I'm really trying to keep my cool, but I've been assigned to take care of Christmas Eve dinner this year, and there is so much more to it than I could have expected.
Naturally, planning started at the beginning of this month, and nearly all of my recipes, tablescaping ideas, and hosting hacks have come courtesy of TikTok or Instagram.
Whether you're having a Friendsmas dinner, taking some stress off your parents' plate, or are simply looking to up your hosting game, these three videos are full of tips, hacks, and DIYs that will help you host your cutest Christmas dinner ever.
1. Festive napkin folds
If you're hoping for a very (intentionally) kitsch Christmas table, this hack is for you. At Home With Shannon beautifully demonstrates how to fold a cloth napkin into a fun, festive Christmas tree as part of your dinner tablescape — plus, some glittery star-shaped place cards as a finishing touch. This napkin folding trick would also work great with a more neutral linen napkin for a Scandi Christmas theme.
"Make sure your napkins are ironed and ready for this hack," our head ecommerce editor Annie Collyer says. "The thinner the material is, the better this works."
2. Mini Christmas trees
@itsbridgettebitch I love Christmas DIYS 🎄✨🪩 and I also love disco
♬ Christmas Special - Jenevieve
Home and lifestyle creator Bridgette has delivered with this on-trend disco tree decor DIY. And the best part? They don't require any tools or glue. Just pick up some foam cones and some disco craft tiles, and you're pretty much good to go.
As a bonus, the foam trees used in this DIY also work with fabric trim and some pins, so you can fully customize your look. Since you're making these tiny centerpieces or mantel decorations yourself, you can be sure they will perfectly coordinate with the rest of your decor and will tie the space together.
3. Prepping the day before
Tori Falzon from Into The Sauce includes a ton of helpful hosting and food prep advice in this video, but the highlight for us has to be designating your dishes and mapping out your table set up the day before.
"Do ask much as you can in advance and if something goes wrong, to quote Julia Childs, ‘no apologies and no explanations,'" Falzon says. "It will only draw attention to something your guests most likely would never have noticed!"
I'm a little embarrassed to admit how many times I've finished cooking a side dish only to realize I don't have a clean dish to serve it in. Popping some sticky notes onto designated plates the night before means that will never happen again. I also love the idea of setting your table with the empty serving dishes, so you can build your tablescape or runner perfectly based on where the food will be.