By Izzy Giacoppo

Hosting for the holidays is a huge responsibility. First, you have to prepare; there is cleaning, organizing, decorating, shopping, and cooking to do. Then, you must entertain guests and clean up when they leave. You will likely feel proud after hosting, but exhausted as well. Even if people enjoy hosting, the exhaustion that it brings might discourage them from hosting again. No one should feel discouraged from doing the things that bring them joy, so here are our top three pieces of advice for reducing stress when you host.

1. Ask your guests to bring food.

For less stress in the kitchen, you can ask your guests to bring food. People love helping and sharing their food with others. You can tell guests to make whatever they want and guide them with a category (appetizer, main course, dessert, etc.). To ensure people do not make the same dish, you can make a groupchat with everyone who wants to bring something. Dinner would not work so well if everyone brings desserts!

2. Organize the preparation and serving of the food.

Even if you ask the guests to make all the food, there is the possibility you still might want to cook your own food. To make cooking easier, do your grocery shopping ahead of time, so you can get exactly what you need. Before you get to cooking, clean and organize your kitchen and make appropriate space for everything; that way, you can focus and work in the area smoothly. When you start cooking, it should be as early as possible. This will help you avoid worrying about cooking as your guests arrive. As early as possible can even be the night before. If you do this, you can heat up the food in buffet trays and have a buffet, which will make the dinner table less chaotic. At your buffet, have disposable plates, so there are fewer dishes to wash. Disposable plates may sound “tacky”, but stores will definitely have presentable and sturdy ones. Besides, people care more about what is on the plate rather than the plate itself.

3. Let your guests help out.

Guests also care about the host, AKA you! Your guests are grateful that you are working hard for them and want to return the favor. This is why you should not hesitate to ask one of them to be an assistant. This does not mean forcing a guest to not enjoy their time, but giving them a few simple tasks. You will find that having someone else handle a few smaller tasks can make a major difference. The holidays are about togetherness, so plenty of people will be more than happy to help you out. Working in the kitchen is much more fun when you have someone with you, and some of the best holiday memories are made in the kitchen with loved ones.