18 Hosting Hacks Your Guests Will Remember You For
As we head into the final, most festive days of the holiday season, we're sharing a round of smart hosting ideas guaranteed to make your parties memorable! Image: Instagram/@ainttooproudtomeg
Whether you’re hosting a holiday affair within the next couple of weeks or just contributing, you’ll love these clever party hacks our team has picked up lately on social media. From easy appetizers to napkin folding techniques for all skill levels, you may just find a new signature move!
Christmas Cheese Trees
This holiday appetizer couldn’t be any cuter, or any easier. All you need is cheese wedges, some herbs and spices, and pretzel sticks — no cooking required. You can use whatever semi-firm white cheese and toppings you like, but the combination of fresh rosemary and red pepper flakes used here by @togetherboom would be hard to beat.
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Champagne Dos and Don’ts
These tips come from the queen of hosting hacks herself, @brunchwithbabs. This video covers how to quickly chill a bottle of champagne, how to keep your bottle from going flat, and even how to reinvigorate an open bottle that has gone flat.
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No Detail Untouched
A fabulous idea for year-round hosting, this post from @madamesweat suggests a clever way to make your guests feel cared for at every turn. Why didn’t we think of this?!
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Tension Rod Garland
It’s not too late to add a little wow factor to your interior entryways! Demonstrated here by @modernglamhome, wrapping a tension rod in garland, lights, and whatever other supplies you may have on hand is a quick and easy way to dress up your space in time for guests.
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Easy Butter Candle
You’ve likely seen the “butter candle” trend making the rounds on social media this year, but this method from @brandimilloy may be the simplest one we’ve come across. She flavored her compound butter with lemon zest, Mike’s Hot Honey, sage brown butter, roasted garlic, red pepper flakes, and Himalayan sea salt — but you could use whatever combination you like!
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Magic Dust
Colored sugar and sprinkles aren’t just for cookies and cocktail rims. Thanks to this idea from @buildingitbeachy, we’ll be throwing a little red and green into our sugar bowls for the rest of the month. You could even add in some sugar pearls or snowflakes!
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Double-Duty Floral Arrangements
Make your arrangements really work this year. In this post, @redeuxstyle highlights how she repurposes candle holders into a vase that doubles as a light fixture! So much easier than you think.
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Make It Dainty
Another fabulous year-round idea — but especially sweet during the holidays — is to dress up your glassware with little embellishments. This time of year, opt for a velvet ribbon like @pheoberreynolds uses here to match your decor. If guests will be mingling and you’re worried about keeping track of glasses, you could even do a few different shades.
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Parchment Paper Tablecloth
This tip from @bakingbai is especially great for potluck occasions. Just leave out a few markers so that folks can label their own dishes! Once everyone has gone for the evening, cleanup will be a breeze.
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No-Helium Balloons
Skip the expense of helium and the headache of meticulously creating those little loops of Scotch tape! This trick shared by @evite is great for New Year’s Eve, birthday parties, baby showers, and more.
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Dip Tip
No specialty chip-and-dip vessels? No problem. Place a sturdy wine glass in the middle of your bowl or platter to elevate your dip (or whatever topping you’re offering) above the other components of your snack. Thanks to @homemakerella for this one!
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Garnish Board
You can make a board for just about everything these days, including cocktail garnishes. If you’re offering a self-serve beverage situation of any kind — cocktails, mimosas, Bloody Marys, even hot chocolate — create a show-stopping display like this one from @ainttooproudtomeg by arranging all of your garnishes on the serving board.
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Muffin Tin Ice
You don’t need specialty trays to make beautiful ice cubes for your holiday parties. Just use your muffin tin, a la @morganaliceb! Cranberries, orange slices, and rosemary sprigs make a pretty presentation for winter occasions, but use any fresh fruit and herbs you like.
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For Last-Minute Gifts
We’ve all had those last-minute additions to the guest list — you don’t want them to be the only ones without a gift to open, but you’re running low on everything, including gift wrap. The gift-wrapping hack demonstrated here by @carcabaroad could be a lifesaver!
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Napkin Bows
Make every last detail festive by arranging your napkins into pretty shapes. This napkin hack from @jillcomesclean — and the two that follow it — are great ideas for all folding skill levels.
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Christmas Tree Napkin Place Settings
These Christmas tree napkins are too cute to be true, either on their own or paired with a star-shaped name card to place on top. Here, @athomewith.shannon uses a classic green and gold color combination, but you can mix and match to suit your aesthetic.
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No-Fuss Napkins
Or, if folding and arranging really isn’t your thing, but you still want a beautiful napkin display — opt for this extra-easy method from @simplystyledinspo. Your guests will be totally charmed (especially if fancy napkins aren’t your usual vibe).
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Perk up your tree!
If your tree is starting to droop or has unsightly gaps, pick up some fresh flowers or greenery to fill them in. Here, @noteworthygift opts for baby’s breath, but you could really use any floral filler that suits your decor scheme.
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Happy hosting!
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Alissa Harb
Alissa Harb is StyleBlueprint's Managing Editor, based in Nashville. A lifelong Tennessee native, Alissa has over 14 years of experience in digital media and loves writing about food, travel, and entertaining. She is a lover of dogs, true crime, and ordering for the table.