12 Days of Entertaining Tips

Tip 3: Give your event a special touch while also encouraging safety

Putting a personal touch on your event is the key to making your friends and family feel welcome this year. We have seen some creative examples from previous clients on how to maximize safety in a very cute way! One idea is custom hand sanitizer bottles. This bride & groom used the phrase, “Spread Love Not Germs” with their names to the bottles- so cute! Another idea we saw does 3 jobs- place cards, drink markers and favors! Your guests will not mix up their drinks, they will know where they are sitting and also have a cute favor to bring home. 

Tip 4: "Prior Proper Planning Prevents Poor Performance" - Chef Duce

If you are making Thanksgiving or Christmas Dinner this year, Chef Duce has great cooking &

shopping tips for you! Shopping 3-4 prior to your event is key. Start thawing your frozen turkey

four days before your event.

Two days before your event is a big food prep day. Turkey prep- trim, brine & season 2 days prior.

You can even peel your potatoes 2 days before your dinner!

The day before is gravy making day. A common mistake is attempting to make your gravy last minute. Preparing your gravy before allows you to perfect your gravy exactly how you like it! You should also blanch your green beans- no more heavy casseroles! Blanch your fresh green beans in advance and sauté them with butter on herbs the day of your meal. 

Don’t Forget about dessert! Pies should be done the day prior to your event. This allows your pies

time to set, one day in advance will do the trick.

If this is not up your alley- let us do the hard work for you! Curbside Pick-up and delivery is

available for your holiday meals! It is as simple as ordering online, picking up your order/ delivery

and reheating with the instructions provided!



Tip 5: Carve Your Turkey with Chef Duce!

There are so many ways to cook your turkey. Chef Duce wants to help you make the best turkey for your family! Check out his turkey carving video here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3gJJVbHUIos

Too overwhelmed after watching this video? Pick-up your turkey from Sweet Baby Ray’s and simply follow the reheating instructions, it is that easy!

Tip 6: Less is more for décor!

Getting started with your holiday decorations can be overwhelming. Start by picking a theme and sticking to it. It may sound shocking, but your theme doesn’t have to be traditional Christmas/holiday colors. Choose colors that match a room in your home or are trending during the season.

You don’t have to go overboard- candles, a nice centerpiece for the table, and some matching décor will do the trick. Even going with neutral colors and adding a mix of metallics in makes for a beautiful table setting or room statement!

Tip 7: Know your guests’ comfort level, but keep it fun!

In the time of social distancing, always keep in mind that your guests will have varying comfort levels when it comes to close personal contact. Therefore, having parameters set in place ahead of time will put everyone at ease! We suggest having a “welcome” table placed in the area where guests first enter, where masks, hand sanitizer, gloves are available for immediate use. While a table in the entryway is great, mini sanitizing and mask stations set up throughout the home, or event space, is also a way to help spread safety!

We loved this fun idea at one event where the couple had different bracelet colors set up, that their guests could adorn, indicating their personal contact comfort and letting other family members, friends and new acquaintances know how to approach them and connect with them throughout the gathering time. In this photo, the green bracelets meant hugs welcome, the orange bracelets meant elbows only and, the red bracelets meant six feet apart. This same idea can be done with fun holiday stickers or even different face masks indicating guests’ preferences!



Tip 8: Party in Shifts!

You can trim that tree, but sometimes you might not be able to trim that guest list down! Staggered or “shifted” arrival and departure times are a great alternative to keep your guest list intact! Inviting guests throughout the day, giving a start and end time for the gathering, or hosting an event over the course of a weekend, is a wonderful way to see everyone, while allowing time to cleanup, sanitize and reset the scene for the next group! It’s like two parties at once, and an opportunity to enjoy spending more time with various family and friends!

Be sure that you always let your invited guests know the amount of people that will be attending the gathering, so that they are aware of group size, know the details, and can plan accordingly! 

Tip 9: Take it outdoors, even in the colder months!

The weather is always unpredictable, but, on milder or tolerably chilly days, why not take the party partially or fully outside? Decorate screened-in porches or create a holiday-themed garage to host your event, or even bring everyone outdoors, around a fire pit! Portable heaters placed around gathering spots or even laying warm clean blankets on outdoor chairs are a great way to encourage your guests to be outside! There are even individual “weather shields” on outdoor chairs available that allow socializing and safety!

Tip 10: Upgraded Disposables

Safety is of top priority this year. The use of upscale disposables is a great option to avoid the touching of several plates throughout the night. Once a guest is done with their plate, they simply can throw it out and no one needs to clean it later! If another plate is need, just grab another one! Reflection disposables are offered in both white with a silver rim or ivory with a gold rim- both great for the holidays! Not to mention- this is much cheaper than renting china & flatware!

Tip 11: Give Yourself a Break!

We can all agree that 2020 hasn’t exactly been a stress-free year. Why add to that stress by over-extending yourself this holiday season? There are simple changes you can make to your usual holiday routine to relax more, while still having the celebration you and your guests deserve.

First things first: Wardrobe. This season, why not make things a little more casual for you and your guests? Having everyone come decked out in their favorite seasonal pajamas is a fun, comfy way to get ready for the day.

Next: Dinner. Dinner is perhaps the most stressful part of the celebration. One way to take some of the work off you, the host, is to ask attendees to contribute a dish to the meal. If you don’t feel comfortable doing that, you always have the option to order some dishes from your friends at Sweet Baby Ray’s!

Finally: Me Time. Don’t forget that you deserve to enjoy the season just as much as your guests. Carve out time during the weeks leading up to your celebration to do some activities that make you happy. Go to one of our beautiful zoos and see the festive lights. Decorate a gingerbread house. At the very least, pour yourself a glass of wine. It’s the most wonderful time of the year, after all!

Tip 12: Get Creative With Your Leftovers!

We all love leftovers! Chef Duce put together delicious leftover sandwiches and they were a huge hit!

Check out this creative leftover holiday recipe from Chef Duce:

1. Toast your dinner rolls

2. Spread a small amount of leftover stuffing on the toasted dinner roll

3. Place warm Turkey on top of stuffing

4. Finish your leftover sandwich with Cranberry sauce and top with the bun