Best Interior Designer Los Angeles: Entertaining Ideas

During the past weeks we have been sharing favorite holiday recipes. Prompted by a question asked of me at a dinner last night, I thought I would share two recipes of a slightly different sort. With the holiday entertaining season moving into full swing, here are two recipes for holiday success.

Steps to Being a Successful Holiday Host

    1. Start on time. If you call for cocktails as 7:00pm and dinner at 8:00pm, you should begin serving dinner promptly at eight o’clock. This shows respect for your guests who have gathered at the appropriate time.
    2. Have pre-selected music playing when the first guest arrives through to when the last guest departs. It helps to set the ideal mood.
    3. Always seat spouses or significant others apart from each other.
    4. Plan to serve dessert and coffee in the living room. It makes for a lovely transition and a relaxed ending to the evening.
    5. Let the clean-up wait until your guests have left. Nothing will end an evening as fast as a host disappearing into the kitchen to clean-up.


Steps to Being a Successful Holiday Guest

    1. Never be more than 20 minutes late and don’t arrive early or exactly on time.
    2. If you bring something for your host, don’t expect it to be included in the evening’s meal.
    3. Leave your cell phone or BlackBerry in the car or at home.
    4. Be an engaging dinner partner by paying equal attention to the guests on your left and right.
    5. Pay attention to the hour and plan your departure to coincide with other guests. Don’t leave early and don’t be the last one out the door.