Tips for Hosting a Holiday Potluck

December is made for gathering with friends and eating good.

Celebrate - Whether you're celebrating Christmas, Kwanzaa or the end of the year, December is made for gathering with friends and eating great food. A potluck lets you do both with minimal work on your part! Here, tips for pulling off a festive potluck. By Kenrya Rankin Naasel  (Photo: Ariel Skelley/Blend Images/Corbis)

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Celebrate - Whether you're celebrating Christmas, Kwanzaa or the end of the year, December is made for gathering with friends and eating great food. A potluck lets you do both with minimal work on your part! Here, tips for pulling off a festive potluck. By Kenrya Rankin Naasel  (Photo: Ariel Skelley/Blend Images/Corbis)

Pick a Theme - Sure, you can go with traditional favorites like greens and potato salad, but a loose theme can make the evening more interesting. Some to try: Italian (lasagna and Prosecco are welcome), breakfast for dinner (Belgian waffles and home fries, yum) and favorite meal (everyone brings their absolute favorite dish on earth).  (Photo: the food passionates/Corbis)

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Pick a Theme - Sure, you can go with traditional favorites like greens and potato salad, but a loose theme can make the evening more interesting. Some to try: Italian (lasagna and Prosecco are welcome), breakfast for dinner (Belgian waffles and home fries, yum) and favorite meal (everyone brings their absolute favorite dish on earth).  (Photo: the food passionates/Corbis)

Getting Digital - Online courses at colleges and universities offer flexible options for busy students, and millions of students nationwide are taking advantage. In the 2012 Survey of Online Learning published by the Babson Survey Research Group on Jan. 8, more than 6.7 million students said they took at least one online course during the fall 2011 term, up 570,000 students from the previous year. (Photo: Getty Images/STOCK)

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Get Organized - Planning tools like PerfectPotluck.com make it easy for guests to sign up for categories (think: appetizers, entrées, side dishes, desserts, drinks) and commit to specific dishes — so you can avoid having three pans of macaroni and no meat on the big day. Be sure to include how many people to cook for; you need enough for everyone to have at least a little of every dish.  (Photo: Geri Lavrov/Getty Images)

Dressing Disasters - Drowning your salads in dressing is the biggest salad faux pas you can commit. Throw the deuces to ranch and blue cheese and choose to make your own dressing with healthy oils and vinaigrettes.  (Photo: TOHRU MINOWA/a.collectionRF/amanaimages/Corbis)

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Consider Dietary Constraints - If you know your bestie is vegan or your boyfriend has a shellfish allergy, make sure you have dishes that can accommodate them. Just make “Vegan Entrée” an option on the sign-up sheet.  (Photo: TOHRU MINOWA/a.collectionRF/amanaimages/Corbis)

Dress the Table - Ensure a pretty table with uniform serving wares (no foil pans for you). Grab large inexpensive bowls, serving spoons, plates (reusable plastic and melamine are good options), utensils and festive napkins at the dollar store. Or better yet, make them an option on the sign-up sheet — your non-cooking friend will pounce on it. (Photo: Hero Images Inc./Hero Images Inc./Corbis)

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Dress the Table - Ensure a pretty table with uniform serving wares (no foil pans for you). Grab large inexpensive bowls, serving spoons, plates (reusable plastic and melamine are good options), utensils and festive napkins at the dollar store. Or better yet, make them an option on the sign-up sheet — your non-cooking friend will pounce on it. (Photo: Hero Images Inc./Hero Images Inc./Corbis)

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Healthy Diet - Cultivating a balanced diet helps build strong cells and healthy breast tissue and plays a vital role in maintaining breasts perkiness.   (Photo: Tim Pannell/Corbis)

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Say No to On-Site Cooking - Scrambling to clean a dirty kitchen as guests arrive is all bad. Short of the drinks, everything that will be served should be prepared anywhere other than your home. If someone must finish their dish just before serving, encourage them to coordinate with you ahead of time.  (Photo: Tim Pannell/Corbis)

Be Prepared - Somebody is going to back out at the last minute or show up with salsa and chips instead of the pasta they promised, so it pays to have a hearty backup entrée ready. A couple of rotisserie chickens or a pot of spaghetti will go a long way toward lowering your anxiety level.  (Photo: David Silverman/Getty Images)

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Be Prepared - Somebody is going to back out at the last minute or show up with salsa and chips instead of the pasta they promised, so it pays to have a hearty backup entrée ready. A couple of rotisserie chickens or a pot of spaghetti will go a long way toward lowering your anxiety level.  (Photo: David Silverman/Getty Images)

Use Flash Cards - Yes, this is old school, but flashcards are a great way to memorize vocabulary and drill in certain concepts. You can carry them around with you and quiz yourself wherever you are.(Photo: KAZUTOMO KAWAI/amanaimages/Corbis)

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Label Everything - Menu cards will keep you from having to explain what each dish is a million times. Give each guest an index card when they arrive and have them write the name of their dish, its main ingredients (particularly potential allergens) and their name (for questions) and place each card beside their dish. (Photo: KAZUTOMO KAWAI/amanaimages/Corbis)

Supply Takeout Containers - You’ll probably have plenty left over and foil-wrapped plates aren’t the easiest way to transport food. Your guests will appreciate takeout containers, like these from WorldMarket.com.  (Photo: World Market)

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Supply Takeout Containers - You’ll probably have plenty left over and foil-wrapped plates aren’t the easiest way to transport food. Your guests will appreciate takeout containers, like these from WorldMarket.com.  (Photo: World Market)

Set Boundaries With Family and Friends - As stated before, not everyone is OK with interracial dating — this may include your own friends and family. So have a talk with them about boundaries and what you will and won’t tolerate.  (Photo: Image Source/GettyImages)

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Relax - The point of having a potluck is to have fun — and keep you out of the kitchen. Enjoy yourself and remember that there is no potluck problem that can’t be solved with a call to your pizza delivery guy. Have fun!  (Photo: Image Source/GettyImages)