Thank you Sister Schubert’s for sponsoring this post.
I took all the information I learned from Sister and applied it to my holiday dinner! Planning a Holiday Dinner | Tips from Sister Schubert
We hosted both families for Thanksgiving this year at the same time. It takes a lot of planning and time, especially if you have a family, kids and a job. Just getting the house clean and keeping it clean for guests is enough to make a sane person nuts. Then there is the menu planning, purchasing and preparing food.
I want to share some of my tips I’ve learned there the years as well as tips I learned from Sister Schubert when planning for a dinner event so I’m sharing my Planning a Holiday Dinner | Tips from Sister Schubert guide with you. I learned a lot about Southern hospitality from Sister who credits her grandmother for teaching her the keys to being a good host. Turns out her grandmother taught her more than just how to make those famous rolls! #SisterSchubertsHoliday
Steps to a successful holiday dinner
*Plan you menu well in advance – Ask you guests about allergies or food preferences in advance. Plan recipes that can be made ahead of time as well as make traditional favorites in which everyone looks forward.
*Decoration with traditional elements, handwritten place cards and fresh flowers. Nothing says welcome to my home like something personal and handwritten. Flowers and greenery always make a space more inviting.
*Set table the night before. This will allow more time on the day of the event for last-minute details as well as more time to spend with your guests.
*Prep as much as possible the day before. Make dishes that can be refrigerated the day before like cream cheese based dips, cakes and most casseroles. For those recipes that need last-minute attention, measure the ingredients and have all ingredients and utensils together.
And of course, the meal should always include at least a couple of pans of Sister Schubert’s Parker House rolls!
*Choose and label serving dishes the day before. Some of my larger serving platters and bowls that I don’t use daily are stacked and stored high in the cabinet. I really don’t want to drag everything out while guests are there.
*If possible serve guest one of their own favorite dishes. On my visit with Sister, she surprised us with homemade desserts from our blogs. I thought this was incredibly thoughtful.
*Plan for leftovers – send leftovers of a favorite dish home with each guest or take to a neighbor, friend or local homeless shelter.
This year you can also send home a special Needlepoint quote compliments of Sister Schubert’s. Turns out Sister doesn’t like to be idle. In her ‘down time’ she loves to do needlepoint. That’s how this unique Needlepoint quotes came to be. Needlequotes is an online service where you can enter your favorite quotes and send it to your friends and family.
My personal quote from our family gathering may actually be my quote of the year too! Just after the prayer, when everyone had started to eat and was quite for the first time all day, my youngest son, Ryder, out of the blue turns to my nephew, who attends The University of Alabama, and proclaims, “We beat y’all in football this year!” Yes, yes we did! It couldn’t have been scripted better!
When you need help prepping for a party remember my tips on Planning a Holiday Dinner | Tips from Sister Schubert
I have been invited to participate in a Sister Schubert’s ambassador program, and this post is sponsored by Sister Schubert’s. The opinions and ideas expressed here are my own.

Julie | This Gal Cooks says
Great tips, Paula! And I could totally eat a couple pans of Sister’s Parker House rolls on my own. LOVE those rolls!
Paula says
thanks Julie!
Alyssa says
These are some great tips. I definitely need to prep ahead more when hosting holiday dinners.
Paula says
Thanks so much Alyssa!
Jaren (Diary of a Recipe Collector) says
Really great tips! We love Sister Schuberts in our family too!
Kelly - Life Made Sweeter says
I love all these tips Paula! Especially labeling the the serving dishes and serving guests one of their own favorite dishes. So so thoughtful!
Ginny McMeans says
Godd step by step instructions for a stress free holiday dinner. Great gift basket too!
Claire @ A Little Claireification says
Great tips, Paula!!I may need you to come over and get us organized for Christmas Eve Dinner!! lol Pinned!
Nancy P.@thebittersideofsweet says
Your table setting is gorgeous! And the needle points are super cute! https://twitter.com/bittersidesweet/status/543588964175593472
Ashley | Spoonful of Flavor says
Thanks for sharing these tips! It looks like you had a great time with Sister Schubert!
Jala Caldwell says
Love Sister Schubert and http://www.callmepmc.com at our house!
Paula says
You’re the best!!!
Zainab says
These are all so helpful!! We are hosting two families on Christmas and I am already panicking lol!
Paula says
It’s stressful, hope this helps!
Heather says
I love all the cooking and baking around the holidays! Just leave me to my kitchen and some good Christmas music and I am good!I love when my boys join me for making sugar cookies! I shared my NeedleQuote on Twitter! https://twitter.com/HeatherLynn626/status/543251548038393857
Sarah @ The Gold Lining Girl says
I should prep ahead more, but I don’t always do that! I will definitely be doing tons of prep this year. Great tip to set the table the night before too! Now I just have to figure out how to keep the cat from tip-toeing around everything. 😉 Planning for leftovers… that never even occurred to me, but that’s a wonderful idea too! Thanks for sharing these, Paula!