the one with holiday hosting

The Ghomans are staying in New England for Christmas! Last night we kicked off the holiday by having Jesse's family over for a Christmas Eve Eve dinner. It was so fun to dress up our dining room table, light the candles, and eat some yummy food (that I didn't burn!). And we got to use our new Christmas plates - an early present from my wonderful parents. 

There's something really special about hosting this time of year. Everything just seems so much more...snuggly? I don't know. It's just the best. But another thing about hosting at Christmastime? It can be EXPENSIVE. As ministers, we have people in and out of our house constantly this time of year and I'm still trying to master affordable seasonal hosting. 

The Ghoman tricks of the trade: 

1. Serve hot chocolate. LOTS of hot chocolate. It's cheap and it makes people happy. Also: marshmallows. 

2. Candles everywhere! I learned this one from my good friend, Melissa. It's a relatively cheap way to make everything much more cozy. 

3. Clean a little everyday. Putting things away and straightening up as we go make those surprise holiday visits much more enjoyable.

4. Get resourceful. My mantra this year should really be: Use what you've got, and then go to the dollar store. So for decorating this year I went simple - I took tree trimmings and put them in green bottles wrapped in twine, used a red tablecloth from Goodwill as a tree skirt, took pine cones and fake red berries (from the dollar store) and put them in a glass vase as a centerpiece. 

5. Don't be afraid of plastic silverware and paper plates. Let's all stop pretending that we have dish-elves and give in to our generation's greatest invention when large crowds descend on our homes.

So on that note, Merry Christmas Eve! We sent out a cute and pretty Christmas card to a few family and friends - but I thought that you all might want to see our true colors:) 

Have an awkward little Christmas! From our family to yours. 

xoxo

A+J