I love this time of year. The leaves are changing color, the cool crisp air allows for your favorite oversized sweatshirt, and there is always some type of a party with really delicious food! There are so many different traditions and celebrations happening this time of year and whether you have family or friends you get together with, it is always a great thing to be apart of. 

Celebrating the Holidays 

We have so many family traditions this time of year. Our family celebrates Thanksgiving, Christmas and New Years Eve. We have neighbors who celebrate Diwali which is a beautiful celebration to witness. Although, we all have different ways we enjoy the holidays, I can guarantee you will attend or host some type of a fall or holiday themed dinner party. 

My friends are as important to me as my family. I love them dearly and they bring so much richness to my life. When finding dates on the calendar for family gatherings, I always make sure to find time to celebrate with friends as well. 

Fall Themed Dinner Party 

Hosting a dinner party doesn’t have to be stressful. Yes, you have to clean your house and come up with a menu, but overall, everyone just wants to come to have fun and spend time together. They don’t care if your baseboards aren’t clean or if your floors aren’t spotless. 

How To Throw An Easy Dinner Party With Family And Friends

If you make throwing a dinner party easy on yourself, then you are more likely to want to host more often! If you make it too complicated, you won’t have fun and will never want to do it again. 

Cleaning 

If you don’t have time to clean your house, search Groupon or another discount site and snag one of their cleaning deals. I have done this several times in the past when I just don’t have the time to clean the entire house. You can find some great deals and in a few hours they have the entire house sparkling clean.  

Table Setting/ Dinner Decor

To keep the kids busy you can find free printable holiday themed coloring sheets online and use that to decorate the tables. You can also find a fun holiday craft on Pinterest and have the kids work on that while they wait for dinner to be ready. 

Place settings and food label tent cards can also be found online for free and can add a nice touch to the table without breaking the bank. I also like the idea of labeling the food because there are so many food allergies these days that you can label gluten or dairy free items as well as anything that has nuts in it. 

Food 

Supply the main dish, beverages and dessert and ask your friends to bring the sides! This has always worked for me and trust me, your friends are happy to pitch in and be helpful. This way, you aren’t stressed about all the meal prep and the hefty price tag that comes with a dinner party. I also love that when you allow friends to make a dish, they usually make a family favorite and you get to try a lot of delicious new food and share the stories behind them. 

Dessert 

I used to try and make birthday cakes and other desserts from scratch. I used to love scouring Pinterest for the perfect themed cake and trying to make it all come together. However, the more kids I have had, the less time I have and I just need the easy button. 

That is where my local bakery has come through for me. I can call Kroger and let them know exactly what I am looking for and they make it happen at an affordable price. Not only can I pick the flavor of the cake and icing, they will also decorate it however I want. 

Ask for Whipped

I shared one of our fall traditions a few weeks ago. We love camping and that is definitely a trip where the less cooking the better so I ordered cupcakes for the kids and they were a hit! I realized how much I LOVED this whipped icing.

Not only is it creamy and adds just the right amount of sweetness, but it is the lighter option with less sugar and fewer calories than heavier Buttercream icing. I love that Kroger changes their seasonal whipped icing offerings based on the time of year. I ordered Pumpkin Spice Whipped Icing for our Halloween Campout and went with their seasonal Cream Cheese Whipped Icing for the fall themed dinner party I attended . I mean red velvet and pumpkin flavored cake with Cream Cheese Whipped Icing… YES PLEASE! All you need to do is go into your local Kroger bakery right here in Cincinnati (also available nationwide) or call them and place a custom order. I always ask them to decorate my cupcakes with seasonal colored sprinkles and rings for the kids and they have always turned out great! 

I would highly recommend visiting your local Kroger bakery for all your dessert needs. Not only can it make your life so much easier when planning a dinner party, but with any holiday or birthday celebrations you have. 

I would love to know your tips on making holiday parties easier on yourself and what whipped icing flavor you would like to try (and see them all here)? I think their Cookies -n -Cream Whipped Icing flavor is next on my list to try! 

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This post is sponsored by Ask for Whipped/ Rich Products. All thoughts and opinions are my own. Thanks for reading!