5 Tips to Better Coordinate Christmas Potlucks

‘Tis the season for traditions! During Christmastime it’s fun to decorate a tree, bake cookies for Santa, and spread cheer to loved ones. As we get ready to celebrate with family and friends, planning a potluck meal makes it easy to feed groups of any size and give everyone a chance to bring a dish they love.  

Whether you’re gathering with your family and friends or work team, sign ups make it easy to organize the ultimate holiday potluck. You’ll avoid ending up with too much of one dish and not enough of others, preventing confusion and last-minute runs to the grocery store. 

Here are five ways sign ups help simplify organizing for your Christmas potluck, so you’ll have more time to enjoy the celebration. 

Simplify menu coordination 

Consider how many people to expect, and then estimate how many of each dish you’ll need. Since your guest count will vary a bit depending on RSVP’s, plan for more food rather than less. You can always enjoy the leftovers if you have extra! Make sure to account for dietary restrictions when planning your menu; sides like rice, potatoes and vegetables are easy to prepare without most common allergens.  

You can set up your sign up to request specific dishes or list categories such as appetizers, entrees, sides, drinks and desserts. Organizing your potluck menu by category gives guests the freedom to prepare their favorite dishes to share with the group. When creating a slot for each category or specific dish, you can designate the quantities you need so different people can sign up. In the slot description, ask participants to note the items they plan on bringing in the comment field when they sign up for a slot. 

To ensure your menu is set by a certain date, lock your sign up slots so you’re not surprised by last minute changes. 

Check out more tips to plan the perfect potluck. 

Send invites and track RSVP’s 

Whether you deck the halls for Christmas or choose a theme like an ugly sweater party, you’ll have plenty of festive cheer at your potluck. Choose from one of our many design options to reflect your party or customize your own theme with our premium plans. 

You can easily request potluck items and track RSVP’s on your sign up to adjust your planning as needed. After all, you want to make sure the person bringing the ham is actually coming! After you create a sign up, send your invitations directly to your group or share the link by email or in a digital newsletter.  

Want to spark lively dinner table conversation? Try some of these Christmas icebreakers. 

Share event details and logistics 

Should your guests come dressed in their tackiest Christmas sweater or their holiday best? Are you collecting canned goods for a local food bank? Share any important details in the description so people can start getting ready for your potluck. 

You can also create custom messages with our premium plans to share all the event details with your group through an email or text message. 

Save people time by making sure they know where go on the day of your event. With our Google Maps integration, you can easily add a map link to your sign up. 

Request volunteers 

Need volunteers to help serve drinks or coordinate games at your potluck? Add slots for volunteer roles to your sign up, so you’ll have a few guests ready to lend a hand. If you’re planning an event for a larger group, you may want to request volunteers for set up and clean up. 

Are you hosting a holiday party this year? Check out these Christmas party game ideas. 

Send automatic reminders 

Make sure your potluck is a smashing success by helping guests remember their dishes and other items. When creating your sign up, you can set up an automatic reminder to send a few days before the event. Guests can also sync the event with their digital calendars, so their potluck contribution stays top of mind. 

Bringing people together around the table is one of the greatest gifts of Christmas. Sign ups help take the stress out of potluck organizing so you can embrace the joy of the season. 

Create a Sign Up

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