Simple Ways to Shine as a Hostess This Holiday Season

The holidays are drawing closer and you might have familia coming your way. Don’t stress! Use these simple tips to impress your guests. First up: Add a low vase of fresh flowers to your table or living room to add instant beauty to your home. The day before your get together, head to the flower shop for a bunch of white blooms and a few bright ones. Trim the stems and leaves below the waterline. Banana leaves can also hide ugly stems and bring a festive touch to your vase.

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Welcome people to a clean home and they might not notice, but they will definitely notice if it’s not. Clean all the major stuff — bathrooms, the stove top, floors, clutter — a few days in advance. That way, you just have to tidy up the day before. If you can swing the expense, hiring a cleaning service for the day before your get together can make life much easier on you.

If you have people staying over for several hours, they’re bound to use your bathroom. Freshen up your towels by washing them in hot water (sans detergent) — once with a cup of vinegar and a second time with just a scoop of baking soda. Have plenty of toilet paper, towels, and your favorite liquid hand soap. If you’d rather skip the extra laundry afterward, put festive disposable towelettes next to the sink so your guests use those instead of your towels.

The first impression is the most important. After welcoming your guests, offer them drinks and something light to eat. For a crowd pleasing cheese plate: arrange brie, aged cheddar, stilton, goat cheese, cured salami, Spanish chorizo, honey, almonds, grapes, and fig wedges. Don’t forget the sliced baguette.

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People will always remember how you made them feel, so make them feel special. This could mean buying your parents’ favorite wine or preparing a festive cocktail. Make a pitcher of your favorite seasonal recipe ahead of time. For a few ideas bound to impress, check out this recipe for a mango scotch bonnet margarita or this coconut guava cocktail and adjust measurements to fit your party.

If you’re like me, you have go-to quality caterer. This can be a great help if you’re entertaining a big group. If you prefer to cook everything yourself, preparation is key. You don’t want to be running out to find an ingredient the day of your get-together or doing much cooking after your guests have arrived, so plan ahead and cook early. Only delay dishes that have to be served immediately.

There’s an art to serving, and part of being a gracious hostess means your guests never have to ask for more food or drink. Refill your guests’ glasses unless they stop you — and like all good Latina moms do, make sure everyone has had plenty to eat. You can make this easier on yourself by having wine bottles within reach at all times. Also remember to have on hand as many serving utensils and dishes as you’ll need.

It’s time to break out your best manteles. Don’t have any or prefer to show off a pretty table? Focus on placemats and napkins. You can make napkin rings using leaves, sprigs of rosemary, and seasonal flowers. Enlist the help of your kids to draw and cutout their own designs — pumpkins, leaves, pine trees or snowflakes are all holiday favorites. Just tie whatever you’re using with a bit of twine.

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There’s an art to serving, and part of being a gracious hostess means your guests never have to ask for more food or drink. Refill your guests’ glasses unless they stop you — and like all good Latina moms do, make sure everyone has had plenty to eat. You can make this easier on yourself by having wine bottles within reach at all times. Also remember to have on hand as many serving utensils and dishes as you’ll need.

If you want to stand out like a truly wonderful hostess, send thank you notes in the days following your party. In them, thank your friends and family for their company and express how much you loved spending time with them. If you must resort to sending thank you emails or text messages, make sure that each one is personalized. For a fun touch, you can also add a few photos from your party or a link to a service where your guests can share photos with each other from the event.