Holiday Open House

Kitchen designer Whitney Nelson, Amy LaBelle and homeowner Kami Harris toast to a stress-free party, which flows into the kitchen designed and built by Granite State Cabinetry.

Let’s be honest: December is a lot. The last thing you need to worry about is a formal dinner party with an elaborate menu and a seating chart. Instead, let’s do casual, light, easy — and focus on connection with our guests.

Here’s my “recipe” for a perfect holiday open house, which is the low-stress, high-joy answer to seasonal entertaining. No formal start time. No multi-course meal. Just a beautiful spread, a signature drink and a few hours when your door is open and your friends can drift in, grab a glass and linger by the fire for exactly as long as they want. It’s the party equivalent of a cozy sweater: comfortable, warm and somehow always exactly right. A Sunday afternoon is the perfect time to host it.

Here’s how to pull it off without breaking a sweat — or the bank.

The Signature Sip: LaBelle Winery Apple Pie Sangria

 You don’t need to offer a full bar. Just one great signature sip as the centerpiece, coupled with a bottle or two of wine, some local beer and some non-alcoholic options.

This sangria is the perfect party pleaser. It tastes as though apple pie decided to become a cocktail, and it looks gorgeous in a punch bowl or glass pitcher.

Serves 4-5 people. Multiply by the number of guests to ensure you don’t run out, and make a backup batch, so you are not mixing and measuring mid-party.

1 bottle LaBelle Winery Dry Apple wine, or your favorite Pinot Grigio, chilled

2 cups apple cider

¼ cup brandy or cinnamon whiskey 2 apples, diced

1 orange, thinly sliced into half-rounds

2 cinnamon sticks

Ginger ale (for sweeter sangria) or club soda, for topping

Cinnamon and sugar, plus caramel sauce (store-bought is fine) for rimming glasses

How to make it: A few hours before the party, combine the wine, cider, brandy, diced apples, orange slices and cinnamon sticks in a large pitcher. Chill for at least two hours — overnight is even better, so the fruit really soaks up all that spice. About an hour before the party, rim your glasses with a little cinnamon sugar by running the rim of a glass in just a little caramel, then dipping it into cinnamon sugar. Garnish with an extra cinnamon stick if you’re feeling fancy. Add the soda of choice to the sangria and keep ice on the side for guests to self-serve. Display the glasses beside the sangria and let guests serve themselves.

The Showstopper: A Holiday Grazing Board

A grazing board is the ultimate openhouse move — it looks like hours of work, takes about 30 minutes to assemble, and keeps people happily circling the table. The beauty for YOU is that it’s mostly layering and assembly; no big cooking required. Items are purchased and displayed.
That’s it!

A mix of cheeses: brie, aged cheddar, and a cranberry or honey goat cheese

Cured meats: prosciutto, salami or soppressata, folded into little ribbons

Crackers and sliced baguette

Candied pecans or walnuts

Fresh fruit: grapes, sliced pears, pomegranate seeds

Dried fruit: apricots, figs, dried cranberries

Olives and cornichons

Fig jam and honey, in small bowls

Fresh rosemary sprigs, for garnish

How to build it: Start with your bowls first, layering some up high on pedestals if you have them. I find upside-down bowls work well, too, with a plate on top. No need to buy new things! Then, fig jam, honey and olives — spaced out across a large board or even a clean wood table. Fan the cheeses around them, then tuck the folded meats into the gaps. Fill in every remaining bit of space with crackers, fruit and nuts, working in little clusters rather than neat rows. (It should look abundant, not organized.) Finish with rosemary sprigs tucked throughout —they read like tiny holiday greenery and pull the whole board together. Add pomegranate seeds last, scattered over the top, for little pops of red that make the whole thing feel festive.

Savory Bite: Fig and Goat Cheese Bruschetta

This takes 15 minutes, looks like you tried way harder than you did and disappears from the tray first.

You’ll need:

1 baguette, sliced into ¼-inch pieces and lightly toasted

8 ounces goat cheese (or cream cheese), softened

½ cup fig jam Fresh thyme leaves Honey, for drizzling

Chopped toasted walnuts or pistachios Flaky sea salt

Serves 4-6 people; multiply as appropriate!

How to make it: Spread each toasted baguette slice with softened goat cheese, then top with a small dollop of fig jam. Sprinkle with chopped nuts and fresh thyme, finish with a drizzle of honey and a pinch of flaky salt. Sweet, savory, a little fancy, entirely foolproof.

A “Christmas Tree” Fruit Display

How to make it: Slice the leafy crown off a fresh pineapple. Turn the crown upside down — leaves pointing down like branches — and stand it up in the center of your serving platter. It instantly reads as a little pine tree. Dust the leaves generously with powdered sugar for a dusting-of-snow effect. Then build your “forest floor” around it: arrange pineapple slices, grapes, berries, orange segments and kiwi in loose clusters like ornaments and presents scattered underneath. It’s ridiculously simple and quite charming.

Dessert, Two Ways

Option one: Go big with a Christmas cookie display. Set out a mix of shapes, colors and flavors — shortbread, gingerbread, thumbprints, whatever you love baking (or buying) most — arranged on a tiered stand or a big wooden board. Instant holiday magic, zero plating stress.

Option two: Turn it into a cookie swap. Ask each guest to bring two dozen cookies to share along with the recipe to hand out. Everyone brings a batch, everyone leaves with a mixed box of holiday treats, and you get all the credit for hosting without spending a weekend elbow-deep in flour. It’s the ultimate “many hands make light work” holiday hack, and it turns dessert into a little bit of a game — who brought the one everyone’s fighting over?

Fun detail: Purchase “to-go” boxes online or at your nearest party store, or use old-fashioned brown paper bags with festive ties.

IN THE HOSPITALITY BUSINESS, we are always focused on three things: lights, temperature and music (LTM). These are important for your party as well. Set the mood with low lighting and more candles than you think you need. Ensure your temperature is not too hot nor too cold — account for large crowds and know the room will heat up more if your guest count is high. And finally, pick the perfect music. For this party, I’d suggest a playlist based on the classic holiday music of the Ella Fitzgerald era.

An open house isn’t about doing more; it’s about doing less, beautifully. One great drink, one showstopping board, an easy app, a centerpiece that steals the show and a dessert table that basically hosts itself. Pour a glass of that sangria, light a few candles and let the party come to you. Cheers to an easier holiday season!