The holidays have a way of sneaking up on us. One moment it’s late autumn, and the next thing you know, lights are twinkling in the neighborhood and invitations are popping into your inbox. Amid all the bustle, there’s something deeply satisfying about opening your door to friends and neighbors and gathering together for a little holiday cheer.
That’s the magic of a holiday open house: it doesn’t have to be perfect or polished, just warm, welcoming and filled with food worth sharing! Unlike a formal dinner party, guests can drop by when it suits them, kids can nibble between board or card games, and grown-ups can linger over a mug of cocoa or a slice of something sweet. It’s casual, cozy and—when you keep things simple—surprisingly easy to host.
This year, why not create your own version of this timeless tradition? With a little planning and a few party-worthy (yet easy) recipes, your open house can be the kind of gathering people talk about long after the last fa-la-las have been sung. Here are five easy steps to help you host a holiday open house that feels magical, memorable and perfectly you.
The best holiday gatherings start before your guests even cross the threshold. A string of twinkling lights on the porch, a candle glowing in the window, the strains of a favorite carol drifting from inside—it all sets the stage for togetherness. When people arrive, welcome them with a smile and have a clearly designated space for their coats, so they can quickly make themselves at home.
One fantastic thing about an open house is, you can invite longtime and new friends from every area of your life. However, that can get a bit tricky if you have a roomful of people who are meeting each other for the first time. This is where your community-building connector powers come in: make the introductions! Share a few details about each person to spark conversation, and suddenly, you’ve created a welcome that says, we're happy you're here.
#HostHint: Consider setting up some low-pressure activities: ask each friend to share a holiday party memory, set out some games, or have a cookie decorating station (great for kids) so everyone can take part in the fun.
At the heart of every open house is the food! Not fussy, plated dishes, but treats people can help themselves to—things that feel festive, without trapping you in the kitchen all night. For this, we like leaning into recipes that look impressive but are easy to pull together with the help of Bob’s Signature Blends mixes and our premium flours.
Take our Chai-Spiced Gingerbread Cookie Trees. They may look like snowy little evergreens, but they're just simple stacks of star- or snowflake-shaped cookies dusted with powdered sugar (#HostHint: This is a wonderful job for tiny helpers). Welcoming gluten free guests? You can swap our Organic Unbleached White All-Purpose Flour with Gluten Free 1-to-1 Baking Flour in these sweetly spicy morsels.
Pair them with our Gingerbread Cakelets to create a holiday centerpiece people can both admire and nibble on! Made with our Classic Yellow Cake mix and baked in a decorative tin to look like tiny houses, these scratch-quality mini cakes are incredibly easy to make and fill the whole house with the aroma of molasses and spices.
But let’s get real: everyone needs a little chocolate in their lives. Our Hot Cocoa Cake is another dazzling dessert that's almost effortless to make, thanks to our Decadent Chocolate Cake mix. Made with our expert blend of premium flours, Bob’s Signature Blends mixes are your shortcut to holiday joy. Topped with a triple-chocolate buttercream and towering peaks of marshmallow meringue, it's a unforgettable holiday treat. Don't forget a sprinkling of hot cocoa mix on top!
Every good open house benefits from a single dish that makes guests stop and say, “Wow.” It doesn’t have to be complicated, just something with a little flair. Our favorite? Pull-Apart Star Bread.
Made with our trusted Organic Unbleached White All-Purpose Flour and layered with Nutella and cinnamon sugar, this bread blooms into a star shape as it bakes—golden, fragrant and irresistible. Guests can tear off pieces with their hands, which makes it a delicious group project! Place it in the center of the table, and watch it disappear piece by piece.
As much as we love cakes and cookies, an open house feels more satisfying when there’s something savory on the table, too. That’s where Fruit and Seed Crackers come in, made with our new High-Fiber Flour. Thin, crisp and bursting with dried fruit and crunchy seeds, they’re as festive as they are versatile. Plus, while our High-Fiber flour bakes up like traditional flour, it offers 6 grams of fiber per serving! Serve these crispy snacks alongside cheese, dips or even on their own for a lighter bite between sweeter treats.
And finally, our Cranberry Oat Bars are the perfect festive blend of indulgent and nourishing. Tart cranberries meet our hearty Old Fashioned Rolled Oats in a bar that’s chewy, bright and perfectly seasonal. They’re ideal for setting out in a basket or tin—easy to grab, even easier to eat!
The real gift of a holiday open house isn’t the food—it’s the feeling. The chance to bump into a neighbor you don’t see often, to watch kids trade jokes over cocoa, to hear someone’s favorite holiday memory as you both reach for another treat. That’s Moregetherness: the joy of more time together, sparked by something as simple as sharing homemade food.
Remember: as the host, you set the tone! Keep the atmosphere light, let the playlist be a little nostalgic (a mix of carols and classics is our favorite), and remember that your guests aren’t looking for perfection—they’re looking for connection. Who knew that all you needed is a smile at the door and a table piled with homemade treats?
Hosting a holiday open house doesn’t have to mean weeks of planning or an exhausting day in the kitchen. With a few thoughtfully chosen recipes, you can create a gathering that feels joyful, cozy and entirely doable.
This year, give yourself permission to keep it simple. Bake a little, brew a little, open the door wide and let the magic unfold. Because when friends and neighbors come together over homemade food, it’s not just a party—it’s a holiday memory in the making.
