Your Holiday Game Plan: Menus, Tips, and Checklists for Your Best Holiday Yet

The holidays can bring up a bunch of emotions—mostly excitement and joy!—but for many of us, there’s also a little bit (or a lot) of stress in the mix. There are so many festivities during the season that require lots of planning and prepping, that feeling overwhelmed is understandable. But fear not! This year will be your year. You will be extra-ready for any and all bumps and hiccups surrounding your holiday soirees with help from our ultimate planning guide.

We’ll take you from planning no-fuss meals and libations to nailing guest room set-ups, and most importantly, hosting your celebrations with ease. Your home will be a worry-free zone during the busiest time of the year after you’ve armed yourself with our best party-prepping strategies.

Plan Your Feast

For a memorable get-together, delicious nibbles and drinks are a must. You can take a lot of the pressure off of yourself by preparing all the fare in advance. Hearty breakfast casseroles are the perfect go-to dishes—they’re crowd-pleasing, one-pot meals you can make a few days beforehand and just reheat the day of your event. There are other Christmas brunch ideas that are just as easy and impressive and will satisfy both savory and sweet palates, like a tasty strawberry buckle or waffle fries. Keep drinks simple and straightforward with a proper holiday punch you can make ahead of time. And don’t forget dessert. No need to bake anything complicated or time-consuming—bite-sized, mini desserts are the ideal sweet note to end on for guests.

Hone Your Hosting Skills

Entertaining like a pro doesn’t always come naturally to everyone. It can be a little anxiety-inducing when you welcome people into your home. After all, you want everyone to have a good time! There are plenty of ways to make the process easier though, like outsourcing what you can, working backwards off a timeline, and even preparing your toast in advance. (Getting those little things done early can really make a difference!) Other ways to reduce the stress, and create a pleasant ambience for guests at the same time, include lighting fragrant candles and creating a playlist with a mix of classic and fresh holiday tunes. And of course, sprucing up the house is essential, but don’t worry if you haven’t done a deep cleaning in a while. There are time-saving measures you can take to make your home sparkle for the holidays, like stashing things in baskets—your guests will never know you took shortcuts to tidy up.

Ready Your Guest Room

You might have a few guests swinging by for a longer stay, and with that in mind, you’ll need to arrange their sleeping quarters properly—the ultimate guest room essentials checklist will make sure you don’t miss a thing and that rooms are thoroughly outfitted for their arrival. And if you don’t have a guest room, that’s okay! You can turn just about any space into one with the right sofa bed or air mattress. As for the other details in your home, stick to simple prepping strategies that guarantee your overnighters have a comfy stay, such as a stocked snack tray in the kitchen or a basket of board games in the den to keep the fun going.