Michael and I hosted our very first annual Christmas party this year with ALL of our friends and had such a blast! We decided to host a party annually where people get dressed up, leave the kids at home, and gather in our home for yummy food and drinks and friendship.
This was the first party we’ve ever hosted this size (about 55 people) so I was a little overwhelmed on what to do about food and drinks. I shared a few of the things I made on my stories and lots of y’all DM’d me asking for recipes! So in case you have a Christmas or NYE party coming up, I’m going to share all of the recipes I made for our party that were a huge hit!
[Side note! I also bought a few frozen appetizer type things from Trader Joe’s which were obviously very easy haha. Trader Joe’s has tons of ready-made / frozen options like that that are perfect for hosting parties].
citrus pomegranate champagne twist: half baked harvest
recipe here
I chose this punch because it looks so festive and pretty and it has two of my favorite things in it: champagne AND grand marnier haha. Sadly I’m not drinking right now since we are trying to get pregnant so I personally didn’t try it but heard from everyone that it was delicious! It also has pomegranate juice, orange juice…so it’s the perfect combo of fizzy and sweet. It was super easy to make too. I just poured everything in this punch bowl!
easy mulled apple cider: the pioneer woman
recipe here
I think you should always have a non-alcoholic option at parties as well so I decided to do a mulled apple cider for something cozy and warm. This was my first time to ever make cider and it turned out SO yummy! It was also so easy to make – basically just threw everything in a big pot on the stove for about half an hour and it was done!
pastry wrapped cranberry baked brie: half baked harvest
recipe here
I actually made this baked brie as an appetizer for Thanksgiving when we were hosting my family and OH MY WORD. Like 10/10 !! When I saw the photo online I was intimidated and thought it would be super complicated but it was actually the easiest thing in the world and my entire family loved it.
goat cheese, prosciutto and fig flatbread: the defined dish
recipe here
We actually ended up having more than enough food so I didn’t end up needing to make this flatbread. But this would be a good one to make (you could make like 5 of them depending on how big your party is) as a yummy appetizer! The ingredients in this look DELISH and I can’t wait to try it.
christmas monster cookies: half baked harvest
recipe here
These were definitely the biggest hit at the party haha I made 50ish cookies and not a single one was left! They have ALL the things in them – chocolate chips, oats, pretzels, m&m’s, white chocolate chips…they are MAGICAL, but not too complicated to make. I will for sure be making these again!
Do you have a go-to appetizer or dessert you bring to parties? Comment below and let me know!
xo Lauren
