Hosting in Your Apartment
When the holidays come around, you may start to think about how you’re going to host your family and friends. Hosting even a small get together in your apartment might seem difficult, not to mention a large gathering. While any successful celebration will take work, utilize the advice below to organize the greatest gathering in your apartment!
Seating Arrangement
The average apartment renter doesn’t have the number of tables or chairs required to host everyone invited. Likewise, the kitchen most likely cannot fit everyone, so use the living room as the dining room. Find a large folding table and folding chairs so you can comfortably seat as many people as you can around it. The dollar store will have plenty of decorations and even a table runner to get your apartment into spirit. Any furniture you already have in your living room can serve as additional guest seating. It would be wise to put a sheet over your couch and chair in the event a guest spills their food.
Ask for Help
Hosting in your apartment will require you to acquire possessions you don’t have. Ask your friends and family for help! Someone you know most likely has what you need, and you can even ask each guest to bring an item you need. Your family probably has the folding table and chairs for you to borrow as well. As you most likely aren’t hosting all the time, so try not to buy things you are only going to use for this one occasion. Yes, you can even ask guests to bring over decorations, it’s not tacky, it’s called using your resources.
A Dish to Pass
Cooking for many people is time consuming. It isn’t cheap, either. Like most get togethers, you may find yourself preparing food up until the last second. Take some of the stress off your shoulders and ask your guests to bring a dish to pass. Not only will this decrease the amount of food you need to prepare, but this allows for guests to bring food they want to eat. Try to avoid having to send food home with your guests by asking them to RSVP by a specific date. When you can plan on a set number of guests, it allows you to buy only what you will need.
For the Kids
You may not have children, but some of your guests might. Make your apartment ready for the kids. If the children are young, have coloring books and crayons ready for them at the “kid’s table.” Another good idea is to have a kid’s movie waiting for them so when they walk through the door all you have to do is click “play.” Having your apartment ready to entertain the children will win over all your guests. Nothing is worse than going over to your parents’ friend’s place as a child and having to listen to the lame adult conversation, as they didn’t plan for you to be there. A successful get together is when everyone enjoyed themselves, and that means the kids, too!
