Party On! The Shameless Host’s Guide to Entertaining

Do less work. Have more fun. It sounds like a plan to us

By Chuck Ross
CTW Features

Turkey to go – cut prep time and cleanup with a prepared bird. Image courtesy Jennie-O

Are great expectations for this holiday season weighing you down already? You’re in good company. Entertaining gurus say they get overwhelmed this time of year, too. Sheila Lukins, co-author of “The Silver Palate Cookbook,” just re-released in a 25th anniversary edition (Workman Publishing Co., 2007), admits that she doesn’t cook a complete Thanksgiving dinner from scratch. She leaves the baking to bakeries and outsources a side dish or two. And party-planner-to-the-stars Preston Bailey, with clients such as Oprah Winfrey and Catherine Zeta-Jones – a man who fashioned Leucospermum blossoms, peacock fathers and orchids into dozens of individual floral displays at each guest’s place setting for a client’s Balinese-themed wedding last summer – says keeping the décor simple can be the solution to holiday time pressures.

If the A-Listers of entertaining rely on proven party-giving shortcuts, why shouldn’t you? We’ve put together a down-and-dirty dozen of our favorite time-saving tips to simplify the job of hosting a party, to help you feel as festive as you look when your guests walk through the door.

This year, be shameless. Take shortcuts. Here’s how.

Pick a color – any color. Choosing a theme can help focus party prep-work, but creative ideas – Rudolph goes Hawaiian? Santa meets Broadway? – can be slow in coming this time of year. Bailey suggests you forget about the trendy high concepts and just pick a color scheme to guide your plans. It’s a simple approach, he explains, “but it will look like you invested thought in it.”

Outsource the turkey. No time to think about thawing and basting? No worries. Delicious store-roasted turkeys are commonplace today. Purchase just a turkey breast (bone in or bone out) or the whole bird fully cooked. For that matter, why not take your whole menu to the market? Many supermarkets and gourmet specialty shops can prepare entire meals. Serve using your best platters and bowls, and your guests will never know they’re eating holiday take-out.

Too shy for shortcuts? They’re not: Sheila Lukins, of “Silver Palate Cookbook” fame, outsources her baked goods and side dishes. Event planner Preston Bailey, king of dramatic staging, sticks with one color and keeps decorations focused

Get a little help on the side. Lukins wouldn’t dream of buying someone else’s turkey, because hers is just too good. But beyond the big bird, she’s willing to cede some control. The traditional creamed spinach she serves comes from a favorite area restaurant, delivered to her door the night before the dinner. And her mother’s sweet potato recipe has become her niece’s responsibility. “You don’t have to make it all yourself,” she says. “But a couple of main dishes – that’s what makes it fabulous.”

Buy the pies. Even Lukins draws a line when it comes to slinging dough. “I buy my pies,” she says. “I’m not going to kill myself baking.” Desserts top the list of premade foods that people purchase for the holidays, according to a 2006 survey conducted by Wal-Mart, the Bentonville, Ark.-based retailer. Appetizers are second on the list. Holiday cookie parties can help cut baking duties, too – you concentrate on making a large batch of just one cookie, then trade with friends to create a mixed variety.

Order out hors d’oeuvres. Hors d’oeuvre parties can be a great alternative to full, sit-down dinners. But fixing canapés for a crowd can still be a time sucker. Lukins’ local Asian takeout place is one of her favorite hors d’oeuvres resources. She mixes the restaurant’s spring rolls with her own homemade creations.

A big box of wine – easy to tote, and it stays fresh for up to a month. Image courtesy Avery Lane

Can the cork, bring on the box. Today, even premium vintners are turning to bag-in-a-box packaging. Higher-end versions come in 3-liter boxes (as opposed to budget-variety 5-liter offerings) holding the equivalent of four, 750 ml bottles. Cheaper packaging means savings for consumers, the wine is easy to purchase and tote, and it will stay fresh up to a month after opening. For more appealing presentation, pour the wine into a decorative carafe before bringing it to the table.

Do more with less. You may have boxes loaded with Santas and snow globes, but you don’t have to use them all every year. Instead, concentrate your decorating on just three or four key areas. You’ll have less to re-wrap and lug to the attic, basement or storage facility once the holidays are over, and less to dust while your treasures are out on display.

Rein in the caterers. A catered party suggests pure class, but the bills can mean pure bankruptcy. Bailey suggests splitting duties with caterers to help keep costs down. For example, you can shop for liquor yourself to avoid paying a premium, but use hired staff for serving, so you can mingle among your guests. Stick to a single drink – Lukins often limits options to champagne or a champagne punch – for even greater savings.

Branch out. One of Bailey’s favorite centerpiece ideas could come right out of your compost bin. He spray paints tree branches – yes, like the ones in your yard – adds some silver or gold glitter and displays them in oversize vases. And wreaths aren’t only for doors when he’s in charge; he also uses them to create nest-like settings for serving dishes.

Buy table runners by the roll. Why stock drawers full of holiday table linens you’ll only use a few weeks a year? Bailey has used colorful wrapping paper, with glued-on ribbon as eye-catching trim, to make holiday table runners.

Decorate with food. Shop the produce aisles of a grocery store for fresh holiday decorating ideas. Heaping bowls of clementines and bunches of seedless grapes are just a couple of the edible decorations in Lukins’ holiday plans. She also uses small clay pots planted with sage and rosemary as table-toppers. The fresh herbs will add great flavor to your meals all winter long.

Set a budget and stick with it. Sure, this is the time of year when we’re supposed to let out all the stops, but keep a level head when it comes to spending, or this year’s shindig may be the last you can afford to host. “Even the over-the-top parties that we do have a budget,” Bailey says, noting that without such guidelines it’s easy to get carried away. “Eventually everybody gets excited and, before you know it, you’re still paying your Christmas debt in May.”