17 Christmas Hosting Ideas Celebrities Use That Make Entertaining So Easy
Christmas hosting sounds magical in theory: a beautifully decorated table, delicious food, happy guests, twinkling lights and everyone gathered together making memories.
And then reality hits. You’re juggling three dishes in the oven, someone needs another drink, the children are running through the house, and you’ve somehow forgotten to put out the gravy.
Sound familiar? 😂
The good news is that even celebrities have figured out a few tricks to make holiday entertaining more enjoyable. From Kaley Cuoco’s big family Christmas Eve parties to Martha Stewart’s clever planning habits, there are some genuinely lovely ideas worth borrowing.
And no, you don’t need a mansion, a private chef or a Kardashian-sized budget to pull them off!
Here are 17 celebrity-inspired Christmas hosting ideas that will make entertaining easier, more relaxed and a whole lot more memorable.
1. Take a page from Kaley Cuoco and have a Christmas Eve tradition everyone looks forward to
Actress Kaley Cuoco hosts her entire family on Christmas Eve every year, and she has a few tricks to keep the gathering running smoothly. One of her favourites is organising a White Elephant gift exchange, where everyone brings a present and takes part in a fun gift-swapping game.
With around 30 people joining in, it’s become a tradition that guests of all ages can enjoy.
Steal this idea: Instead of organising individual gifts for every guest, ask everyone to bring one wrapped present within a set budget. Put the gifts in the middle of the room and let the swapping begin. It’s entertaining, inexpensive and takes the pressure off buying presents for absolutely everybody!
Source: Good Housekeeping – Kaley Cuoco’s Holiday Hosting Tips
2. Let Martha Stewart convince you to plan Christmas dinner early
If there’s one woman who knows how to host a beautiful gathering, it’s Martha Stewart. Her holiday entertaining advice starts with one very unglamorous but incredibly useful habit: make a master plan.
She recommends thinking ahead about what needs to be purchased, what can be prepared in advance and when everything needs to happen. She also advises against experimenting with unfamiliar recipes when guests are coming.
Steal this idea: Make a Christmas hosting checklist at least a week ahead. Write down your menu, shopping list, decorations, table settings and anything that can be prepared the day before. And please, don’t test a complicated new recipe on Christmas Day. Your guests are not your culinary research team!
Source: Martha Stewart – Best Holiday Hosting Secrets
3. Borrow Ben and Erin Napier’s potluck approach (because you don’t have to cook everything!)
The Home Town couple Ben and Erin Napier have a refreshingly relaxed approach to holiday hosting. When HGTV asked for their best holiday hosting tips, Ben’s first suggestion was simply: “Potluck.”
Rather than putting together an elaborate sit-down dinner, the Napiers prefer a buffet-style meal where everyone gets a plate and helps themselves.
Steal this idea: Assign each family member or guest a dish to bring. One person brings the salad, another brings dessert, and someone else takes care of the appetisers. You can still coordinate the menu so everything works together, but you won’t spend three days cooking for everybody.
Source: HGTV – Ben and Erin Napier’s Top Holiday Hosting Tips
4. Create a beautiful welcome with Kathy Hilton’s candlelit ambience
Kathy Hilton is known for her extravagant holiday parties, but one of her best hosting tips is surprisingly easy to recreate. She says the secret to making guests feel warm and welcome is to start with low lighting and scented candles.
She also recommends having flowers and thoughtful little details around the home to create a lovely atmosphere.
Steal this idea: Before guests arrive, switch off the harsh overhead lights, turn on your lamps, light a few candles and put on some gentle Christmas music. Add a little greenery or a vase of flowers to the entryway. It takes minutes, but it makes the whole house feel more inviting.
Source: Us Weekly – Stars Reveal Decor, Traditions and Hosting Tips
5. Follow JoAnna Garcia Swisher’s trick of preparing the night before
Actress JoAnna Garcia Swisher shared a particularly practical Christmas hosting tip: she starts planning about a week ahead, makes a checklist and thinks carefully about what can be done the night before.
She even orders some of the food in advance so that the actual day is less stressful. Her aim is to have Christmas Day involve little more than putting things out, making everything look pretty and warming up a few dishes.
Steal this idea: Set the table, prepare your desserts, chop vegetables, make sauces and organise your serving dishes the night before. Put a sticky note on each dish reminding yourself what goes in it. Future-you will be very grateful.
Source: Woman’s World – JoAnna Garcia Swisher’s Holiday Hosting Tips
6. Make your own signature Christmas drink like Kathy Hilton
Kathy Hilton’s festive parties aren’t just about the decorations. She also likes to serve signature drinks and small bites, including a pomegranate-inspired cocktail and a non-alcoholic festive option.
Having a special drink ready gives guests something fun to enjoy as soon as they arrive.
Steal this idea: Choose one signature Christmas drink and serve it in a pretty jug or drinks dispenser. Think cranberry and orange punch, sparkling apple juice with rosemary, or a pomegranate mocktail. Make a large batch before guests arrive and let everyone help themselves.
Source: Us Weekly – Kathy Hilton’s Holiday Hosting Tips
7. Let the Kardashian-Jenner family inspire you to share the hosting duties
The Kardashian-Jenner family is famous for its elaborate Christmas Eve celebrations, but one of the smartest things they’ve done is rotate hosting duties.
Rather than having one person organise the entire event every year, different family members take turns hosting. They also plan together, use a shared Pinterest board and split the cost of the party.
Steal this idea: If you have a large extended family, suggest rotating Christmas hosting duties. One year it’s at Grandma’s, the next year it’s at your house. Share the costs, decorations and responsibilities so that one person isn’t left doing everything.
Source: Marie Claire – Khloé Kardashian and Kris Jenner on Their Christmas Eve Parties
8. Make personalised place settings like JoAnna Garcia Swisher
JoAnna Garcia Swisher has a sweet Christmas tradition with her daughters: they make personalised place settings for their guests. These don’t have to be elaborate, either. She’s mentioned simple handmade salt-dough creations as one example.
It’s a lovely way to make people feel that a little extra thought has gone into welcoming them.
Steal this idea: Make a simple name card for every guest and tie it to a sprig of rosemary, a little cinnamon stick or a Christmas ornament. You could even let the children decorate the cards. It’s an inexpensive detail that makes the table feel wonderfully personal.
Source: Woman’s World – JoAnna Garcia Swisher’s Holiday Hosting Tips
9. Keep a Christmas movie playing in the background like the Napiers
Ben Napier has a wonderfully easy suggestion for creating a cosy holiday atmosphere: keep a Christmas movie playing in the background.
It’s not necessarily about everyone sitting down to watch it. The movie simply becomes part of the atmosphere, adding a little festive noise and nostalgia to the gathering.
Steal this idea: Put on an old-fashioned Christmas favourite while guests arrive, the children play and everyone chats. It gives the room a cosy, lived-in feeling without requiring you to organise another activity.
Source: HGTV – Ben and Erin Napier’s Top Holiday Hosting Tips
10. Give the children their own activity station (Martha Stewart would approve!)
Martha Stewart has a practical piece of advice for anyone hosting a gathering where children will be present: create a designated activity area so little guests don’t become bored.
And honestly, this is one of the best ideas for keeping a Christmas gathering peaceful!
Steal this idea: Set up a small children’s table with Christmas colouring pages, crayons, puzzles, paper crafts or gingerbread decorating. Keep it away from the main dining area if possible, and have everything ready before guests arrive. It gives the children something to enjoy while the adults get a chance to finish their conversations.
Source: Resy – Martha Stewart’s Top 10 Commandments for Holiday Entertaining
11. Make your home smell like Christmas with Erin Napier’s orange and clove pomanders
Erin Napier has a lovely little hosting detail that makes a home feel instantly festive: pomanders made from oranges and whole cloves.
She shared that the scent of oranges and cloves is a signature holiday fragrance in her home, and it’s a tradition she grew up making with her mother.
Steal this idea: Take a few oranges and gently press whole cloves into the skin to create pretty patterns. Display them in a bowl with cinnamon sticks and greenery, or arrange them along your table. They look beautiful and give your home that nostalgic Christmas scent without needing an expensive diffuser.
Source: HGTV – Ben and Erin Napier’s Top Holiday Hosting Tips
12. Take Martha Stewart’s advice and set up a self-serve drinks station
Martha Stewart recommends making drinks easy for guests to access, including setting up a portable bar in a convenient spot.
It’s a clever way to avoid being interrupted every five minutes because someone needs another drink!
Steal this idea: Dedicate a small table or kitchen counter to drinks. Add glasses, napkins, a jug of water, sparkling drinks, mixers and a little bowl of garnishes. Label everything if you’re serving different options. Guests can help themselves, and you can spend more time enjoying your own party.
Source: Resy – Martha Stewart’s Top 10 Commandments for Holiday Entertaining
13. Keep the menu simple like Stanley Tucci
Actor and food lover Stanley Tucci has some refreshingly sensible advice for Christmas hosting: be prepared, have your table set nicely, keep things tidy and have appetisers and drinks ready for guests.
He also suggests keeping things simple when it comes to drinks. You don’t need to become a professional cocktail maker just because someone comes over!
Steal this idea: Choose a menu with just a few reliable favourites. Prepare a simple appetiser platter, one main dish, a couple of sides and a dessert. Have wine, sparkling water or a festive non-alcoholic drink ready. Your guests came to spend time with you, not to judge your ability to make twelve different courses.
Source: RTÉ – Stanley Tucci on Hosting Skills and the Ceremony of Cooking
14. Have one annual Christmas dessert like the Napiers
Ben and Erin Napier make a particular holiday dessert every year: boiled peanut butter cookies. It’s a recipe with a family story behind it, and it’s become one of their annual traditions.
I love this idea because it gives guests something familiar to look forward to each Christmas.
Steal this idea: Choose one dessert to become your family’s signature Christmas treat. It could be a trifle, pavlova, gingerbread cake, Christmas pudding or a special batch of cookies. Make it every year and eventually your guests will start asking whether you’ve made it yet!
Source: HGTV – Ben and Erin Napier’s Top Holiday Hosting Tips
15. Take Kathy Hilton’s advice and introduce guests to one another
When you’re hosting a large gathering, it’s easy for people to end up standing around with the same two people they already know. Kathy Hilton suggests introducing guests to one another by finding something they have in common.
It’s a small hosting gesture, but it can make a big difference to how comfortable people feel.
Steal this idea: When someone arrives, introduce them to another guest and give them a little conversation starter. Perhaps they both love gardening, have children the same age or enjoy baking. It helps everyone feel included, especially guests who don’t know many people.
Source: Us Weekly – Kathy Hilton’s Holiday Hosting Tips
16. Make the music part of the party like Kaley Cuoco
Kaley Cuoco says good music is one of the keys to a successful holiday party. She likes having festive music playing throughout the evening so that it helps set the mood.
And she’s right. A gathering feels very different when the music is right!
Steal this idea: Make a Christmas playlist ahead of time so you aren’t fiddling with your phone while guests are arriving. Mix traditional Christmas classics with cheerful modern favourites. Start with softer music during dinner and bring out the upbeat songs afterwards.
Source: Good Housekeeping – Kaley Cuoco’s Holiday Hosting Tips
17. Remember Erin Napier’s most important hosting rule: enjoy being together
Of all the celebrity hosting advice, this might be the one worth remembering most. Erin Napier told HGTV that the most important thing about holiday gatherings is getting together with the people you love.
Not the perfectly styled table. Not the elaborate menu. Not whether the house looks like it belongs in a magazine.
Just being together.
Steal this idea: Give yourself permission to leave a few dishes in the sink, serve a shop-bought dessert or let the children help with the decorations. The point of Christmas hosting isn’t to impress everyone. It’s to make people feel welcome, loved and happy to be there.
Source: HGTV – Ben and Erin Napier’s Top Holiday Hosting Tips
A little reminder before you host this Christmas…
The loveliest Christmas gatherings aren’t necessarily the most expensive or elaborate ones. They’re the ones where people feel comfortable enough to help themselves to another slice of cake, the children are happily occupied, the food is delicious and nobody is too busy worrying about the details to enjoy the day.
So take a little inspiration from these celebrity hosts, choose a few ideas that suit your family, and remember that you are allowed to enjoy your own Christmas party, too!
Tell me in the comments: What’s your number-one Christmas hosting tip?
