Holiday Party for a Crowd

The Christmas table, ready to be devoured.

This holiday party post is very, very late, but hopefully still helpful if you ever find yourself trying to entertain for a large crowd. We throw two large annual parties, but our holiday housewarming this year took the prize for most guests next to our wedding! Since returning to Los Angeles, we have found that our old friends have paired up and multiplied, making our two biggies (Easter and Christmas) even merrier! It’s wonderful, but feeding 60 people can be daunting…so here are some tips on how to do that without breaking the bank (or losing your cool):

#1 : Don’t make everything from scratch! Make sure you have a mix of things you can buy and serve, things you can make ahead and a few things you make on the day of the party. Fruit, pickles and nuts are just as impressive as something homemade if you plate them beautifully!

#2 : Having food at various levels helps to fit more on one table. Elevate some of your dishes on cake plates or stands so you can tuck other dishes under and around them. We had two wintry stews in the kitchen as well for people who wanted more of a meal.

#3 : Ask guests to bring a bottle of wine to save some money. Offer one cocktail in a large dispenser and one other non-alcoholic drink and let your guests do the rest! We made a winter white sangria and hot chocolate.