Holiday gatherings don’t have to be elaborate affairs that require hours of preparation. When you choose one of these holiday entertaining ideas, hosting a party in your Central New Jersey apartment may be easier than you ever imagined.

Dessert Party

Why not skip to the tastiest part of dinner and hold a dessert party for your family and friends? Since most desserts can be made hours or days in advance, hosting a dessert party is practically stress-free.

You’ll want to include four or five desserts and an assortment of hot and cold beverages for your guests. Although holiday cookies certainly count as desserts, you may want to bake a few other types of tasty treats, such as a yule log cake, chocolate cream pie, pecan pie, red velvet cake, rum balls, gingerbread trifle or peppermint cheesecake.

If you’re not a baker or don’t have enough time to bake a selection of desserts, there’s nothing wrong with picking up a few goodies at a Bridgewater bakery. Your guests certainly won’t care who baked the desserts, but will enjoy the opportunity to spend a little time with you during the holiday season.

Progressive Dinner

A progressive dinner is an excellent choice if you’re looking for a fun, low-key holiday entertaining option. You’ll share cooking duties with a group of family and friends, reducing your workload. One group or family will handle appetizers, another will prepare soups and salads, while others will prepare the entree and dessert. You’ll visit the first group’s home for appetizers, then travel to the next home or apartment for the next course.

Since you’ll be traveling from home to home, it’s best to choose foods that can be prepared ahead of time and kept warm or can be quickly reheated. You’ll also need to appoint someone as the official time master or designate a special song as the cue to move on.

Although it’s only human nature to want to linger in one location, keeping the evening on track will ensure that the food doesn’t get cold or stale. When guests get the signal from the time master or hear “Jingle Bells,” they’ll know it’s time to grab their coats and car keys.

Progressive dinners not only make entertaining easier but offer the ideal solution when guests just don’t have enough time to attend multiple parties during the holiday season.

Reserve the Community Room

Even the most spacious apartment can feel a bit small if you’re planning a big holiday party. If you’re lucky enough to live in an apartment complex with a community room, ask if you can rent the room for your party.

Most community rooms offer ample seating for large groups and include kitchens that you can use to prepare your food or keep it warm. Be sure to ask for a list of rules and regulations when you book the room. You’ll want to find out if you may serve alcohol at the party, if live music is permitted, where you should instruct your guests to park, and if you’ll need to pay a security or cleaning deposit.

Depending on the schedule for the community room, you may be permitted to arrive a few hours early to decorate the room and set up for the party. Find out if you can add decorations to the walls, ceilings or doors and how decorations should be affixed.

Is holiday entertaining difficult in your current apartment? Move to Fairway 28, a Country Classics Rental Community in Bridgewater. The one- and two-bedroom luxury apartments offer spacious kitchens that make preparing holiday meals easy. Every kitchen features Silestone counters and stainless steel appliances.

The community also includes a community room with kitchen, as well as a fitness center, dog run and private garages, which are available for an extra fee. Contact us for information about current apartment availability.

Sources:

Tablespoon: Host a Progressive Dinner Party

https://www.tablespoon.com/posts/host-a-progressive-dinner-party

Real Simple: The Stress-Free Holiday Party Plan

https://www.realsimple.com/holidays-entertaining/holidays/christmas/stress-free-holiday-party