Gliding through your holiday entertaining Pinterest boards, it’s easy to become enchanted by festive tablescapes, sparkling cocktails and flawless spreads and forget the work that goes into them. (Oh, Martha Stewart. You make it look so easy.) But as the most seasoned hostesses among us know, the secret to being the leading lady of a holiday party that pretty much runs itself is the planning beforehand.
1. All in a Week’s Work Notepad ($20): By starting to prepare a week in advance, you won’t be frazzled on the day of the party. Tip: Write out party favors and foods that can be made beforehand.
2. Chalkboard Calendar Decal ($50): Turn your kitchen wall into a planner with this adhesive chalkboard calendar!
3. Kitchen Quick Chart ($29): Cooking for a crowd means doubling, tripling, even quadrupling recipes. Next time you have one of those “so that’s why we learned this in math class” moments, rather than dusting off your high school textbook for unit conversions, have them in plain sight in your kitchen with this crystal-clear print.
4. TrackR Bravo ($30): Nothing kills a buzz quite like turning the party into a giant hunt for your keys. Let’s just avoid that altogether with this key tracker, shall we?
5. BStrong Utility Hook ($25): The coat closet is filling up pretty quickly, but these nifty hooks turn any table or shelf into a coat or purse hook.
6. Valet Kit ($34): When you take their coat, you can also offer to keep up with their keys. Great way to make sure no one loses anything or gets away after hitting the cocktail bar.
7. Gold Foil Stripe Acrylic Tray ($70): one you, two hands, 15 drinks = you do the math. Save yourself some trips by using this as a serving tray, or add a glitter-ful touch to your serving counter.
8. Silver Cake Stand ($90): This elegant cake stand has that classic look like it was passed down to you from your grandma, and will make any cake look worthy of a magazine cover. Use it to serve appetizers too!
9. Geek Battle ($20): After about the fifteenth chorus of “Auld Lang Syne,” it’s time to rescue the party. Let’s direct everyone away from the piano and around the coffee table for a geek-off. Whew, good save.
10. Bluetooth Camera Shutter Remote ($25): The last time you used the self-timer on your camera was… well, a year ago. And you remember how that went. How about this bluetooth remote instead? Simply set up your camera and snap the shutter in the picture when everyone’s ready.
Throwing a holiday party? Tweet us your #1 essential @britandco!
