28% of Americans plan to host more at-home gatherings in 2026, up from 24% last year, according to the International Housewares Association's 2026 At-Home Entertaining Survey. Gen Z leads the shift, with 47% planning to host more, and the most-wanted help is budget-friendly party ideas (46%).
Hosting is back, and younger Americans are leading the charge. A new industry survey finds more people plan to entertain at home this year, and their biggest wish is for party ideas that are easy on the budget. With the holidays approaching, one party checks almost every box.
What's trending
The International Housewares Association's 2026 At-Home Entertaining Survey, reported by Home Furnishings News, found that 28% of respondents plan to host more at-home gatherings in 2026, a four-point jump from 24% the year before. Half plan to host about the same amount, and 19% expect to host less.
Gen Z is driving the increase, with 47% planning to host more gatherings, followed by Millennials at 39%. Gen X's hosting intentions dipped by four points.
Why it's resonating
The reasons are simple. Half of respondents (51%) want to spend more time with friends and family, 37% have a specific event to celebrate, and 31% say hosting at home saves money compared with a restaurant or venue.
The survey also asked what makes hosting hard. The top challenges were clean-up (31%), preparing everything at the same time (22%) and cooking (15%). And when asked what would inspire them to host more, the top answers were budget-friendly party ideas (46%) and recipes (45%), followed by theme ideas (32%).
The holiday party that solves the hard parts
Look at that list of challenges again, and the classic holiday cookie swap starts to look like the perfect fit for 2026's new hosts:
- Guests bring the food. Each person bakes several dozen of one recipe, so there's no menu to juggle and nothing to time perfectly.
- Minimal cooking and clean-up. The host bakes one batch, sets out plates and drinks, and guests take the leftovers home in their boxes.
- Budget-friendly by design. Everyone goes home with a variety of cookies for the cost of baking one recipe.
- Recipes included. Asking guests to bring copies of their recipe gives everyone something to take home besides cookies.
It also works for any group, from a Friendsmas get-together to an office swap or a neighborhood tradition. First-time hosts can skip the design work with an editable Christmas cookie exchange invitation that has the swap rules already written and a phone version to text to the group chat.
The bottom line
More people, especially Gen Z, want to host at home this year, and they want ideas that are affordable and low-stress. With guests bringing the food and everyone leaving with a box of treats, the cookie swap may be the easiest holiday party to throw in 2026.