The holidays are upon us, which means it's that time of year when you're hosting or attending a holiday event seemingly every weekend. Although hosting the annual family Thanksgiving dinner or planning the office Christmas party is a fun reason to get into the holiday spirit, it can also be exhausting. 

If you've run out of inspiration this holiday season or planning a big event sounds tiresome instead of fun, keep reading for some excellent holiday dinner party ideas and what you can do instead of cooking this year. 

The Rush of Holiday Party Season

Winter is a time best spent indoors with the ones you love. The holiday party season makes this time of year fun and festive, and dinner parties are the perfect way to bond and catch up with friends and family. 

But if you're responsible for hosting one or more holiday dinner parties, you know how much time and effort goes into preparing these meals, and sometimes it feels like you spend the whole party in the kitchen instead of enjoying your guests' company. 

Holiday Dinner Party Ideas: The Flops 

The holidays are synonymous with dinner parties, which means people often serve the same or similar menu items. Of course, Christmas ham and Hanukkah latkes are classics for a reason, but it might be time to venture beyond sweet potato casserole and gravy this holiday season.

Serving your guests dishes that feature their favorite holiday flavors doesn't have to be boring or unoriginal. Instead, you can opt for new and exciting holiday recipes without worrying about preparing the meal yourself.  

Holiday Dinner Party Ideas With a Chef

If you're looking for a new way to experience hosting a holiday dinner party, hire an INTUEAT chef. Our personal chef services mean you can enjoy spending time with your guests and leave the shopping, cooking, and cleaning to a commercially licensed professional.

Inventive Menu Ideas

Although your personal chef will help you craft a menu to perfectly fit your event and impress your guests, having a few ideas of what you'd like to serve can help provide direction and ensure no family favorites are missed. Consider trying these inventive holiday meal menu ideas at your holiday gathering!

Fun Holiday Appetizer: Pears With Blue Cheese and Prosciutto 

Although this appetizer might sound deceptively simple, presentation is one of the essential components of impressing guests with your hors d'oeuvres selection and Christmas menus in general. 

This delicious holiday appetizer requires expert time management to ensure the pears don't brown before your guests get to them. In addition, you will need a professional touch to artfully wrap the prosciutto and create food styling worthy of a restaurant.

Fun Holiday Entree: Red Wine-Braised Short Ribs

Short ribs require the perfect combination of seasoning with fresh herbs, marinating, and slow cooking to have that fall-off-the-bone quality that sets them apart. This winter-themed recipe is the perfect entree for your holiday table and will pair well with a wide selection of side dishes and drinks. 

Suggest this recipe to your INTUEAT chef, and let them add their own touch to bring this holiday dish to life. 

Let The Chef Surprise You 

If you don't have a specific meal in mind or are interested in trying new things, let the chef surprise you! INTUEAT chefs are the best at their trade, and no matter which chef you hire, they'll be able to serve you and your guests delicious and inventive meals. Looking for a fresh cocktail party or Christmas-themed ones with apple cider, standing rib roast, and fun twists on family traditions? An INTUEAT chef can deliver.

Give the chef your broad-strokes ideas about the type of meal you're looking for and any dietary restrictions you or your guests may have, and let them run with it! This is a fun way for you and your guests to share the experience of being surprised by your meal.  

Decorate Like a Pro

Hosting a holiday dinner party is about so much more than the food. To throw a holiday party that makes everyone's day merry and bright, you can create a cozy ambiance that includes festive touches all over your home. 

When you hire an INTUEAT chef, you don't have to deal with any of the menu planning, grocery shopping, cooking, serving, or cleaning. That means you'll have plenty of time to prepare yourself and your house. So consider using this time to step up your decorating game with these fun holiday decor ideas:

• Make some festive garlands: Garlands are a classic decoration, and you can tailor them to match whatever decor style you choose this year. Check out these DIY garlands for every area of your house.
• Hang holiday wreaths: Wreaths are for more than just your front door and can be used to spruce up virtually every window in your house. Whether you go DIY or storebought, wreaths add an instant holiday touch.
• Pomander balls: Pomander balls are fun, classy, and easy to make! An excellent craft for the kids, you simply stud oranges with whole cloves and arrange them around your house. Not only do these add a bright and festive touch, but they smell good too! Get the tutorial here.

No matter how you choose to decorate, hiring a professional chef means you can spend extra time and energy getting your house in tip-top shape. 

Focus on the Entertainment 

In addition to having more time for decor, the lack of meal planning means you have more time to focus on activities and entertainment! A holiday dinner party obviously must include a delicious meal, but it's important to prepare activities to help your guests have a good time. For example, your seasonal bash might be livened up with some of these Christmas dinner party ideas:

• Ugly Christmas sweater contest
• Secret Santa
• Ornament exchange 
• Christmas cookie decorating
• White elephant gift exchange

Host Your Next Holiday Dinner Party With INTUEAT

Your next holiday dinner party will be much easier when you hire an INTUEAT personal chef. Our vetted chefs do all the hard work to ensure you and your guests can enjoy a holiday-themed restaurant-quality meal, leaving you to focus on party planning and having fun. 

With every detail included in the dinner service, your INTUEAT chef will bring all the necessary ingredients, supplies, and support staff to make sure they create the perfect meal tailored to the preferences of you and your guests.

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