Tips for Throwing a Holiday Open House

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December stirs up the inner host/hostess in all of us. We start out the month with plans of throwing festive dinner parties, tree-trimming soirees and bubbly brunches. Then before we know it, it's mid-month and we still haven't dug the advent calendars out of the basement, let alone bought the tree.

If you feel like you've been coasting on other people's Christmas parties for the last couple of years and it's time to "host up" consider the "holiday open house," a low-key -- and often low-budget -- way of entertaining friends, family, neighbors, even co-workers in one fell swoop. Because the emphasis is on visiting with friends in a warm and cozy atmosphere, the food is less of a focus and can be (tastefully) simple.

What's more, an open house can happen anytime during the holiday season -- even as late as Christmas Day, when people are especially grateful for a place to go and mingle after exchanging presents, or even during the down week before New Year's when everyone's feeling rudderless.

Here are a few pointers on how to throw a holiday open house without looking like you took the easy route.

The Invitations

In an ideal world, you'd have time to send invitations out on sparkly heavy card stock. Fortunately, email invites are fine for an open house. A typical time frame is four hours, i.e.: 2 p.m. to 6 p.m. or 5 p.m. to 9 p.m. Know that if your open house is going to overlap with a standard meal time, guests will expect more than pretzels and candy canes.

If kids are welcome, make sure to include that on the invite as well as an RSVP deadline so that you can shop and cook accordingly. If you're concerned about guests arriving on the tail end of the party, when food has been picked clean and drinks have run dry, make the "end" time an hour before you'd actually like guests to clear out.

The Cocktail

Serving one holiday cocktail, be it a Kir Royal, egg nog, mulled cider or glogg is a nice way to bring everyone together, especially at an open house when guests tend to be a bit more disparate than at a dinner party. If it is a drink that should be kept warm like a mulled wine, invite guests to serve themselves from a fragrant, simmering pot on the stove in your (spotless!) kitchen.

The Decor

A simple welcome wreath on the front door, some evergreen swags draped on a sideboard, banister or mantel can say "Happy Holidays" just as easily as a million fragile tchotchkes.

For the table, why not substitute a stiff white tablecloth with a colorful wool blanket? A trifle bowl filled with seasonal fruit, like pomegranate or clementines mixed with walnuts in the shell makes the perfect centerpiece.

If possible, set up a separate table for beverages and a separate area with glassware, napkins and serving utensils. Why not use an ornament hook to fashion some sort of nametag to help guests keep track of their flutes or glogg mugs? Make sure you have a special place in mind for coats, too, be it on a borrowed rolling rack in the entryway or on your bed. (Have cats? Keep them out of the bedroom).

Arrange multiple dining "areas" in the living room, with comfortable chairs grouped around low-slung tables each with bowls of spiced pecans or rosemary olives.

The Food

Smoked salmon always feels like a celebration especially when served with a bowl of crème fraiche and freshly chopped dill. Prepare a pork roast before the party and serve it at room temperature on a cutting board with some mustard, aioli or a cranberry citrus relish and cornichons on the side. Cut a few slices ahead of time, then let people slice as they go.

A platter of cured meats is always appreciated. Why not seek out less common cuts, like imported mortadella with pistachios or prosciutto crudo?

To warm the belly, make a hearty soup which guests can help themselves to in the kitchen. Stack bowls and spoons (any soup garnishes) on the counter nearest to the stove.

It's not a party without a cheese tray. Make yours more exotic than the one at the office party by ditching Brie and Jarlsberg and opting instead for a nice sheep's milk blue and a sharp Hudson Valley cheddar. Instead of token grapes, scatter dried apricots, almonds and dates on your cheese platter and serve it with some pickled fig jam.

Baskets of sliced baguette or ciabatta are an easy, affordable upgrade from crackers. Ditto for quartered raw fennel bulb instead of hackneyed celery and carrots. A rustic style macaroni and cheese baked al forno will stay warm for a long time and make feeding the kids a snap. An assortment of cookies, a chocolate torte or a tray of lemon bars and dessert is covered.

Make sure you replenish often and make a clean sweep through the party regularly to pickup stray napkins, toothpicks and pits.

The Kids

It's important to have something to keep younger guests occupied -- preferably in a separate room if you have the space.

If you don't have an eager teenage relative, consider hiring one to work on holiday projects with the children such as making ornaments (with wine corks and pipe cleaner for example) or stringing popcorn or cranberry garlands. Invest in a small Christmas tree that younger guests can decorate during the party. Afterward, you can put it in your kids' room -- or donate it to a local shelter or senior center.

The Activities

If you have access to an old Polaroid camera and film take snaps of all the guests under the mistletoe as they come and go. Hang or clip them from a string or a stretch of gros grain ribbon, like holiday cards, and let latecomers see whom they missed.

Keep a guestbook open on the coffee table and invite guests to share their best (or worst, or funniest?) childhood holiday memory.

The Toast

With so many people coming and going during an open house it's easy to forget the toast. At some point, when the moment is right and the house seems full, remember to raise a glass and thank your guests for helping you celebrate the season. Chances are, you'll be moved to make your open house an annual tradition.