I'm having a New Year's Day brunch in my home for the first time and want my space to be the best it can be for the gathering. What advice do you have for me?
As the holiday parties reach their peak, it's a good time to ponder the mystery of why everyone tends to gather in the kitchen instead of all the other areas of the house, which usually all revolves around traffic flow.
To help avoid the all-too-common crowded-kitchen conundrum, Judy Adams -- owner of Catering to You catering and event planning in Little Rock -- suggests setting up the drinks in a different part of the house from the food.
Encourage traffic flow
By setting up different stations of food or drink, you can keep people moving around your home to get what they need. Appetizers on a coffee table in a family room. Drinks on a table or counter in a game room or living room area. The main course on your dining room table or in the main sitting area. Taking on a strategy to place items around your home will also help initiate conversations among strangers.
"Do your drinks in a different part of the house from the food and as spread out as possible to keep the traffic flowing," Adams advises. "And keep the food, as much as you can, to pickup-things like sausage biscuits or fruit kebabs so everybody doesn't have to have a fork or a knife."
"Think about what spaces in your home you'll be entertaining in and then what items you can include in that room when it comes to food, beverage or additional seating," suggests Shawna Young, owner of Young Designs event planning in Maumelle. "For example, if you know the men will be in front of the TV watching ballgames, include some snacks or drinks in that area."
Prepare in advance
"Prepare as much as you can prior to the party's start time," Young advises. "This includes pre-made drinks, meal preparation, and cleanup. This way, not only can you entertain and visit with your guests, but enjoy the brunch, too."
For example, making a cocktail punch -- such as pitchers of bloody Marys or mimosas -- in advance, which can be offered along with tea, sodas or water, relieves the host or hostess from needing to make individual cocktails, freeing up more time to enjoy visiting. When it comes to the food, assembling a casserole or other brunch dish before the guests arrive also helps manage the host or hostess' time more efficiently.
"Do plain orange juice in one pitcher and mimosas in another," Adams says. "Or even set it up as self-serve stations. Local stores have very inexpensive but nice drink dispensers."
Also consider having food catered or asking friends to help host the event.
Clearing the decks
Preparing for the cleanup phase of the party -- from dealing with dirty dishes to disposing of used paper products -- will also save a lot of time near the conclusion of the party and after the last guest is gone. For example, putting extra garbage bags in the bottom of the kitchen garbage can allows the host or hostess to quickly and easily prepare a fresh bag to replace the filled one. Make sure you have enough trash bags and designate someone to keep an eye on the trash and take it out during the event.
It's also a good idea to place additional garbage and recycle containers close to the food and bar areas. Those not using disposable items may want to add a small portable table in another area of the home, such as the laundry room, to serve as a holding station for glasses and plates until they can be washed.
"If they want to keep it real easy, they make wonderful disposable things now like plastic silverware that looks real and heavy plastic plates in unique shapes like squares and rectangles," Adams says.
By following the above suggestions, hosts and hostesses can serve up a festive gathering that, in addition to offering a merry menu and delightful drinks will also dish out more free time for them to enjoy the company of their guests with much less stress.
Do you have a decorating or remodeling question? We'll get you an answer from an authority. Send your question to Linda S. Haymes, Arkansas Democrat-Gazette, P.O. Box 2221, Little Rock, Ark. 72203 or email:
lhaymes@arkansasonline.com
HomeStyle on 12/24/2016