Ideas for Holiday Apartment Entertaining

The holidays are here and you love to entertain. But in your tiny place, there’s just no room, you say. You are wrong! There’s lots of easy and fun ways to throw a party. It might not be a sit-down dinner for 12, but you can still have a merry evening filled with food and fun.

Eating and drinking utensils are often the most difficult. You rarely need extras and wear to store them when you aren’t entertaining? There are lots of high quality festive disposable plates, plastic ware and glasses nowadays. But if you want something more substantial, hit the thrift store. Everything doesn’t need to match, as long as it coordinates. If you are okay with disposable silverware and cups, go for holiday-themed plates – there are sure to be lots of leftovers from other people’s Christmases past. Larger ones are perfect for putting out the food and look for trays. You can load it up with drinks, bring the food out to offer and even use it as an extra-large plate.

Unless you have a good size dining space and table, it’s probably best to have a mingling party if you’d like it to be a bit larger. Serve ‘stand-up’ food that people can easily consume while wandering around and chatting. This could also eliminate your silverware problem, but be sure to have plenty of strategically placed stacks of napkins and rubbish bins. Clear off some book shelf and table space so people can place their drinks down.

Bring all available flat surfaces into the main party room for the evening. If you are unsure about how something looks, drape a colorful cloth over it. Also think about seating – you don’t need to have a spot for everyone, but adding some extra cushions or small stools will help people relax and be more comfortable.

Decorating is the fun and easy part of entertaining. Scatter pretty glassware around filled with white mini-marshmallows. Stick candy canes inside. For table tops, glue a variety of different colored and sizes of doilies together. Take large glass vases and fill with ornaments, pine cones or greenery. Poinsettias are everywhere this time of year, and while they can appear a bit overdone, put yours in a gold or silver pot for a fresh look for your entryway.

As always in small spaces, looking up is wise. The ceiling is the perfect place to hang twinkle lights which also do well hanging in windows and around doorframes. Put your existing overhead lamps to good use by hanging ornaments strung from ribbon on them.

Holidays are all about the smells, so be sure to have some cinnamon, pine or other holiday scent infusing your rooms via candles or potpourri. If you are baking a pie or cookies, and have good timing, pull them out of the oven just as your guests are arriving.

Most importantly, don’t stress! Create an atmosphere of fun and spontaneity both you and your guests can enjoy. Add a bit of mistletoe in the doorway and you are ready for a fabulous holiday get together!