A survival kit for the holiday season should include a Rolodex of appetizers that can be thrown together quickly or made ahead — ideally both.

Gougères and oysters Rockefeller don’t fit that criteria, but these fun and festive snacks do.

They’re the types of no-recipe recipes that are more about shopping and assembling than precise measuring, so they’re just what you need whether you’re throwing a last-minute get-together or too busy to cook for the party that’s been on your calendar for months.

Dips and spreads provide fresh and creamy richness to (store-bought) accouterments; party mixes offer crunch by the palmful; bite-size appetizers deliver single-handedly; boards and bowls give guests endless options for grazing; and chips and crackers bring from-scratch flavors.

Easy Party Snacks: Boards and Bowls

Charcuterie Board: Purée ricotta with salt until fluffy, then drizzle with olive oil and serve with charcuterie, pâté, smoked fish, cheese, nuts, olives, dates, radishes, guava paste, sliced baguette and crackers.

Sweet and Hot Board: Arrange wedges of mixed citrus, honeycomb, ricotta, spicy salami and toasted baguette.

White Winter Board: Add a smidgen of white miso to a bowl of sour cream and stir until smooth. Taste and add more miso until equally tangy and salty. On a board, set thinly sliced crisp apples or Asian pears, peeled and cut jicama or halved baby turnips and thinly sliced cauliflower for dipping.

McSorley’s Cheese Plate: McSorley’s, an Irish saloon that’s been going in Manhattan since the 1800s, serves a beloved snack plate of sliced white Cheddar, a half sleeve of saltines, spicy brown mustard and thinly sliced white onion. Gabrielle Hamilton personalized the dish by frying the saltines, a tradition in the American South and her household.

Best With Beer Board: Lay out smoked sliced sausage, coarse mustard, pickled beets, grapes and pretzels.

Chaat Party: Priya Krishna’s go-to chaat formula includes layering a crunchy base like chakri with two complementary chutneys, such as tamarind and mint, and salted yogurt, then sprinkling with sev and chaat masala. But as this recipe from Maneet Chauhan shows, there are many ways your chaat party can go.

Better Butter Board: Set out a bowl of softened butter sprinkled with flaky salt, then set on a board with tinned fish, charred bread and sliced radishes.