How to Plan a Potluck Christmas Party

Christmas time is a great opportunity to get together with family and friends to celebrate. A potluck Christmas party is a good way to host a party in your home without spending all day in the kitchen cooking. Additionally, you avoid paying all the expense because in a potluck party, each guest brings a dish. Planning a potluck Christmas Party is simple if you plan well in advance. Read on to learn how to plan a potluck Christmas party.

Difficulty:

Moderate

Instructions

1. Consider how many people can comfortably eat and socialize in your home. If you only have seating room for a small number of people, you can have an appetizers only party where guest don't sit down to eat but rather stand up, while eating hors d'oeuvres. Make the guest list, and try to include an equal number of men and women.

2. Pick a date for the party. Usually the week before and after Christmas are relatively busy for most people with many out of town. Therefore it may be best to schedule the party two weeks in advance of Christmas. A Friday or Saturday night is an ideal time for a potluck Christmas Party.

3. Plan the menu in detail. For a dinner party, as the host you should provide the main course. Then you ask your guests to bring salad, appetizers, side dishes, bread, dessert, beverages and other items you may need, such as extra chairs, china and glasses. If you are having an appetizer party, each guest can bring a hot or cold appetizer dish.

4. Invite your guests by telephone. Even in this day and age of computers, it is not proper etiquette to invite guests by email. When you are inviting guests, inform them that it is a potluck and ask what they would like to bring.

5. Keep a list of what each person is bringing so that you don't end up with 12 desserts and no side orders or beverages. You don't have to assign each person an exact dish, but ask if they could bring a dessert or whatever category you need.

6. Remind the guests about the party one week ahead of time. If you have cancellations, you can invite others if you would like.

7. Decorate your home with Christmas decorations. Clean your house and begin preparing the main course the night before the party.

8. Have fun on the day of the event. Don't stress yourself out about small details.

Tips & Warnings

• Play Christmas carols on a low volume to provide background noise at the party.

• Don't forget ice for beverages.

Resources

• Parties-Planning.com for Tips
• Potluck Recipes From Teriskitchen.com