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20 Tips to Entertain 20 People

Get together with friends and family to celebrate! Is this year your turn to host? See our 20 tips that will help you to entertain 20 people… or more!

1Try to prepare what you can before the actual day of the event, which will allow you to spend more time with your guests.

2Ask some of your guests – the ones who like to cook and with whom you are most comfortable with – to contribute by bringing a dish.

3Express your wishes clearly to ensure the guests bring different dishes.

4Prepare room in the fridge for the dishes to be served as well as any leftovers at the end of the evening.

5Space on the table is often limited when you are entertaining a large number of people. Therefore, it's a good idea to keep your decorations to a minimum.

6Make sure you’ve got everything your guests might need over the course of the evening.

7Prepare place cards for your guests to avoid any confusion when it’s time to sit at the table.

8If you are planning a sit-down meal, pay special attention to your table setting. Small details set the mood for a festive and warm evening.

9Select the appropriate music to create the right ambiance.

10And most importantly, you can get back on your diet tomorrow!

1Prepare a special table for the little ones. With a little imagination, you can make them feel very special. Colourful plates and small utensils, little Chinese umbrellas in their glasses, Shirley Temple cocktails: the kids will love it… and so will the adults.

2If they are old enough, let the children help out. Remember that giving them responsibilities makes them feel important.

3They can pass around the appetizers and ask if anyone needs anything.

4Depending on their personality and ability, ask them to do some arts and crafts to decorate the table or the house.

5You may want to ask them to prepare a mini show to entertain the family.

6Older children can be given specific tasks such as greeting guests, taking care of the winter coats, helping serve the dishes, clearing the table or doing the dishes.

7Put one or two teenagers in charge of keeping the little ones amused.

8Because it is most likely – and normal – that children may refuse to share their toys with the other children, allow them to put a few of their favourites away before everyone arrives. It should be understood that they agree to share the other toys and determine some rules ahead of time to avoid any conflict.

9Relax: it is not always your child who is causing the trouble!

10Discipline does not have to be as rigid: you can use a break too.