Planning a holiday party can be stressful, whether you’re hosting a block party for your neighbors, an open house for friends or a family get-together. But with a bit of forethought and some elbow grease, you can turn “stressful” into “special.”
Here’s how:
Make a list and check it twice
To keep your sanity intact, you need to set boundaries around who is invited to your party, how long the festivities will last, and what activities will take place during the event.
I suggest making two lists.
- Your to-do list will include all the stuff YOU need to do to prepare for the party (more on that in a minute).
- Your guest list will ensure that Great Aunt Mabel doesn’t get left out. If you have the time and energy to hand-write and mail invitations, that’s always a nice touch. Electronic invitations are a quick alternative. Free services such as Evite or Punchbowl manage RSVPs on the fly.
And don’t forget the telephone! Last-minute get-togethers can be a blast; just pick up the phone and invite a few close friends over. Ask them to pick up chips & dip, a bag of ice or paper plates on their way.
Your guests will often offer to help with the decorating and food prep. If they offer, take them up on it!
The stockings were hung by the chimney with care…
Pre-party cleaning is a daunting task for most hosts. But unless you’re hosting an open house during which guests will be touring every room, you can settle for de-cluttering and spot cleaning.
- Stand just inside your front door and scope out the big picture of what guests will see when they enter. Stow stacks of magazines, newspapers, and work files out of sight in a closet or cabinet.
- If you have a messy room that you don’t want people to enter, turn off the lights and shut the door (even better, lock the door).
- Wipe down your kitchen and bathroom counters, clean the toilets, vacuum or mop floors and dust the furniture. Replace burned-out light bulbs, especially porch lights.
- If you’ll be serving food at your party, clean out the fridge. Remove everything from the fridge and wipe down the shelves. Consolidate open jars of mayo and pickles and toss out containers of moldy mystery leftovers. When you re-pack your refrigerator, leave room for trays and bowls of party food.
- If your freezer has an ice-maker, turn it on until you’ve collected enough cubes top fill several gallon bags of ice. On party day, put bags of ice in coolers and chill the beverages.
Deck the halls with boughs of holly
In Snohomish County, finding holly is often as simple as going into your backyard and clipping a few sprigs off your holly tree. Clusters of red holly berries make wreaths and swags pop.
- If you can’t find any holly trees in your neighborhood, deck the halls with a wreath or a strand of twinkly lights.
- “Wrap” your front door in metallic red wrapping paper.
- If you have a Christmas tree but don’t want to put real gifts under it during your party, wrap empty boxes of various sizes in elegant, solid wrapping paper and place the wrapped boxes beneath the tree. No one will know the difference!
Now bring us some figgy pudding
Holiday parties usually revolve around food and drink. If you love throwing parties but you don’t love to cook (and you don’t want to hire a caterer), you’ll want to prepare as many food items as possible ahead of time.
- Cook and freeze items such as quiches, tarts, and cookies.
- Assemble soups, salads and veggie platters a day in advance.
- Stock up on party basics such as cheese, crackers, nuts, dip and pesto.
- Invest in a variety of soft drinks, mixers, fresh coffee beans (regular and decaf), tea, cocoa, and of course, eggnog.
If you’re planning a sit-down meal, you may want to assign places for guests. Or you can go informal and serve the food buffet style. If people will be eating in various rooms, place TV trays or small tables in strategic locations so guests will have a place — other than their laps – to set plates and drinkware.
All is calm; all is bright
Did you know that party guests feel more comfortable in dimly lit rooms? Create party ambiance by lighting candles (or using battery-operated candles, if young children will be attending), dimming the lights, and lighting your fireplace.
Yule-tide carols being sung by a choir
Set the mood with holiday tunes. Instrumentals that play softly in the background are best for parties because the song lyrics won’t compete with the conversation. Unless, of course, you want them to. In that case, have a sing-along or some Christmas karaoke.
Joy to the world
Most importantly, enjoy yourself during your party. Even if you’re feeling tired and are worried about whether your guests will have a good time, plaster a big smile on your face. Take several deep, calming breaths and decide to have fun. When your see that you’re enjoying yourself, they’ll relax and have a great time, too.
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