​CaterHire's Top Tips For Hosting Christmas Dinner at Home 2024

The festive season is almost upon us, and perhaps it’s your turn to host again, or maybe it’s your first time welcoming your nearest and dearest to your home for the festivities. Forget burnt roasties and squabbling over the last mince pie, our Complete Guide to Hosting Christmas Dinner has everything you’ll need to arrange a delightful Christmas Day for you and your guests. Simply follow these tips…

Consider Your Guest List

If you’ve ever spent Christmas Day crammed round a relative’s table on a patio chair (the more, the merrier!), you’ll understand the importance of having enough space to comfortably host your guests.

To maximise space, you can rearrange furniture to create an open area where guests can mingle. Remember, if you don’t have a spacious kitchen for hosting, other areas of the house, such as the living room or even a hallway can be used. Need a table large enough for all your invitees? Check out our range of Banquet & Dining Tables available for hire, or our Christmas Dining Party at Home for 10 Guests and Christmas Fine Dining Hire Package for 10 guests packages. And if you need some extra chairs, look no further than our Banquet & Dining Chairs for hire, perfect for a Christmas gathering.

Also keep in mind that whilst you may want to invite all of your closest family and friends and show off your entertaining and culinary skills, more guests will mean more work. Unless you’re hiring caterers and have an industrial kitchen, this can prove quite challenging! 

Send Invitations Early

Of course, it’s not necessary to send actual formal invitations to guests, but you should let your guests know your intention of hosting in plenty of time. Invite guests at least 6-8 weeks before Christmas, or earlier if you know that your guests like to plan ahead.

Prepare, Prepare, Prepare

While quite an obvious one, this tip is essentially the most important. As soon as it’s confirmed that you’re hosting, it’s time to get planning. Lists will be your friend here! Perhaps you’ll prefer to do one significant shop for your ingredients and other necessities, or maybe you like to add to your regular food shop in increments (this is a good way to spread costs if you’re on a budget). You should try to get everything in good time (but be wary of items with shorter expiration dates. You can leave things like vegetables until the week of Christmas to ensure everything is as fresh as possible), there’s nothing quite as stressful as a supermarket sweep on Christmas Eve!

Keep It Simple

Remember, the first Christmas was pretty simple, it’s okay if yours is too! Cooking a Christmas Dinner can seem daunting, especially if it’s your first time, but it may help if you simply think of it as an elevated roast dinner. Keep the main components of the meal fairly traditional; most guests will be pleased with the usual favourites like turkey, ham, potatoes, stuffing and a selection of vegetables. If you wish to add anything extra besides starter and dessert courses, practice a few times in advance so that you’re confident and prepared on the day. And if you don’t feel comfortable with cooking your Christmas Dinner from scratch, there are plenty of other options available, such as a buffet style meal or some handy, pre-packed items in supermarkets that you can simply put in the oven with very little prep work involved.

Consider Dietary Requirements

You may have guests with vegetarian, vegan, coeliac or other diets. Here, you can make separate dishes for your guests, or to avoid extra preparation and cooking, you could ensure everything cooked is suitable for all guests to enjoy. There are many options available today, so you can check out the “free from” aisles when shopping and research some diet-specific festive recipes to make your Christmas is as inclusive as possible for everyone.

Signature Drinks

Increasingly popular in recent years, the signature drink has made its way onto many a festive menu. Stocking every guest’s favourite tipple can prove both space-consuming and expensive, so we recommend opting for an alcoholic and non-alcoholic beverage that can be enjoyed by all. Need some inspiration? Check out our blog on Six Must Have Cocktails for Your Christmas Party!

Bring a Dish

Guests will often arrive to your home with a gift as a token of their gratitude for your hosting. If you know your guests well, you may be comfortable with asking them to instead bring a dish. This can help to save time and costs. This should be well-coordinated between you and your guests to ensure everyone knows what they’re bringing (otherwise you may end up with three lots of Brussels sprouts!).

Tablescaping

If there was ever a time to use your favourite crockery and glassware, it’s Christmas! It’s the perfect occasion to pull out all the stops and put your charger plates and champagne flutes to good use. Need extra crockery and glassware? Check out our crockery and glassware available for hire!

A theme is entirely optional, but it’s a great way to wow your guests and tie your table setting together, and you can have a lot of fun with it. Some ideas include a winter woodland, candy cane stripes, vintage Christmas and silver sparkles.

Christmas is an ideal time to opt for rich, bold hues such as red, forest green or mustard for table linen. Other popular winter colours include navy, gold and silver.

Candles are a great option for bringing some light, warmth and scent to your table, whether you choose tea lights, pillars or tapered candles. Foliage will make for a beautiful tablescape, and there are plenty of options available, like ivy, fern and eucalyptus. Arrange your foliage to make a festive garland for your table, and add a scattering of pine cones for the finishing touch!

For inspiration, check out our Top Tips for Creating The Perfect Christmas Table!

Have a question? Contact us at 01 294 3111 or info@caterhire.ie where our team will be happy to help with any queries you may have. CaterHire: Ireland’s leading Event & Party Hire Specialist.