Christmas Cocktail Party

This year Brent and I decided to host a Christmas Cocktail Party. This was our first Christmas Party, and I wanted it to be great. One thing I've learnt, the more prepared you are, the better time you'll have, from hosting a dinner party for 2 to planning a gala for 400. It's all about the prep! So I'll take you through a few key things to remember when planning a cocktail party for 12-20 guests.

1. PLAN AHEAD

You want to make sure to prep as much in advance as you can, so that when your guests arrive, you can take off your apron and enjoy a glass of wine.



I made most of the appetizers in advance. My advice is to peruse cookbooks and websites and find recipes that you can make-ahead and freeze. Anything with puff pastry works awesome!


Another great idea is to make a few 'safe' recipes, those ones that you know are gonna work. With those in the bag, you can focus on one knock out dish, or dessert.

I decided to opt for Chocolate Raspberry Truffles. These need to be made ahead of time, and do take a few hours (with the chilling and the freezing). But they are so worth it, and you can get a lot done while they're chilling.

2. Simple Approach to Decorating

A few candles, some simple serving trays (I get mine at the Dollar Store), fun napkins and plates, and some improvising. I didn't have a dish to hold the Sesame Puff Pastry Straws, so I wrapped a glass, it worked great!

3. The easiest crowd pleaser's
A couple of easy ways to please a crowd is with some good dips and dip-ables, and a great cheese tray.


I make a veggie dip using sour cream, a dab of mayo, sea salt, pepper, and fresh herbs, whatever looks good at the grocery store. Put that out with some veggies, pita's and hummus. The cheese tray should have an assortment of hard and soft cheeses, and the cheese should be served at room temperature. My favourites are Brie or Camembert, Smoked Applewood Cheddar, and smoked Gouda. Make sure to include some fruits among the cheeses too.

All in all, by doing a lot of the prep in advance, and having some staple dishes to make, the party was a lot of fun, I barely spent any time in the kitchen, and clean up was a breeze! Oh, and the truffles were a huge hit.