A tailgating-themed holiday party gives you the best of both worlds

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A tailgating-themed holiday party can make your prep easier and keep any bickering to a minimum.

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The next few weeks are packed with two things: sports, and holidays. Both give us opportunities to gather with loved ones and enjoy shared interests and experiences, so why not combine the two and have a tailgating-themed holiday party?

Have friends and family over to watch the NFL Playoffs or the College Football Playoffs, the Christmas Day NBA lineup, and any of the bowl games and other sporting events in between. With a tailgating theme, you can:

• Encourage everyone to wear team gear: I think most people, including (maybe especially) me, would love a break from dressing up during the holiday season. If I have two invitations for the same night, and you tell me I can wear jeans, a sweatshirt, and sneakers to your party, that’s the party I’m picking.
• Have a team-themed gift exchange: You’re much more likely to get something you actually like if one of your favorite teams is the theme for your gift exchange, so this is the move if your party plans include one.
• Skip the fancy hors d’oeuvres: Keep it casual and opt for finger foods and snacks, just like you’d serve at a tailgate. And be creative! Build your menu as a play on a traditional holiday theme, with brisket sliders with horseradish sauce, loaded potato skins, and some red velvet cupcakes. Or you can build your menu around a team theme — for instance, if your team is facing the New England Patriots, you could serve lobster roll sliders and mini Boston cream pies for dessert.
• Take a lesson from sports: Teamwork makes the dream work. You can provide the main dish(es) and invite guests to bring an appetizer, side, or dessert that lines up with the theme you’ve chosen. This not only brings your overall costs down, but also saves you time and effort.
• Stock a variety of drinks: And for the tailgate theme, serve them in Solo cups. Make sure you have plenty of sodas, sparkling and still water, and maybe even a mocktail recipe or two and ingredients to make them on hand. And if you’re serving alcohol, make sure all of your guests have a plan to get home safely.
• Give your guests something to focus on other than family beef: The holidays often involve a lot of time with extended family, and I don’t think I’m the only person whose family typically has various feuds going at any given time. If your sports fandom is common ground with your family, centering your gathering around a game can be a great way to keep the peace.
• Enjoy some time bonding with your loved ones over a shared interest: And isn’t that really what the holidays are all about?

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