay someone to cook for you and go collect the food before your guests arrive. You don't even have to tell a soul that you did not prepare the food yourself.

Music

There are lots of great Christmas songs that will get everybody dancing and in the mood for celebration. The playlist is very important because music can change the mood. So, if you don't have Christmas albums in your house, better go buy some now. Remember, it is very important for you to have a proper playlist. Listen to the music first and ensure that it flows. But, the moment the guests are in your house, look at how they are responding to the music because we might not all have the same taste. If needs be, be flexible enough to change songs.

Christmas decor

Decorate your house for Christmas. Christmas decor has a way of getting everybody fired up for Christmas. Have a spot for the Christmas gifts and ensure that you also buy gifts for your guests. Don't forget to ensure that you have enough chairs for everybody to be able to sit on. 

Games for kids

Children can be a pain if not entertained. They will do all sorts of things to try and get your attention.  To ensure that you and your guests can enjoy yourselves, have activities planned for the children. Hire a Jumping Castle, or provide toys. Just make sure they have lots of fun and that way they won't always be in your face.

Chillax

Don't be so worried about being the best host that you rob yourself of having fun. Sit down with your guests, laugh, joke, dance, and have fun. You can worry about the dishes and other things later. Just don't be a host who hardly engages with his/her guests. 

Image courtesy of iStock/ SeventyFour

READ: Meals to serve on the Christmas table

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