Holiday Hosting Essentials [30+ Items to Help You Entertain in Style]
Posted on November 21, 2018
Whether you’re hosting a few friends or your entire family at any point this holiday season, you need to be prepared! Mostly mentally ha, but also with all the right gadgets, gear and decor to ensure a flawless meal and an enjoyable experience for all! I’ve rounded up all of my very favorite entertaining pieces to give you The Ultimate Holiday Hosting Essentials Guide!
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As we enter holiday hosting season, take note of the pieces you might be missing or need to replace and start adding items little by little and take advantage of the upcoming Black Friday and Cyber Monday deals. 99% of the items I included can be used year-round, so stock up now, use them this holiday season and then pull them out all throughout the year!
These items aren’t in order of importance, so scroll through and see what catches your eye! Pick a few new pieces up for yourself or add them to your wishlist. The list is long and I’ll probably be adding more and updating the post over the next couple of weeks. I love hosting and it’s so fun to pull out my favorite entertaining essentials while sharing food and drink with family and friends!
1 | GOLD FLATWARE
I’ve had this gold flatware set for several years and they are so versatile!! They’ll work with any holiday decor or for any general occasion – year-round. I love the brushed matte gold vs a real shiny gold finish. We’ve put them in the dishwasher and they’ve held up after multiple washes. They used to come as individual pieces as well, but I think they only come as a set for now.
2 | BAR CART
There are soooo many different bar carts out there, but this gold and wooden bar cart is the one we’ve had in our dining room for a few years now. I actually covered the top and bottom shelves with marble contact paper, but I love the brass frame and tan leather handle. The wood is pretty, but I was looking for a little more of a chic look, so I covered it.
3 | WINE GLASSES
These edge wine glasses are absolutely a favorite of mine and we’ve had a set for several years. They have a unique shape and are elegant enough to use in a formal setting, but perfect for everyday use, too!! The quality is great, too. They’ve been used time and time again and I even put them on the top rack of the dishwasher. They are my go-to for sure!
4 | CHAMPAGNE FLUTES
We have the edge champagne flutes, too and received them as wedding gifts 7 years ago. Love!
5 | COCKTAIL GLASSES
These gold and silver mingle glasses are my fave and are on clearance after years and years! They can be used year round and look great setting out on your bar cart, on open kitchen shelving or behind glass doors in your china cabinet or kitchen cupboards
It’s always nice to have some paper drinking straws on hand. I love these gold paper drinking straws – stripes, stars, chevron and polka-dot!
8 | DECANTER / CARAFE
I have a few of these always sitting out on our bar cart. This gold decanter is so pretty and adds a festive flair, but you can’t go wrong with several glass decanters either. This everyday carafe can be filled with water, juice or wine and placed on your buffet or dining table for guests to help themselves. I also love these individual decanters for wine. They’re too cute! They make excellent mini vases, too!
9 | WINE OPENER
This electric wine opener is under $20 and 4.5 star rating with over 2,800 reviews! On my gift guide last year. We also still love our manual wine bottle opener, also under $20 and has a 2 year warranty!
10 | WINE STOPPER
This copper wine stopper is sleek and chic but also provides an airtight closure to any open bottles – I have this one in the silver finish.
11 | CHARGER PLATE
Add a charger plate on top of your placemat and under your dinner plate. I have a set of silver, gold and black which have me covered year-round. I tend to grab for these gold ones when I go to set a table. They are simple and look great under classic white plates, but can be dressed up a bit with fancier dinner plates. If I were to add any more to my collection, I would definitely snag these glass with gold beaded rim chargers or these hammered gold ones. And this raw edge on these gold chargers is gorgeous – such a great deal, too!
Carry a round of drinks from one room to another on a tray or just corral all the things on your counter on a tray! So many colors, sizes and shapes available, but I love this acrylic serving tray, this marble & brass one and this wooden option with handles [comes in 2 sizes!]. Stack your glasses or appetizer plates on your buffet table or center island for a polished look. Trays even work well outside of the kitchen on your bathroom counter or nightstand for guests. A vase of flowers, tissue box, a candle and a trinket holder look much less cluttered when they are all neatly placed in a tray.
Classic and simple! We use these round white porcelain plates as our everyday plates, but they can also be dressed up for holiday hosting or a weekend dinner party.
19 | COFFEE MUGS
these plaid initial mugs are great to serve coffee, tea or cocoa to your guests! Grab a set of your own family’s initials to have on hand and then grab a few for hostess gifts. They’d also make darling teacher gifts this season!
20 | VASE
These clear glass footed vases are timeless and make a simple and elegant centerpiece. Use them in a grouping or just the large one or just the extra large one alone. You can fill them with water and add flowers or simply a large pillar candle.
21 | PLACEMATS
If you’re looking for versatile placemats to use year-round, you absolutely need these beautiful woven gold geometric placemats. They are only $1.99 each and I promise they will work with any style or occasion you are setting for. They add such a pretty texture to your table! I also really love these jute ones. Adding a nice placemat under your dishes creates a stunning layered look and takes your table up a notch.
Christmas Table
22 | PLACECARD HOLDERS
These are not a must, but more like a nice to have, especially if hosting a formal dinner. I love these classic & simple silver placecard holders and these gold ones are really pretty, too. I made Ornament Placecards last year and they gave the table that extra special touch. After dinner, my Grandma asked if she could take hers home. It makes me smile just thinking about it.
23 | WINE GLASS MARKERS
These wine glass markers are one of my most favorite things to pull out when hosting! Instead of using wine charms, you can use a marker to write your guest’s name on their glass. It look so pretty and just washes off with soap and water. Write the names of all your guests on the glasses before they arrive or personalize them as you hand them their drink!
These are easy to pick up a set here and there and rotate with each gathering. This napkin ring set is simple and elegant and comes in 4 colors – I’m honing in on the rose gold set! These are pretty inexpensive, but if you’re looking for an even more affordable option, you can always DIY. I’ve made fun and colorful pom pom napkin rings and DIY Christmas bell napkin rings last Christmas.
Not a glitz and glam item, but definitely a necessity! I love this crockpot for under $50. Its programmable and also has the latch on the sides for easy transporting to be able to take with you when you’re NOT hosting!
31 | SALT & PEPPER SHAKERS
I stumbled upon these pretty marble & wood salt & pepper shakers and they are really nice and under $10 for the set! I haven’t had a matching set in what feels like years after our old salt shaker broke. Highly recommend these!
32 | SALAD BOWL
This beautiful ruffle edge bowl is perfect for serving salads, dinner rolls or even chips. I pull it out at almost every party! Here is a similar option as well. I also have the smaller ruffle bowl version which we always fill with salsa and other dips.
Fill up an ice bucket with wine, champagne or…ice when hosting! Allows your guests to be able to grab their own ice without digging through your freezer or messing with your automatic ice maker on the outside of your fridge. Use with cute ice tongs or even just a spoon!
35 | CANDLES
Last, but certainly not least, you can’t host a party without a couple yummy candles burning! One in the main entrance, one in the bathroom and maybe another in the living or family room. Here are a couple of my faves: nest candles – love this holiday scented one [totally worth the price…they make your entire room smell fabulous even when it’s not lit], a capri blue candle and this 3 candle set in beautiful tins.
There are so many more hosting and entertaining items I could list, but like I mentioned above, I’ll be continuously adding to this guide throughout the season as I come across great pieces and great prices. So be sure to pop back every now and then!
What are your entertaining must-haves? Is there that one thing you just can’t host without?!
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December 13, 2018 at 6:49 PM[…] Holiday Hostess Essentials Guide [30+ Items to Help You Entertain in Style] […]