Christmas Eve © by Svenstorm

Every holiday in our family there is always an influx of entertaining to do. When I was younger we always had a huge gathering around the tree. Then when Rachel was wee little and my dad was alive, Grandma’s house was the place to be. From my grandmothers and my own mother I learned some frugal tips that made holiday entertaining easy and frugal.

First and foresmost these women had it down to an art form, there were traditions, always made fruit cake, and cookies, and unexpected company was the norm.

So how did they manage and stay on budget?

1. For the big events they delegated, family and friends brought a dish or two. It is okay to share the workload.

2. When it came to drinks, they kept it simple, they did have a bar, but they also made sure there was plenty of non alcoholic punch available too. My mom was making mocktails long before they were called mocktails, and her recipes are the best.I have a number of great mocktail recipes on my Pinterest board.

3. They used paper plates and the like sparingly, this was the time to break out the good china, I remember my grandmother’s set, it sat in the china cabinet except when there was company and then it came out each and every time.

4. How about instead of the party where food is featured have a cocktail hour, a dessert only party or how about a brunch instead?

5. For invites, you can send them electronically using a tool like Evite. Think no postage.

6. For decor think about  natural elements, we especially loved to use pine cones at this time of year.

What are some of the ways you can think of to save on holiday entertaining? Let me know or better yet join us on Twitter Wed Dec 5th from 7-8pm EST as we chat holiday entertaining on a budget.