Hosting gatherings with friends and family seem like a great idea when you plan them. When you have to actually prepare for the party, you may wonder why you agreed to host in the first place. Being a host/hostess does take a lot of your time and energy but it doesn’t have to be difficult. With a few entertaining hacks not only will your guests enjoy the gathering, but you can have a good time too. This Resveralife Live Well Guide offers a few quick, simple and exciting entertaining hacks.

Set up Stations
Who wants to be up all night or spend an entire day prepping elaborate dishes and making signature cocktails. Sure, it would be great to do so if you had all the time in the world, but you don’t. To make the food and drink part of the party a bit easier, set up stations around your place. For instance, you could set up a Make Your Own Taco station by prepping chicken, beef and pork and storing them appropriately. The day of the party pop the meat into bowls and include other taco toppings such as bowls of sour cream, salsa, guacamole and cheese. This is not only a time saver, but it allows your guests to tailor their food to their exact tastes. For dessert, who doesn’t love a great candy bar? If you have a brunch gathering, set up a mimosa bar with your champagne and juices such as orange and pomegranate. Stations are only limited by your imagination and guests often enjoy having options at parties.

Plan in Advance
You know that your party is going to require a lot of work, so why not get started immediately? Make a schedule of what tasks you need to do and when you need to have them done. Give yourself plenty of time in advance and do a small amount of work each day. Devote 15 minutes each day to doing something for the party whether it is rolling napkins or selecting a playlist. You won’t feel overwhelmed and you’ll be surprised at how much a little work every day adds up.

Improvise
Forget to buy the ice? Pop fruit such as grapes, lemons, limes or oranges in the freezer. These act as ice cubes for the drinks an add a bit of sophistication and whimsy. If you don’t want to spend time scrubbing out stains on your carpet, grab a fun blanket and through that on the floor before setting everything else up. Not only does this add a unique touch, but you can throw it in the washing machine and be rid of stains quickly.

Get Flowers
One of the easiest ways to make your place look more elegant is to get some flowers beforehand. While you can create an immaculate perfectly compiled arrangement, you can also set a more relaxed tone by using unexpected flowers and simple cases or containers. Consider grabbing a large bouquet of baby’s breath and separate it when you get home. Make one arrangement larger so it can serve as a centerpiece, and leave small vases of baby’s breath in various places of your home (don’t forget the bathroom!). Take it a step further for an evening gathering by adding tea light candles to your decorations.

Stick to Familiar Territory
You want your party to leave people talking, but in a positive way. One way to ensure that is to rely on tried and true recipes. While preparing a new dish sounds exciting, if it ends up not tasting good, you are stuck without something else to serve and guests that will grumble. Learn a few dishes well and stick to serving these. It will reduce your anxiety about serving food to your guests and the prep time may be shorter since you are already familiar with the process.

While you can’t get around the fact that hosting an event at your home will take a significant amount of your time and energy, it does not have to leave you wishing you weren’t hosting. Enjoy the process, and the party, more by using these entertaining hacks.