A creative round-up of 19 events and parties to host from January to December.
For a blog about simple cooking and baking, it might feel odd to outline an entire year of parties. But be it summer or winter, I adore bringing people together, especially when great food is often in abundance.
Looking back, these celebrations are the moments in the year that stand out as the most memorable. With a loneliness epidemic creeping in, I wonder: do any of us have enough face-to-face gatherings in our lives?
In this age of social isolation, the months can quickly slip by without the opportunity for hospitality, so I am intentional about getting events in the calendar.
January is the perfect month to look ahead at the year and plan a few ‘just because’ parties and get-togethers.
Photo by Michelle Doucette
Gatherings through the Seasons
A reader told me recently that they found dinner parties ‘awkward’. I understand, I do, and yet my advice is: Lean into the awkward. It’s worth the discomfort every time.
Is it ever awkward when dessert is finished and the coffee is poured? No! The candles burn low, tummys are satiated, and it is a vibe.
“Of all the reasons to cook, one of the best is to be remembered.” ~ Bee Wilson, The Secret of Cooking
Here’s a snapshot of some of my absolute favourite events to host from January to December. Beyond the backyard barbecue or girls brunch – these nineteen! gatherings are thoughtful, creative and personal.
Where else would you see a canoe buffet in the backyard? A cookbook club event among the apple trees? An luxurious campfire meal?
Photo by Kelly Neil
From the nostalgic pie social to the intimate harvest dinner, the rollicking seafood boil to the elegant tea party – there’s a memorable gathering here for everyone.
Read through, then grab your calendar and slot a few events into a date. I hope they deliver as much joy to you and yours as they have brought me. And remember to embrace the awkwardness of it all.
Spring Gatherings
Photo by Jessica Emin
Cookbook Club
Make 2025 the year you gather a few friends and start a cookbook club. I adore my group and our gatherings continue to be an inspiration. I’ve learned a few things over the years, which is why I wrote Secrets to a Sucessful Cookbook Club.
Springtime Nesting Party
It’s a special day anytime we get to celebrate a new baby. Use my post An Afternoon Tea Baby Shower as inspiration to plan your own party!
Or browse my Pinterest board – Nesting Party – for delicious sweets and a savoury eats to celebrate the new-parents-to-be. (This could all be fun for a wedding shower too.)
Mother’s Day Brunch
This time with a twist: Mother’s Day brunch made by the kids! I’ve kept this line-up nice and easy: 6 Simple Recipes Kids Can Make for Mom. Dads, don’t forget a Mimosa!
Photo by Kelly Neil
A Springtime Dock Picnic
Simple elegance meets seasonal eats in a pretty little dock feast; this picnic can be enjoyed anywhere, of course. Strawberries are featured in the recipes and the mood is chill at this Summer Sunset Picnic for Two.
Photo by Alison Slattery
The Italian Aperitivo
‘Lo spritz ‘, happy hour in Italy, is designed to be social. It involves sharing plates, small bites, and of course, the Spritz cocktail. This effortless entertaining is my strategy for gathering with friends any time of year. Learn: How to Spritz like an Italian.
Summer Gatherings
Photo by Tim Chin
Canada Day Celebration
From Nanaimo Bars on the West Coast to Butter Tarts on the East Coast, my favourite way to celebrate July 1 is with The Best Canada Day Desserts from Coast to Coast.
Photo by Tim Chin
An Epic Backyard Gathering
It’s the 10 year anniversary of the outdoor canoe buffet! Since I shared this backyard wedding celebration, the fun and innovative buffet has been featured in wedding magazines and countless round-ups on bridal sites.
Personally, I love how this popular post exemplifies how to work with what you have when entertaining. Not only was it practical and frugal, but I got to exercise a bit of creativity. Win win!
So yeah, you can invite 50 plus people over, (I think this party was 80!) and use these accomplaying posts to help plan:
The Ultimate Camping Food Day
Nothing bonds friends and cousins together like a camping experience. We’ve weathered tornadoes, skunks in the camp and mudslides with our camping friends. What gets us through it all? Only the BEST camping foods. In The Ultimate Camping Food Day I share our favourite feasts by the fire for breakfast, lunch and dinner al fresco.
A Greek Inspired Dinner Party
Two recent trips to Greece cemented my love of Meditterranean cuisine, so it’s now an annual summer tradition to Cook a Greek-Inspired Feast. Make sure to time this party for when tomatoes are in peak season. Oh, and buy the best feta you can afford (look for P.D.O. feta).
An East Coast Seafood Boil
When we’re fortunate enough to have friends and family visit us in Nova Scotia, a seafood boil is always on the agenda. My tutorial will show you How to Cook an East Coast Seafood Boil.
Autumn Gatherings
Photo by Tim Chin
A Harvest Dinner
This end of August ritual is summer’s last hurrah; a gathering of close friends for no reason other than celebrating the bounty of seasonal produce (and maybe my birthday!). You can make it a pot-luck or hit up a farmer’s market and cook it yourself. Learn How to Host a Harvest Dinner Party.
A Jam Swap
My cookbook Brown Eggs and Jam Jars has an entire chapter devoted to the fall Jam Swap. Once you’ve mastered Home Canning 101 you can swap jam, jellies and preserves with your fellow canning enthusists. My cookbook club and I swapped preserves a few seasons ago – and our old rowboat Buttercup made the perfect table for displaying the jars.
A Fall Picnic
In addition to stocking up on apples at the local orchard, round up your friends for a fall picnic, too. Autumn is the best time of the year to get out into nature and here’s why: Five Reasons to Plan a Fall Picnic.
Photo by Tim Chin
An Old Fashioned Pie Social
I know I made dreams come true with this pie table….and you can too! Pie just makes so much sense for autumn. Berries and stone fruits are still holding their spot at the market; pears, apples, and pumpkins have arrived, too.
It’s a party where everyone brings a pie, so invite your best baker friends. Use my tutorial for a hosting a pie social…and find recipe inspiration in this pie round-up.
Photo by Michelle Doucette
An Orchard Dinner Party
This seasonal event is a celebration of farmers and their harvest. It comes together pot-luck style, with everyone contribution a vegetable-forward dish. Read an orchard dinner party post for the menu and loads more photos.
Winter Gatherings
Photo by Tim Chin
A Holiday Cookie Swap
Festivee and fun, this event is easy to host – just put on a pot of coffee and wait for guests to arrive with cookies. I think our record is over 1000 cookies on one table. Tis the season to be jolly! I’ve got Tips for Hosting a Cookie Swap.
A Christmas Tea Party
A recent holiday gathering, this Christmas tea party was all about creating a cozy memory with my friends and our children. Read the post for hospitality tips, recipe ideas and my advice for creating special memories that will last a lifetime.
A Winter Holiday Cocktail Party
Now, Dear Readers, I know you love a cocktail party with a table full of appetizers. You may not be into canning swaps or seafood boils, but you can get down with mini meatballs, cheese puffs and Ranch dip.
I’ve rounded up my Winter Holiday Appetizer Ideas in a post that’s perfect for planning the most epic holiday party. I include both vegetarian and meat recipes, and keep things fairly simple.
Photo by Tim Chin
A Skating Party
Even after Christmas is over, there’s still plenty to celebrate! How about the quiet calm of January, when everything is a winter wonderland. Our lake freezes over and the neighbour hood kids drop on to play hockey.
It’s during these darker days of winter that we need these friendly gatherings the most. So here is the plan for an epic skating party:
Serve it all up in a way that is easist for you. I like to pull out my stash of enamelware cups from my camping box for the chili.
Happy Gathering!
Images copyright Simple Bites, Tim Chin Photography, Kelly Neil, Alison Slattery, Jessica Emin and Michelle Doucette Photography. Do not use without permission.