How Aging Adults Can Still Host Holiday Celebrations

For many families, the big holiday gatherings are a vital tradition for a reason. They act like glue, holding even distant family members close. These parties give people time to share the past year and celebrate the coming one as they build warm, wonderful memories.

They’re also a lot of work. You need to juggle planning and prep, entertaining family while not burning the kitchen down, and then a massive post-party cleanup. This is a lot for people of any age. It can be especially challenging as you get older. You’ll need to balance your own health and energy levels with everything else.

However, many aging adults aren’t willing to just pass the baton down to someone else, especially as they remodel their home to stay there for a long while. If you want to keep the tradition alive of hosting family in your home, you absolutely can. And a big part of aging is learning to be strategic – work smarter, not harder. Here are some effort-saving tips for hosting holidays before, during and after the big event.

The Planning Stage

Step one is to figure out your guest list. Trim it down to a manageable number if you can. This is also time to decide what kind of holiday celebration will be easiest on you. For example, consider an open house party where people can come and go at their leisure. This spreads activities out over the whole day instead of committing you to one high-stakes meal. Or split the day, with a lunch activity and evening quietly at home. And think about Zoom calls for distant relatives who can’t make it. They’ll still be able to participate, and you won’t need to clean up after them.

Step two is deciding on activities. Just as above, you’ll want to trim things down to the most meaningful events. Get in touch with your guests and get each one to mention one, can’t-miss experience. You may be surprised by how much overlap there is, or how some time-intensive activities aren’t that important.

Next, what are you doing about decorations? These can eat up days of prep time. One direction is to just scale back to your favorite ones. For another option, do more generic ‘autumn/winter holiday’ decor and swap out key pieces like the centerpiece. Finally, you can get your guests to add their special decorating touch when they come. For instance, if the family takes a hike before the Thanksgiving meal, everyone can contribute fall leaves and pine cones to the mantel.

Another big piece of the plan is the holiday feast. Do you want to order from a local restaurant or catering agency? Better book soon, because a lot of families use this smart hack.

Meanwhile, if you’re planning to show off your home cooking skills, start early. Prep as much in advance as you possibly can. When the big day comes, you just throw the items on the grill or in the oven.

Finally, why not do a cheerful holiday potluck? Ask a few in-laws if they can share their families’ traditional plates. If someone’s bringing Grandma’s famous hummingbird cake, that’s one dessert you can scratch off your cooking list. It’s also a great way to make extended family feel more included.

During the Celebration

Is your energy starting to flag as the party gets off the ground? See if you can sneak off during a lull in activities. Keep an eye on your medical alert smartwatch for your health metrics. You have some options like faking a last-minute grocery trip to give you a little peace and quiet. You might sneak in a nap while the family watches a holiday movie, especially if you set limits in advance and tell guests your requirements for rest.

You can also manage your energy during the big day by outsourcing to family members. Ask for volunteers to take over some tasks. Send the son-in-law out to get a tree. Get the grandkids to decorate it, putting up ornaments in their own style. Have your brother keep an eye on the stove while you referee the snowball fight.

Finally, if hosting for half the work sounds like a good deal, split responsibilities up with another person. The two of you can take turns working versus enjoying the day. For instance, you serve dinner. Then your co-host starts on clean-up while you join the group looking at neighborhood lights.

After the Party

It’s not easy to find the motivation or energy to clean after a long day’s celebration. The house may look like a disaster zone, but your personal gas tank is on empty. Here are a few tips to make this huge task more manageable:

• Recruit family members to clean up as the day wears on. This could mean bagging up wrapping paper, mopping slush from the entryway, or running loads in the dishwasher as needed.
• Consider using disposable plates, cups, cutlery, and tablecloths. Worried about the environment? There are compostable options available, bamboo utensils, and even spoons you can eat like a cracker.
• Why not shift the whole task over to a professional? Ask for a housecleaners’ coupon as a gift. Otherwise, suggest every guest to contribute a few dollars to the cleaning fund.

One final tip is to embrace imperfection. Try to laugh at your mistakes and shrug off plans that didn’t work out. In a few months those funny mishaps are what you’ll look back on. They’ll shine brighter than some picture-perfect celebration where nothing memorable happened.