During the holiday season, people get together not just to share gifts, but also food and stories and catch up as the year comes to an end.

Some host intimate gatherings with family, while others invite friends over or set up a party or an event to celebrate and have some fun during the holidays.

However, there are still dangers inherent in hosting guests during this season. Gatherings will involve mixing people together in the same room, a lot of food, and sometimes, even alcohol.

Checkout Four Simple Ideas For The Holiday Hosting Season:

This can pose health risks and accidents. When hosting gatherings, it is important to keep them festive and joyful while keeping all your guests safe.

Here are some tips on how to host guests during the holiday safely.

1. Preparing Food Safely

Food brings people together. It’s nice to gather family and friends around a table to share a meal while also sharing stories. Therefore, it is important to ensure that everyone can enjoy their meals safely, free from the risks of germs, viruses, and even allergic reactions.

Maintain cleanliness while preparing the food. Keep your hands and kitchen sanitized and avoid handling other objects, like your phone when you are preparing food.

Once guests arrive, encourage them to sanitize their hands as well before eating or even while interacting with others. Have a sanitizing station with alcohol or hand sanitizers, cleansing wipes, and even an accessible sink and hand washing soap if possible. 

Moreover, it is important to have a list of guests prior to the event and ask them in advance about allergies and dietary restrictions. This will allow you to estimate the amount of food you need to prepare to minimize waste.

You will also be able to prepare the right food so that everyone can have something to enjoy. As a precaution, have allergy medications ready, like antihistamines or emergency epinephrine shots ready in case of incidents.

2. Serving Guests Yourself

It might be ideal to serve guests yourself as the host rather than having a buffet or an open bar. This will allow you to personalize serving sizes while you are also able to meet your guests one-on-one and talk with them. It can help in minimizing risks of contamination and spreading of diseases, as fewer people will be handling the food.

You can also ask for other guests’ help in serving others, to allow them to mingle with people. This especially applies if you are having a diverse group of people over, like your friends or colleagues.

Serving guests their food and drinks would help check on your guests from time to time, while also keeping everyone seated to minimize the risk of spilling or collisions.

3. Catering to Guests who Consumed Alcohol

On average, 29 people die in motor vehicle crashes involving drunk driving daily in the U.S. — equivalent to one death every 50 minutes. According to further studies, people tend to drink more during the holiday season, which means more chances of having drivers impaired by alcohol on the road.

As the host of any gathering, it will be your extended responsibility to keep guests who consumed alcohol safe. It is best to keep them off the road to avoid accidents. Moreover, you can also offer non-alcoholic beverages like at the point of departure, like coffee or tea. This measure would help in curbing the likelihood of drunk driving. 

If there are guests who are really drunk, it is ideal that hosts should accommodate them for a night. Hence if you plan on hosting parties, prepare a place for guests who may need to lie down or spend the night in your place. Such guests could be made to arrange designated drivers in advance, with a special party favor for all the abstainers.

4. Have Fire Extinguishers Prepared

Festive seasons call for warm and bright decorations, like candles, Christmas trees, and lights, which are among the many holiday ornaments and decors that are fire hazards. In some gatherings, it can also be fun to light up the night with some fireworks, firecrackers, and sparklers. These, no matter how festive they look, could put your home and your guests in danger.

As a precaution, have fire extinguishers placed in strategically accessible areas in case of a fire outbreak. When holding an indoor gathering and using space heaters, be mindful and check electric wire connections, circuits, and your heating system prior to the event to ensure everyone’s safety. Check the smoke detectors’ batteries as well.

If possible, choose your event to be smoke-free to lessen the chances of a fire outbreak and save non-smoking guests from exposure to secondhand smoke as well. Advise invited guests who are smokers that they will not be allowed to smoke inside your home, and designated an alternative smoking area when you can.

In addition, keep your home and assets secured by making sure you have the right home insurance coverage. Check out Travelers home insurance options to find policies that can best cover your property and possessions and keep your home safe during the holiday season and beyond.

Host The Best Holiday Gatherings

Holidays are fun and filled with merry moments best spent with people you love and care about the most. When hosting events — be it at home or outdoors, with friends or family — always put the welfare of your guests in mind. It is the host’s duty to keep them comfortable and ensure they are having the best time.

Make gatherings more enjoyable and remarkable by keeping everyone safe and far from various health risks and accidents before, during, and even after your holiday gatherings.

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