home: 5 last minute things to level up your dinner plans

ORDER TAKE OUT
Okay, okay maybe not for every-single-thing, but take at least one thing off your preverbal plate and order it from your favorite restaurant or grocery store. You don't have to be superwoman, and you are supposed to be having fun too! Clink!

GET LIT (but not like that :P)
I've said it before and I'll say it again because this one element can be the most overlooked and has the ability to so dramatically set the tone when implemented. Put "change every light to dimmers" on your honey-do holiday list and actually–gasp!–dim the lights during your dinner festivities and see what happens. Bonus points for littering tea lights or unscented candles all over the place for and extra dose of warmth and ambiance. 

PUT THE KIDS TO WORK
You know how planning a vacation is sometimes the best part of the fun? Same goes for holiday prep. Getting the kids involved in any tasks around the kitchen will bring everyone together, keep them occupied, and have the potential of being one of their most lasting childhood memories.

STOCK THE BAR
Need I explain?

FOOTWEAR AS A BONDING EXPERIENCE
Who wants all that snowy, muddy, winter mess tracked around your freshly cleaned house? No one! Take a page from the Far East and to invite your guests to leave their icky shoes at the door with an offering of dry and cozy slippers! Take this where ever you want - goofy, furry, personalized, or chic, like these Birdies. Happy dining!