How to Host a Holiday Brunch

This post is sponsored by Sprouts Farmers Market. As always, all opinions and recipe are my own.

Hosting friends and family during the holiday season doesn’t have to be stressful! Hosting a holiday brunch is easier than ever, thanks to Sprouts Catering Trays. Order your pastry tray in advance and pick it up the day of. Use the pastries as a centerpiece and offer other easy-to-make breakfast foods alongside the pastries. Whether or not you’re an entertaining pro, if you follow these holiday brunch hosting tips, you can entertain in style!

I am so excited to be sharing this how to host post with y’all this morning, and I am so excited that my friends at Sprouts reached out to me to write this!

As you might have gathered in perusing this site, I’m passionate about entertaining and hosting.

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To me, entertaining doesn’t have to be fancy or over-the-top or even something that’s planned over weeks and months. It certainly doesn’t require cocktail garb or servers walking around toting hoity toity hor d’oeuvres.

Entertaining can be as simple as inviting friends and their kids for dinner. (Because we can entertain both kids and adults at the same time!)

It can be as simple as baking a cake and inviting others to come share it with you.

And it can also be as simple as having folks over for a holiday brunch, too.

This past weekend, we invited friends to share brunch with us in our home, and it felt good to entertain after laying low these past few months.

Having a newborn will do that to a lady.

And since we just did this so recently, I decided to write down some tips and tricks for y’all to make holiday brunch as easy as possible for you!

1. Choose the date and time.

This all depends on you, the people you’d like to invite and your schedules.

Generally speaking, weekends will work better than weekdays unless you’re all students whose schedules match up on a random weekday. But if this holiday brunch is happening on a holiday, like Christmas Eve or Christmas Day, obviously, go with the date of the holiday.

Timing is important, too. Mostly because if you are making the dishes served at your brunch, you’re going to want a little time to put them together.

Consider anything else on your calendar that day, too.

2. Invite guests

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You can invite your people however you like to your holiday brunch.

If you want to send an invite, great. If you’d rather invite via a phone call, a text message or even an email, have at it! The key here is making it easy on yourself. 

If you’re looking for something to make your brunch feel a little more special, here are a few ideas of how to step up your invite game.

• Design a holiday brunch invite in a free program like Canva and send it via email.
• Design a virtual invitation on a website like evite of Paperless Post. This glasses and gifts invite is understated with some color!
• Print out an invitation from a company like Zazzle or Amazon and send them in the mail 1-2 weeks in advance. (If you’re ordering them to be delivered to your home, you need to plan in advance!) I really like this elegant wreath invitation and this pancake and hot cocoa one. These Christmas brunch invitations are great if you don’t want to have to edit your invite online.
• Purchase a digital invite to message to your family members. This plaid Christmas brunch invite is very festive and colorful. I love this animated Friendsmas brunch invite, too.

3. Build your menu.

Choose what you’re going to make… and what dishes you’ll purchase.

Once you know who is coming, ask about food preferences and dietary restrictions. You can incorporate dishes for any special diets so they don’t blindside you the day before.

There is nothing sadder than hosting a party and having a guest who can’t eat anything that you’re serving.

So take care of your people, y’all. They’ll appreciate that.

Consider using a catering tray as your main dish:

I was thrilled when Sprouts approached me to write a post about easy holiday entertaining because my life has been a little, ahem, busy.

As previously mentioned, I gave birth to our second daughter in September, and we’ve been adjusting to becoming a family of four since.

Understandably, my capacity to host an all-out homemade brunch is basically nil right now. And that’s OK.

Just because I can’t make everything from scratch doesn’t mean I can’t entertain, and the same goes for you. In fact, it can be absolutely over-the-top lovely.

When I published this post in December 2018, Sprouts offered holiday trays, like the European Pastry Tray shown in this post. It features buttery croissants and other petite pastries that are perfect for brunching.

It does not appear that Sprouts offers this European variety-pack of pastries anymore, but they still sell a Continental Breakfast tray that can be ordered at least 48 hours in advance and picked up the morning of your gathering.

However, you can easily put a tray like the one shown here by mixing and matching pastries from your grocery’s bakery.

Grab a package of croissants, some strudel bites and some Parisian twists and voila! Transfer the pastries to a silver tray, as shown below, and voila! You made your own.

I cannot stress how amazing this is to have, y’all, because entertaining —especially during this season — can be hectic. The ease of ordering this tray, its affordability and knowing that the products in it were going to be high quality and super tasty made my job so much easier.

Holiday brunch food ideas:

You may already have a set menu of recipes that are holiday traditions! If so, great — start there. If you don’t, keep on readin’! 

In my family, we typically do something like this, though it varies a lot based on the number of people, who those people are and whatever we’re feeling that year: 

• Before brunch, we have drinks to sip and enjoy, like coffee (with homemade gingerbread coffee creamer) and a mimosa bar. We also have a smattering of juice options, water and milk to meet the needs of all guests.
• Our go-to main dishes that we make at home for brunch are casseroles. Christmas Breakfast Casserole, Cranberry Overnight French Toast and Broccoli Quiche Lorraine Bites are excellent ideas since they can be made in advance.
• We all love cinnamon rolls, too, so these Cranberry Cinnamon Rolls and Walnut Sticky Buns with Cream Cheese Icing are extra special.
• Easy sides, like baked bacon, scrambled eggs, sausage brunch salad, fruit salad, etc.
• Potato dishes, like Sage Browned Butter Homemade Home Fries, are always delicious.

Also, while you’re thinking of your menu, consider what tools you’ll need to make the dishes.

Obviously, you don’t want to go into debt while hosting brunch, so plan your menu around tools and kitchen items you already have.

Brunch drink inspiration

I don’t know about you, but brunch translates to MIMOSAS for me. Because of this, I love to have a little mimosa bar set up near the food to allow my friends to mix their own drinks.

Mimosas don’t have to be made with orange juice and champagne, though. For this holiday brunch, we offered mango and pineapple juices, too, for a little variety. You can also make Cranberry Bellinis, which are the perfect holiday morning sipper.

If your guests are into the more savory breakfast drink, offer ingredients to make a Bloody Mary. (I love a traditional Bloody Mary. This BBQ Bloody Mary is a fun twist on the classic!)

If your guests aren’t drinking, they can still enjoy the juices you choose for your mimosa bar.

Also, having various juices is great if kids are in attendance.

At our brunch, we had three toddlers and three newborns. While half of them didn’t eat the food prepared, the other three were able to enjoy a little juice if they wanted. It was a special treat for them.

How do I make sure I’ve got enough food and drinks?

Obviously, you need to take into account the number of guests that you’re hosting to ensure there is enough food for everyone to enjoy.

One thing you can do is ask every guest to bring a food or drink item, so you can ensure you’ll have enough food. This is great to help manage stress, too, because you can focus on 1-2 dishes you’re bringing to the table instead of the whole brunch.

4. Make a cooking timeline.

I write a timeline for the cooking for every event I host, be it a dinner party or a holiday brunch.

Why? So I know when I need to start cooking and can ensure that my dishes are ready at the time I want to serve them. Make the list, check it twice. 

I’ve written a detailed post on how to create a cooking timeline, but here is the general idea:

1. First and foremost, print out any recipes you plan to cook. Open up the cookbook(s) you are using, too.
2. Take out a pen and a sheet of paper. You could do this digitally, too, though I like the pen and paper method.
3. Write down how long every recipe takes to cook, INCLUDING times for brining, chilling, etc.
4. Make notes of anything that needs to be made the day of vs. dishes (or parts of dishes) that can be made in advance. (For example, this .)
5. Decide on your food serving time (which should be about 45 minutes to an hour after guests arrive) and work backwards to know when everything needs to start cooking.
6. Build in wiggle room. I like to leave 30-45 minutes of this for myself before serving, so I start a little earlier just in case something takes longer.

Once you know your start time, write out a detailed list of what goes into the oven (or on the stovetop/slow cooker/etc.) and when so you can stay on top of it on your holiday brunch day.

Keep this list on your refrigerator or somewhere in your kitchen that is very obvious so you can check it as you prepare.

5. Design the table.

First, plan the seating. Do you need a card table, in addition to your dining table? If this is a casual brunch, probably not.

Do you have a table setting of plates / silverware / glasses / etc. to serve each guest? If you plan to use them, are the tablecloths/placemats ironed? 

Next, plan the food and drink stations. Where will the food be served? Where will you keep the drinks? Will you separate out the alcoholic brunch drinks from the nonalcoholic ones? Where will you actually serve the food?

Think about all the spaces where guests will interact with the food. Make a list of what you’ll serve your stuff on and what you might need to acquire. 

I like to get out my dishes and label them with a sticky note to say what is going in them so I don’t forget or have the panicky moment when something comes out of the oven. (Yes, those happen.)

Heck, you can label and put them back in the cabinets until the day of.

Here are some of my favorite dishes to use while entertaining:

• Long Porcelain Serving Platter
• Rectangular Platter in White
• White Medium-Sized Serving Bowl
• Large Bowl in any color of your choosing
• Pottery serving bowls

That said, feel free to use whatever you have on hand and get creative! Your dishes don’t have to all be the same shape or pattern. Mix and match patterns to add some color and fun.

Also, remind your guests bring their own serving platters for their dishes — and remember to tell them to bring tongs and servingware, too! This comes in handy if you don’t have a ton of serving items at your house.

You can learn about My Favorite Easy Entertaining Tools and Products, too!

6. Grocery shop.

You can do this up to a week in advance. You can also place a grocery order for pickup or delivery, too, if that makes life easier. (I wouldn’t blame you a bit — the supermarket can be jam-packed during the holiday season.) 

Get everything you could possibly need when you’re at the store, too. But it may help to jot down what the holiday hours are — just in case.

“Everything you could possibly need” means grabbing paper plates, cups and cutlery if you don’t want to use your ceramic plates, cups and silverware at the event.

Which, let’s be real, makes cleanup a lot easier. Also, if you’re hosting more than 4/6/8/10 guests, do you really have enough plates and glasses for everyone? Probably not.

We are big fans of these compostable dinner places, clear cups and biodegradable cutlery* (affiliate links) for parties and larger gatherings, but you can use plastic or melamine reusable plates, cups and cutlery, too, if you prefer that.

7. Make what you can in advance.

This step obviously depends on your menu and what you’re cooking. It also depends on what you can prep in advance, but not cook.

Whenever I host a holiday gathering like brunch, I try to include as many dishes as possible that can be made in advance — partially or all the way — because it makes my life a lot easier and less stressful so that I have as much time as I possibly can with my guests.

Obviously, this doesn’t work for every recipe, but getting out ahead of the cooking is a great way to be less stressed when entertaining.

Here are some examples of things you can do ahead of time:

• Chop fruits and veggies the day before. Obviously, some fruits and veggies will keep better than others, so use your discretion. For example, chopping an apple or a banana one day in advance is a bad idea. Strawberries and other berries are OK if you want them to have tons of juices, but otherwise, hold off. Many veggies, like onions, garlic, carrots, celery, etc., are great to chop early and keep stored. Just be sure that they are in airtight containers because they can stink up the fridge.
• Make any casserole dishes that will sit overnight in the fridge. Many times, these dishes need to sit to soak up a custard mixture, so make ’em the night before, pop the in the fridge and then bake them off before brunch time.
• Purchase pre-chopped veggies or shredded cheese at the store. Do what you need to do to make it easy on yourself! Frozen ones are okay too if they will work in your recipe. 
• Make a drink (like a Citrus Cranberry Sangria) the day before. Let it hang out in the fridge! If you’re serving a drink that calls for simple syrup, you can make that days in advance.

Obviously, these are all dependent on your menu, but think it through and see what can be done. Really sit with your menu and decide it intentionally so that you can give yourself as much wiggle room as possible.

After all, the point of gathering your people is for everyone to have a great time, you included.

8. Decorate (but only if you want to).

Deck the halls! Er, table(s).

Make the table as festive as you want — this is a special meal!

For our brunch, I chose to use fresh greenery (from our fresh Christmas tree) and seasonal fruits, like pomegranates, clementines, lemons and cranberries to make a pretty easy tablescape. I added a few candleholders and voila… Tablescape complete!

You don’t have to go out of your way to find something extravagant to make a beautiful table, and I think my simple tablescape was lovely, seasonal and fresh.

9. Take a deep breath, keep your cool and have fun!

Here are a few more ideas:

• Christmas tree foliage is your friend! Ask the workers at the Christmas tree lot if you can have extra clippings and use them as the centerpiece. Fresh cut greenery from your yard (or your neighbor’s) in a vase works, too.
• Candles add to the ambiance. I always like to burn unscented candles when we have guests since scents can bother some people, me included. Tea lights and fairy lights are lovely and set the mood. And don’t forget to turn on the Christmas tree! 
• Add fresh flowers to the table for a nice pop of color. You could even add these around the house, if you’re feeling it!
• Festive paper (or fabric) napkins that match your gathering can add a pop of color to the tablescape! Chances are, you’ve probably got ‘em at home already. 
• Make a bar! Turn a buffet table or another unused table in the dining room into a bar and offer up different mixers for everyone to make their own cocktails! Or set out the ingredients for one specific drink, print out the recipe and let everyone mix up their own.
• Add a pitcher or two of water or tea to the table. Add rosemary sprigs, orange slices and cranberries to both water and tea, so have fun with it! This will add flavor, height and color, as well as allow your guests to stay hydrated.

The morning of your holiday brunch, get up as early as necessary to ensure you can get everything on the table AND take a deep breath.

The reason you’re hosting this gathering is because you love your people your people and spending quality time together with great food is fun.

Of course, there might be other meals, present opening, church services or family photos that need to happen before brunch, so keep your cool and try to enjoy all the activities. 

Here’s how I like to fashion the start of any entertaining day:

• Drink a cup of coffee and collect my thoughts.
• Choose what I’m wearing, if I haven’t already. (Honestly, this is great to decide days or even weeks in advance.)
• Review my cooking timeline. Make note of when I’m going to get ready. This is essentially your cooking to-do list. 
• Empty my dishwasher. This way, I can load the dishwasher as I cook, and I shouldn’t have dishes in the sink when guests arrive. Also, this makes cleaning up at the end of the night easier, too. 
• Get started with my first task.

Hosting and entertaining can be stressful. Things can (and probably will) go awry. But you can control how you respond to things.

Some ways to combat the stress when things aren’t going as planned:

• Deep breaths. My older daughter’s teacher taught her all kinds of breathing exercises, and I like to use these to this day.
• Enlist help. There is nothing wrong in asking for assistance!
• Serve coffee to guests. You could also share some mimosas, if you want!
• Let guests mingle or do an activity if they like. My family is into puzzles, and we love (some) board games, too, so those are always an option when we are hosting any gathering.

You can do this. Promise.

Don’t let entertaining keep you from interacting with your guests. Whenever we host, we’ve found everyone tends to gather in the kitchen as we finish whatever we are serving, and it’s a lot of fun to chat as you finish cooking.

When you’re hosting a holiday brunch, this line of thinking applies, too. Also, your family might be in the kitchen with you finishing up their dishes, too. And if your guests offer a hand, let them help.

Make this fun for everyone — and everyone includes YOU. I know it’s very easy to stress about hosting an event in your home. I do this, too, and the morning of our brunch, I was running around like a banshee trying to get everything done before friends arrived.

That said, whenever you feel manic about hosting, it’s important to remember to stop and take a breath.

Chances are, your friends, family and guests won’t notice if things aren’t perfect.

In addition to this, they won’t mind if food isn’t on the table at the time you said because they’re getting to spend time with you and other people whose company they enjoy. (They wouldn’t come over if they didn’t, right?)

Give yourself a break.

Things will inevitably go wrong, whether little or big, so make hosting easy on yourself.

If making scrambled eggs stresses you out, make a different dish in advance or pick up another entrée from the store. If slicing the fruit is too much, purchase a prepared fruit tray or prep the fruit the night before and store it in the fridge.

Do whatever you can to make it as easy as possible on yourself so that you can have fun, too.

Because the whole point of entertaining is to have fun, right?

Do you plan on hosting any gathering this season?

I’d love to know how you host, so leave a comment below!