Day one: How to be a good host, and a good guest at various parties

Welcome to the 12 Days of Christmas - Hosting Tips Edition! For the next 12 blog posts, we'll bring you tips and tricks that you can incorporate into the parties and gatherings that you may be hosting over the holiday season.

Stay tuned for posts that will provide you with five to six ideas for different elements of hosting - from prepping your home, to ‘everyone-friendly’ appetizer recipes, to inexpensive decor ideas.

The absolute perfect host wouldn’t do everything that we’ll share, as every party is different and every group is different, and let's be real... it’s just way too much work! Therefore, if you are able to incorporate a tip here and there, to add to the planning of your own event, we’ll be thrilled!

So on to the post for Day One! This first post is about three different styles of parties, with tips on how to be a good host and how to be a good guest at each one. Three main types of parties we're featuring are - a seated dinner, potluck, and a cocktail party.

Do you know how much food and booze to have on hand? With any of the party styles, use these helpful links to plan for the appropriate amount of food and alcohol to have available:

Food and drink planning

Booze calculator

Coming up next - Six things to mention in your invitation.