Your Checklist for Entertaining Season

Follow this guide to set the scene and your table for the holidays

Laura GaskillNovember 5, 2024

Houzz Contributor. I cover decorating ideas, Houzz tours & the monthly home maintenance checklist. My favorite pieces to write center around the emotional aspects of home and savoring life's simple pleasures. Decluttering course + discount for Houzzers: https://www.lauragaskill.com/welcome-houzzers

Fall and winter offer ample opportunities to entertain, not only on holidays (of which there are plenty) but also with more casual gatherings. And whether you entertain a lot or a little, having a well-stocked home can take a lot of the stress out of party planning. From setting the scene to setting the table, cooking to cleanup, this checklist can help you prepare your party-planning essentials.

Jamie Merida Interiors

Getting Ready

Accept your strengths and weaknesses as a host. No one can do it all. The key to a low-stress event is to play up your strengths and outsource your not-so-favorite parts of entertaining. For instance, finish a homemade meal with a lovely dessert from a local bakery or throw a potluck buffet or cocktail party instead of having a formal sit-down meal.

Keep things real. Your guests are there to enjoy your company, not judge your home or your cooking. If you’re not “done” getting things ready before your guests arrive, ask for help. Most guests are more than happy to pitch in lighting candles, setting the table, stirring a pot or pouring wine. And before reading the checklist that follows, remember that you can always rent party gear rather than buy rarely used items.

I love Kitchens

Set the Scene

Vases and floral arranging supplies
A go-to flower arrangement that you’ve had a chance to practice
Low-watt lightbulbs or dimmer switches
Tea light or pillar candles (real or battery operated) for ambience
A few different music playlists — mellow for during dinner and something livelier for before and after
Fresh soap, hand towels and a stain-removal stick in the powder room

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The Dickson Design Group

The Bar

Wineglasses and cocktail glasses for a crowd, if using
Set of cocktail tools
Ice bucket and tongs
A console or side table for the bar, with bottles, openers and glassware gathered there

Shop for bar carts on Houzz

Delphinium Design

For the Table

Enough flatware and dishes for the number of guests
Enough chairs (and table space) for the number of guests
Chargers, if using
Glassware, including water glasses for the table and extra wineglasses
Tablecloth and backup tablecloth in case of spills
Cloth napkins — one set each of cocktail napkins, dinner napkins and dessert napkins
Napkin rings, if using
Candleholders with unscented candles for the table
Low floral arrangement for the table — try bud vases clustered on a tray, or a soup tureen filled with one type of flower cut short

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Designers Plus

The Well-Stocked Pantry and Freezer

No-cook nibbles, such as crackers, olives, nuts and jarred artichoke hearts
Basic baking ingredients
Spices that are still fresh — be sure to give them a sniff, as spices lose potency over time
Frozen puff pastry, pie dough and gelato or quality ice cream
Birthday essentials, including birthday candles and matches, balloons and a few emergency cards and gifts

Browse thousands of pantry photos

Gemma Dudgeon Interiors

Cooking

A cooking schedule, especially important on big cooking days like Thanksgiving — that way you know you will have room in the oven when you need it, and everything should come out at the right time
Any specialty cookware needed to cook the meal you have planned, from a roasting pan to a turkey baster
A few spare cutting boards, so you don’t need to worry about washing one before prepping the next dish (also so several cooks can work at once)
Knives that have been recently sharpened
Two or more timers, depending on how many dishes you plan to cook at once
Cookbook holder or tablet stand
Aprons to protect your party clothes

See our comprehensive kitchen checklist

Michels Homes

Serving

Boards, platters and trays — these workhorses can be used for everything from cheese plates to dessert
Serving bowls in various sizes
Large serving spoons
Lidded soup tureen and ladle
Large salad bowl and tongs
Several trivets, to protect your table
A nesting set of classic white oven-to-table casserole dishes
Cake stands — for cake and other desserts, fruit or appetizers

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Snake River Interiors

Entertainment Ideas

An activity that gets guests participating, like a Dream Tree for Thanksgiving or a smile booth
For a casual party, an assortment of games and cards … and a rule book for common games, because no one can ever remember the rules when you want to play
Show a classic movie (without the sound) — Hitchcock for a Halloween party, A Christmas Story for a holiday open house and so on
A roll of butcher paper to cover the kids’ table — put a sheet of stickers and a cup of crayons at each place