A Christmas potluck is a wonderful excuse to bring together your friends and family for a nice little feast at your house. You can choose to set a theme for your potluck or ask people to bring their favorite foods to the party. It’s a lot more fun than a regular dinner because you get to taste everyone’s cooking and you get introduced to new and tasty dishes. 

However, organizing a potluck can be a daunting task, especially when the only time you host a large group of people is around the holidays. To take away your stress, we’ve compiled some handy tips for you to keep in mind when organizing your Christmas potluck this year.

Read on to find out what they are!

1. Send out festive invites 

Sending out your invites well before your potluck is always a good idea. It ensures that people save the date in time and that you have a good estimate of the number of people showing up. Plus, you can easily divide drinks, main courses, and desserts among your guests and give them enough time to plan the meal they’ll bring. 

Ideally, you should send your invites at least four weeks before your party. 

Another important thing to do is to create fun, festive invites. Get your guests excited about the party. You can even send out a digital invite via email and save on printing costs. However, your invite should be pretty and personalized. 

Designing an invite might seem difficult especially if you’re not good at graphic design. Luckily, sites like PosterMyWall have tons of Christmas potluck invitations that you can customize according to your preference. 

2. Make a list of your guests’ allergies

This is an important step. When you send out your invites, ask everyone to send a list of their allergies if they have any. Make a final list of all allergies and send it to everyone who’ll be bringing food and drinks. This way, you can ensure that no unfortunate mishaps occur at your potluck.

3. Put up some Christmas decorations

Ready your home and make it look Christmassy just in time for your potluck. Obviously, a Christmas tree is a must. Decorate it with fairy lights, ornaments, polaroids of you and your family, and a bright, shining star. 

String up fairy lights along your hallway and dining room. If you have a fireplace, hang up some bright red Christmas stockings. You can put up colorful Christmas lights in your driveway as well. Finally, hang a nice little wreath on your front door. 

4. Figure out seating arrangements

You want all your guests to be comfortable at your potluck. Once you have a list of everyone who’s coming, set up your dining table accordingly. Push some tables together if you have to create a bigger space. You can cover them up with a giant tablecloth for a better look. Arrange plates, cutlery, and glasses accordingly. For a smoother seating process, assign name tags to each seat so people know where they’ll be eating. 

You should also arrange seating space for people to be in before and after the dinner. Make sure you have enough sofas and couches in the living room. Bring in some big cushions or bean bags if you need extra space.

5. Prepare a dish

Even if everyone is bringing something, making a home cooked meal for others to try is always fun. Plus, you’ll have an extra dish if someone doesn’t come at the last minute. 

You can make a fun and easy appetizer for people to enjoy. For instance, something like pizza stuffed mushrooms will always be a hit. 

Final thoughts

Throwing a dinner party is always exciting, especially around the holidays. Don’t worry if you feel overwhelmed. As long as you keep it festive and everyone brings some delicious food, your potluck will be a hit!