How to Host a Winter-Themed Party Martha Stewart Would Be Proud Of

There are many reasons to throw a winter-themed party. Super Bowl Sunday, the holidays, game nights, and the Grammys all tend to be popular get-together occasions. And what better way to add a little class to the event than to host a party with a winter theme? This doesn’t have to be time-consuming or stressful. After all, Martha said it best in her statement that, “Sometimes, what a host truly needs is a handful of excellent time-saving tips to throw a terrific party in no time at all.”

Choose your theme.

How elegant do you want your party to be? This will probably depend a lot on the reason you’re holding the event. Super Bowl parties are typically laid back and casual, but you might wish to make your Grammy party a little more upscale. Choosing a theme for your party not only helps you with the decor, but it also helps you decide on a menu. One example of a winter theme might be Winter Wonderland. For this theme, you might decorate with silvery, shimmery tablecloths or all white decor items. You would also want to serve an elegant dish, like lobster or gourmet salads.

Choose comfort food for your entree.

A winter-themed party should have three main ingredients—warmth, good friends, and comfort food. Martha Stewart recommends serving dishes like hearty soups and stews that can be made in a slow cooker or one pot. Surprisingly simple and casual meals lend a warm wintery theme to any event. Guests can serve themselves in soup bowls that are easy to carry around with them while they socialize. The best part is, you didn’t have to slave over a hot stove and messy kitchen the whole day to prepare. Add selections of crackers and possibly toppings, depending on the type of soup you serve. For example, if you make a Mexican stew or taco soup, you can set out toppings like tortilla chips, cheese, sour cream, and green onions. Of course, your choice of entree might be a little more gourmet and less messy if you’ve chosen a more formal theme.

Add wintery beverages.

Coffee and hot cocoa bar are a great addition to any winter-themed party. And done well, it can be part of your decor. One serving coffee pots and a selection of pods work well for these. And you can add mason jars with treats to the setting. The jars might contain cinnamon sticks, marshmallows, candy canes, sprinkles, coffee creamer, syrups, or other edible decorations. And if you’d like to save yourself some cleaning hassle, put out cute paper coffee cups that your guests can throw away after.

For more elegant parties, you may choose to serve cocktails rather than warm beverages. You can stick with the basics, like martinis and sangria, or you can truly add to the theme of the party by serving some wintery cocktails. Some examples are peppermint mimosas, spiked eggnog, cranberry martinis, and Irish coffee.

Brush up on party etiquette.

If you’re hosting a formal affair, you’ll, of course, want to know what silverware to lay out and how to use it. But even casual parties can be improved by making sure your guests are treated well. For one thing, ask about diet restrictions and allergies on your RSVP cards or e-vites. Nothing’s worse than serving only seafood and finding out half your guests are allergic. It’s also helpful to add a vegan dish or two to the menu so that everyone has a choice.

It’s also important to introduce people to each other. Don’t just welcome them at the door. Usher them over to an individual or group you think they might hit it off with. In fact, do a little pre-planning to make sure you are gathering people you feel will get along well. Keep this in mind when doing seating charts, as well.