Hosting for the holidays can be one of the most rewarding — and stressful — parts of the year. But not to worry: experts Katie Lee Biegel and Purvi Padia have you covered.
“For holiday hosting and any other type of hosting, the host really sets the energy,” Padia told Luxury Handbag Shopping while celebrating the launch of her Revelry Holiday Collection on Tuesday, October 22. “So if you as the host are stressed out, the entire dinner, party or whatever you’re having is not going to have the vibe you want. The most important thing for me as a host is to understand that people are there to spend time together and have a good time.”
Padia, who launched Revelry earlier this year after over a decade in residential interior design, developed her love of hosting from her early experiences with her family.
“Growing up in the Indian culture, homes are very open. Always. So, growing up, I would be surrounded by so many different people,” she told Us. “As I got older, I really adopted that, and if you were to ask any of my closest friends, they would tell you that my house is where everyone always is.”
She added: “How I show appreciation to people is by having them in my home.”
Padia was joined by Biegel, 43, who also shared some of her hacks for holiday hosting.
“The most important thing with any entertaining, especially holidays, is planning ahead,” Biegel told Us. “I’m a big fan of list-making. I always laugh that I have lists for my lists.”
Keep scrolling for more must-know tips for holiday hosting from Padia and Biegel:
Prep Your Non-Perishables
As a chef, Biegel knows there are certain menu items that need to be prepped before the event begins so that the food stays fresh. However, there are also many non-perishable items that can be prepared ahead of time.
“Go ahead and go out and buy all of your garbage bags, all of your paper towels, your toilet paper, your zip-top bags, your aluminum foil, and get all of that loaded in so that’s one less thing to think about,” she told Us.
Embrace Imperfection
While we all strive for perfection, Padia notes that the real purpose of a party is for people to spend time together and enjoy one another’s company. At the end of the day, some of the messiness that comes with hosting is actually part of the magic.
“[Your guests] don’t care if your table is perfect. They actually don’t care if the bread is a little burnt. All they care about is having a great time and being with the people they love and want to spend time with,” Padia told Us. “So my number one tip is to not stress.”
She continued: “Honestly, I really feel like tables, meals, everything feel a little bit cooler and edgier a little undone. So nothing needs to be perfect. If every glass is not filled perfectly, if every table is not set perfectly, it doesn’t matter. It really feels much more authentic and real and human to have some error, and I think that’s actually something that’s so beautiful and something that everyone should embrace all the time, especially when hosting.”
Have Drinks and Snacks on Hand
As much as Biegel is a planner, she also knows that during the holiday season, friends and family love to drop by unannounced.
“It’s the time of year that people are dropping by,” she said, noting she likes to stock up on easy-to-grab snacks like salt and vinegar chips, mixed nuts and olives. “You’re going to have unexpected guests and you want to have that festive feeling in your house.”
The Kitchen host also recommends stocking up on all mixers, non-alcoholic beverages and wine: “I like to have a case of red, a case of white, a case of sparkling on hand at all times.”
Biegel’s favorite easy cocktail for the holidays is sparkling wine — preferably her organic, zero sugar Kind of Wild wine — poured over ice with pomegranate seeds and a sprig of rosemary.
“Then you’re not even really having to make a mixed drink, but the ice slows people down in the drinking and it dilutes it a little bit, and it’s still really festive,” she told Us. “So it’s a good way to manage it as the night goes on.”
Function Over Design
Aesthetics are key to a successful party, but nothing is as important as functionality.
“I really believe in using and living and not stressing,” Padia told Us, noting that the best design is always functional. “[Your event] can be as beautiful as you want, but if it really doesn’t serve the purpose it becomes a museum and then it’s not really functional design — which is really what I’m in the business of doing.”
