6 Holiday Hosting 'Rules' That You Can Ditch, According To Etiquette Experts

There are ways you can take the pressure off hosting — and actually enjoy it.

Whether you’re throwing a large party or even a small dinner, hosting a gathering — especially during the holidays — can be stressful. It takes a ton of time and effort to clean your home, prepare enough food and make sure your guests are entertained. But the good news: There are ways you can take the pressure off hosting — and actually enjoy it.

“I want people to take the stress off by throwing away the ‘should haves’ [and] ‘have to’s,’” said Jodi RR Smith, the owner of Mannersmith Etiquette Consulting. “[Instead, hosts should] think about what’s going to work for them.”

So what are some of these “have to’s” you can ignore? We talked to modern etiquette experts about typical hosting “rules” that we can ditch, plus other tips to make hosting feel less overwhelming and more fun.

Rule #1: You need to cook everything yourself.

“People who are really good hosts and hostesses … don’t do everything themselves,” Smith said. “They [often] do their specialties … and then they either [get help from] guests who have offered, or they outsource.”