Hosting A Holiday Party Made Easy With Lifestyle Expert Maris Callahan
CHICAGO (CBS) -- We're really into the holiday crunch. Hanukkah begins Sunday at sundown, and Christmas and New Year's are just days away.
If you're hosting a holiday celebration, lifestyle expert Maris Callahan has some ideas for last-minute entertaining:
Whether you have friends dropping by at the last minute, or your holiday guest list keeps growing, it's super easy to make your holiday season special. We have a few simple ideas to help you elevate your holiday party, even if you have no time to plan.
Greet your guests: My favorite entertaining tip is to always have something ready for your guests to snack on when they come in the door, whether it's a cheese plate or something festive, like a Caprese candy cane board. http://www.eatingwell.com/article/2060632/this-5-ingredient-caprese-candy-cane-board-is-the-cutest-holiday-appetizer/
Make a signature cocktail: Create a special cocktail to greet your guests -- I like to do a fun twist on something classic like a Christmas Old Fashioned with cranberries and cinnamon, or an apple cider mimosa with cinnamon sugar.
Make dinner quick & easy: Let's say your holiday guests arrive a day early, or you have to pull together a quick family dinner. Home Chef meal kits have all of the fresh, pre-portioned ingredients that you need to cook dinner in under 30 minutes. All of the ingredients come in a box, from Mariano's or on homechef.com.
Set the perfect table, but do none of the dishes: Coterie Party is a party kit company that lets you order your perfect tablescape online. You can choose from their theme boxes, or you can mix and match your favorite styles. The site is perfect for a Christmas party, or you can use some of the options for New Year's Eve to make any occasion festive. Coterieparty.com also has partnered with Draper James to offer a holiday collection.
Don't Forget Dessert: You may have noticed that Molly's Cupcakes shops have been popping up all over the city, and they have some beautiful holiday themed cupcakes for every occasion. Grab yours from any one of their shops or order online and they'll deliver.
