How to host a holiday dinner in a condo

We all look forward to celebrating the holidays with family and friends; similarly, we all dread hosting them. Whether you’re spending all your money on supplies, spending all of your time cleaning up, or spending the entire duration of the party tending to your guests, hosting a holiday dinner is extremely demanding. This plight only gets more complicated for condo dwellers, who, in many cases have to deal with limited space and heightened restrictions.

Whether it’s an extravagant gathering or just a small get-together with your immediate family, there is much to consider when you’re hosting a holiday in a condo. For many, the main concern is congestion but instead of retreating to your building’s party room or terrace, you can make some subtle changes to your space to comfortably accommodate all of your guests.

Keep it simple

Clutter can easily make a small space feel even smaller. So ahead of hosting a holiday in your condo, adopt a minimalist philosophy to maximize your space. Opting for modest centerpieces and solid patterns in lieu of larger arrangements and busy motifs can make your space feel less congested.

Displaying your decor on the walls can free up valuable surface space. Pictures, paintings and signs on the walls paired with string lights and streamers hanging from the ceiling will still give your home a festive feel while leaving surface space for food and drinks. You can even add depth to your unit by hanging mirrors on the wall, creating a more roomy feel.

You can also take inventory of your home in the sky to determine what you need and don’t need for the night, whether it be your potted plants or that big comfy chair that you thought would fit. Anything that isn’t going to be needed for the evening can be kept in your bedroom or closet.

Have sufficient seating

Since nobody likes to eat their dinner standing up, it’s important to ensure that there is enough seating for all of your guests. But be wary of turning your condo into a sea of chairs, as the layout should still encourage guests to mingle. You can relieve some seating stress by putting finger foods on the menu. This way, guests don’t feel compelled to look for seating and are less likely to be disappointed if it’s in short supply.

Serve up more space

In a condo kitchen, things can get crowded so flex your creative muscles and have food several places around the living area as opposed to one designated spot. This not only deters congestion at dinner time, but also promotes a more casual, comfortable, social atmosphere. You can also serve some dishes on tiered trays to save counter space.

Personalize everything

Some prefer a drop-in vibe but in a tight space, RSVPs can help you steer clear of an uncomfortable catastrophe, where you don’t have enough space (or food) to accommodate your guests. You can mail (or email) invitations a couple weeks before the big dinner and include a personalized drink tag as a souvenir as a way to ensure that everyone uses one glass for the night (meaning less dishes for you).

Be conscious of neighbours

With limited space between units, throwing a loud dinner in a condo can put you in hot water with your neighbours. Even if the dinner goes off without a hitch, the celebration will be soured by their complaints so always remember to be courteous and give your neighbours and concierge advanced warning. If you have any leftovers, share them with neighbours the next day!

We hope these tips help you host a great holiday dinner in your condo!