The hap, happiest season of all is officially upon us!  I love to use the holidays as an excuse to cook and entertain for my family and friends.  With a little strategic planning, holiday entertaining doesn’t have to be stressful!  

It all starts with a theme.  This year, the man and I are throwing a little unconventional dinner party to celebrate with our friends:  Feliz Navi-Taco!  Because who doesn’t love tacos?!  There will still be a tree and holiday music playing!   

I used Paperless Post to create an evite, they certainly make it easy!  All I had to do was type in “fiesta” and an assortment of taco-themed invites popped up, all readily customizable.  A few clicks later and you can enter event details and your guests’ emails and send the invites off.  No postage required!  I use the Paperless Post App to track responses and message guests; having all of the information in one place makes it easy for both the guests and the hosts.

Next up, menu planning!  The most obvious tip, keep it simple, cook what you’re comfortable with, and I always try to choose recipes that don’t require a lot of last minute prep, I hate spending the night in the kitchen and missing out on the party! 

A playlist is key for setting the mood and I keep table settings simple with a few candles so that we can serve the food family style and guests can still see each other across the table!

And lastly – dishes can always wait until the morning.  Do just enough clean up to get food put away then get right back to the party!

 I’d love to know, what are your best entertaining tips?