Did your mom ever tell you the keys to holiday entertaining?
Well, let TikTok's Barbara "Babs" Costello give you some pointers. The social media star, a.k.a. Brunch With Babs, has grown a community of nearly three million followers by posting videos of her recipes, home hacks and motherly advice on the app. And now, she's revealing some of her best tips to E! News.
So sit back, grab some hot chocolate and let the self-proclaimed "internet mom/grandma you didn't know you needed" break down her recommendations.
Do Embrace Old and New Traditions: This season, Babs partnered with BRACH'S Candy Canes for its Sweetness Swap, where she and Macklemore traded ideas for holiday traditions during an Instagram Live.
So what are some things Babs does year after year? "We have a ton of holiday traditions," she told E! News while promoting the brand partnership, noting it takes two years to establish a tradition. "We've been putting a wreath in every window at our house for years with a candle in those wreaths. When my kids were growing up, we put shoes out on the night of December 5 before the feast of St. Nicholas. We have a Christmas cookie day. We've gone Christmas caroling."
Still, she's introduced some new ideas too—including a dice game that her family members recently started playing on Christmas Day.
"Everybody brings a gift that's under $20," the 74-year-old explained. "We roll the die and then there's different directions that you have to do with that gift. We go around three times in the circle, and then you end up with the gift you're holding at that point."
Don't Wait Until the Last Minute To Do Your Holiday Shopping: "Don't wait until two weeks before Christmas when everything might be a little bit pricey," Babs instructs. "I think start early in the year. And when things are on sale, have that list handy. It doesn't change dramatically year to year who you have to buy for. So I would say do things early, shop sales and you'd be surprised the bargains you can find."
Do Consider a Gift Card for Someone You Don't Know Well: If you do have new names on your list this year and don't know them well, Babs recommends going with a tried-and-true gift card. Too impersonal for you? She also suggests giving a "generic piece of clothing like a scarf" or a homemade baked good. Just make sure it's something they can eat.
Don't Forget a Gift for the Host: To truly make hosts feel merry and bright, consider bringing them a gift.
"I do a little hack," Babs says. "If you want to bring a bottle of wine—if they don't drink, you could always bring a good bottle of olive oil—and you wrap it in a festive holiday Christmas towel, a tea towel. You could just kinda sandwich that bottle in between the two sides of the tea towel, and just roll it, and then kinda tuck in the bottom, and then tie it off with some ribbon and it makes a very impressive hostess gift."
You can watch her demonstration here.
Do Take Picky Eaters Up on an Offer to Bring a Dish: Hosting and not sure what to serve picky eaters or guests with certain dietary restrictions? Babs suggests taking out the guesswork by having them contribute a dish—if they offer. If not, she says the whole meal doesn't have to revolve around their requirements. But as she notes, "I think you have at least a few dishes that everyone is going to enjoy."
Don't Get Too Frazzled by Holiday Entertaining or Forget to Enjoy Your Own Party: "Planning is super important and to make sure you pace your planning," Babs shared. "Start early enough so that you're doing the menu planning, the grocery shopping, the prep. Plan as much as you can beforehand. If you wait 'til the last minute, I think things could blow up in your face. So you then could really develop just dreading entertaining that. But if you could have fun at your own party because of pre-planning and not waiting until the last minute, you'll tend to entertain more for sure."