Everything You Need To Throw A Festive Holiday Party, According To Experts

This indoor/outdoor 6-foot-long folding table is easy to open and close, wipes clean (though I always use some form of tablecloth, butcher paper or fabric—more on that later) and is slim enough to fit under the bed or tucked into a closet for storage if you don’t have a garage or larger space to keep it in the entertaining off-season. And since it’s around $60, it’s more cost effective than renting a table every year. There are also matching chairs if you want a few seats to put around the room.

Whether you are purchasing a table or covering an existing dining table, kitchen island, bar top or even a coffee table, the trick to easy cleanup is rolling out some butcher paper (also called kraft paper). You can buy it in giant rolls—Pelosi recommends the 48-inch x 180 feet roll, which can cover a 2-foot-wide table completely—that will last for many holiday seasons. “The best part is that at the end of the party, you just roll up the paper and cleanup is done,” Pelosi says.

In addition to a simple cleanup, kraft paper is also easy to write on for labeling what’s what. For a holiday cookie party, Pelosi suggests having guests pile their cookies in a spot and noting any allergens (like nuts or if it’s vegan). For Dipmas, you can set bowls atop the kraft paper and label the dips and dippers, or use masking tape to label slow cookers. You can also write names directly on plastic cups so no one loses their drink.

Pelosi keeps a spray bottle of 1/4 cup distilled white vinegar and 2 cups water (his mom’s trick) handy to clean up messes as they happen, because they’re inevitable at a big, fun, sometimes sloppy holiday party. This mixture can cut through heavy stains and spills and is blissfully chemical-free.

If you want to have a festive backdrop for your buffet, add a piece of fabric as a tablecloth to your surface of choice before placing the butcher paper on top. It’ll still be easy to clean but will be more aesthetically pleasing. If you are crafty (or know someone who is) then you can also make cloth napkins with 16 x 16-inch squares and a colorful thread. “It doesn’t need to be expensive, it just needs to be you,” says Pelosi, who suggests this colorful tie-dye print from Joann. “Invest in a few yards of fabric you love. It will get stained, but stains speak to a well-lived life.”

Pelosi always has a second table at his cookie party for cookie decorating, so if you’re considering doing that, don’t forget the delicious add-ons. He uses store-bought sugar cookie dough, rolled out and cut into gingerbread person shapes with store-bought icing and sprinkles. “I have a huge collection of sprinkles, eyeballs, mustaches, you name it, and I make genderless gingerbread people, but as sugar cookies,” Pelosi explains. (If you’re in New York City, Pelosi has built most of his collection from the “wonderland” of decorations at NY Cake in Chelsea.) “So much creativity comes out of that table, and at the end of the night, I can look at all of them and curate some of my favorites.”

For a party that has more than eight people (and especially one where you are mingling and not having a full sit-down), buy disposable napkins and plates. You can be as eco-conscious as you want with the type that you buy, but no one needs to be carrying around a fragile plate all night, and you shouldn’t have to spend hours washing dishes. Pelosi is a big fan of repurposing paper hot dog boats in a gently festive plaid pattern, and this version from Stock Your Home is compostable, biodegradable and recyclable. Since the boats bring the red to the party, he opts for green cocktail napkins.

Disposable cafeteria-style divided trays are great for a party with lots of different dips and apps. This way you won’t accidentally get a chicken nugget in your cannoli dip and you can divide and conquer a spread of both dipner and dipssert.

The biggest investment that Pelosi made in his annual holiday party was a hot chocolate machine that keeps it warm throughout the party. (He actually has a much larger one than this, as his cookie party often has 100-plus people coming through, but recognizes that not everyone needs 10 liters of hot cocoa.) “There’s no way to keep hot chocolate warm on the stove without destroying your pot,” Pelosi explains. “I use Swiss Miss Hot Cocoa mix packets because that’s the best, then I have marshmallows, peppermints, whipped cream and some Schnapps if you want to spike it.” You could also use an insulated carafe or coffee dispenser.

For cold drinks, a countertop drink dispenser with a spout is great to have a non-alcoholic—yet spikeable—punch. I like Shirley Temples (using pomegranate grenadine and club soda to keep things less sweet). Pelosi usually has a cranberry-orange-lime punch with prosecco on top or hard liquor like vodka on the side to spike your own (with a shot glass for measuring).

For drinks, you can either use the ice column included in the dispenser (which keeps it cold from its core) or DIY an ice wreath using a bundt pan with cranberries, orange slices and fresh rosemary sprigs frozen inside. Just make sure that your bundt pan’s width and the drink dispenser’s opening are the same size so you can show off the festive ice. This would also work floating in a large punch bowl with a ladle, but can be messier to serve.

I’ve had a triple mini slow cooker filled with three hot dips at every single Dipmas. The 2.5-quart inserts are dishwasher safe, and there’s a holder for each lid so when someone is serving themselves the lid doesn’t drip condensation into the food. Plus, you also only need one plug for three things to stay warm. They’ll keep food fresh throughout the party without having to babysit the stove.

On the flip side, you can keep things cold by using a dip chiller, which has a larger bowl to put ice in and a smaller bowl that nests on top. (There is even one for the only socially acceptable way to double dip: two dips bowls next to each other, on ice.) This works for more than just dips—it’s also great for shrimp cocktail or meat-and-cheese skewers you don’t want sitting at room temp for hours. You can also DIY this by nesting a smaller bowl or plate (pro tip for deviled eggs) inside a larger bowl full of ice.

If you want to serve foods that aren’t just dip or cookies, that’s okay—just don’t bother with serving trays. It’s not worth washing another dish! If you’re looking for something holiday-specific, this Crate & Barrel tree-shaped casserole dish with a trivet is a kitschy-yet-classy way to celebrate, or invest in a classic set of baking dishes that can go from oven to table.

Spread some holiday cheer with a silly photo booth. All it takes is some colorful foil fringe and a ring light tripod and you’re in business. Friends and family of all ages will be delighted by this, and if you add some silly photo booth props or karaoke mics for instant caroling, it’ll be even more fa-la-la-la-fabulous.