{"id":28249,"date":"2015-08-19T18:00:22","date_gmt":"2015-08-19T23:00:22","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/the2seasons.com\/?p=28249"},"modified":"2015-08-19T15:21:38","modified_gmt":"2015-08-19T20:21:38","slug":"tips-to-make-entertaining-easier","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"http:\/\/the2seasons.com\/?p=28249","title":{"rendered":"Tips to Make Entertaining Easier"},"content":{"rendered":"

Jordan and I both love to entertain on a small scale. \u00a0Over the years we have come up with some easy tips that make a brunch for friends, drinks with the neighbors, a birthday party, or a dinner party go smoothly. These tips make it easier for us to show our friends a good time. \u00a0And believe me, if we are relaxed, then our guests are more relaxed, too. \u00a0We came up with some strategies that won’t rock the world, but they will make entertaining easier.<\/h3>\n

\u00a0\"10<\/h3>\n

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\"Simple<\/h3>\n

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1. \u00a0Put out some simple pre-meal appetizers<\/strong><\/em><\/span>. \u00a0Some nuts, cheese crackers, and olives take no prep time at all, and they can settle your guests’ appetites while you finish things up in the kitchen. \u00a0Plus, if you go light with the snacks, they will still be plenty hungry for the big meal.\u00a0 There’s no need to make\/bake a heavy appetizer when small munchies will do.\u00a0 Serving them in a silver bowl adds a little sparkle to the evening. If you are serving brunch, then prepare some mimosas or bloody Marys ahead of time.\u00a0 Have some plain juices available, too.<\/h3>\n

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\u00a0\"Music<\/p>\n

2. \u00a0Create a playlist beforehand<\/strong><\/em><\/span> so you aren’t fussing with music throughout. \u00a0Have some lively music playing when your guests arrive, and then tone it down for the meal. \u00a0Remember that the music should play quietly in the background so it doesn’t compete with conversations.\u00a0 A good and free source is Pandora<\/a>.<\/h3>\n

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\u00a0\"Christmas<\/p>\n

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3. \u00a0Decant your wine ahead of time<\/strong><\/em><\/span>. \u00a0It allows the wine to breathe, and it looks pretty. \u00a0You can pour it into a pretty wine decanter or just remove the cork and let the bottle of wine rest.<\/h3>\n

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\"Mason<\/p>\n

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4. \u00a0Have both sparkling and plain water available<\/strong><\/em><\/span>. \u00a0It’s always important to have alternate choices for your guests who don’t want an alcoholic beverage. \u00a0(Jordan has a Soda Stream<\/a> which is a great way to save money on sparkling water.)<\/h3>\n

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\"Table<\/h3>\n

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5.\u00a0 Use place cards<\/em><\/strong><\/span>.\u00a0 Place cards<\/a> can be as simple or as fancy as you need them to be.\u00a0 Not only does it tell your guests they are special, but it also eliminates the confusion of who sits where when your meal is ready.\u00a0 A good rule to follow when seating your guests is to put man, woman, man, woman, etc. and don’t put couples beside each other.\u00a0 It creates a livelier atmosphere.<\/h3>\n

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\"dining<\/p>\n

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6. Use your silver or brass<\/strong><\/em><\/span>. \u00a0If you are having a dinner party, silver or brass candlesticks and and some long white tapered candles always create a cozy environment. \u00a0And always remember to keep your floral arrangements low enough so your guests can talk and see over them.<\/h3>\n

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\u00a0\"Phone<\/h3>\n

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7. \u00a0Put your cell phones away<\/strong><\/em><\/span>. \u00a0Isn’t it a shame that we even have to say this? \u00a0But, please, no phones at the table.\u00a0 A cute and gentle suggestion would be a little basket near the front door so guests can drop their phones off when they arrive and pick them up when they leave.<\/h3>\n

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\"Depression<\/h3>\n

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8. \u00a0Use cotton napkins<\/strong><\/em><\/span>. \u00a0Yes, cotton napkins might require a little work after the meal, but cotton napkins are so worth it. \u00a0We both use cotton napkins daily.<\/h3>\n

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\u00a0\"Coffee<\/h3>\n

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9. \u00a0Prepare your coffee station ahead of time<\/strong><\/em><\/span>. \u00a0If you are planning to serve coffee, have everything ready to go. \u00a0Turn on the coffee maker right before your sit down to eat so it will be ready when you are. \u00a0Offer both regular and decaf.\u00a0 Fresh cream plus some flavored coffee mates will be appreciated.<\/h3>\n

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\u00a0\"Entertaining<\/p>\n

10. \u00a0Have a place for coats and purses<\/strong><\/em><\/span>. \u00a0Designate an area or a room near the front door for your guests to keep these items. \u00a0My friend Kate actually has a metal coat rack<\/a> that she pulls out when she entertains. \u00a0If you put it in an area that has a mirror, it gives your guests a chance to check their hair and make-up when they arrive but before they join the festivities.\u00a0 If it’s raining, have a spot for wet umbrellas.<\/h3>\n

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We think our ten tips are good ones.\u00a0 Hopefully, you have found at least one tip that you can use the next time you are entertaining. \u00a0Do you have any to add to the list?\u00a0 Please leave them in the comments.<\/h3>\n

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Take care.<\/h3>\n

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Image of coat rack from Amazon.com.\u00a0 Affiliate links in post.<\/em><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Jordan and I both love to entertain on a small scale. \u00a0Over the years we have come up with some easy tips that make a brunch for friends, drinks with the neighbors, a birthday party, or a dinner party go smoothly. These tips make it easier for us to show our friends a good time. […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":3,"featured_media":25277,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_genesis_hide_title":false,"_genesis_hide_breadcrumbs":false,"_genesis_hide_singular_image":false,"_genesis_custom_body_class":"","_genesis_custom_post_class":"","_genesis_layout":""},"categories":[26],"tags":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"http:\/\/the2seasons.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/28249"}],"collection":[{"href":"http:\/\/the2seasons.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"http:\/\/the2seasons.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/the2seasons.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/3"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/the2seasons.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=28249"}],"version-history":[{"count":12,"href":"http:\/\/the2seasons.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/28249\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":28432,"href":"http:\/\/the2seasons.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/28249\/revisions\/28432"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/the2seasons.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/media\/25277"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"http:\/\/the2seasons.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=28249"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/the2seasons.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=28249"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/the2seasons.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=28249"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}