So, the hustle and bustle of the holiday season just isn’t enough for you with all of the gift buying and wrapping, card writing and mailing, pageantry and lights – but now you realize what you really want is to get together with the ones you love and have a stress-free holiday party. Unfortunately, you didn’t factor the time to plan and create this party in between running to the mall and packing your bags to leave town. Don’t let this become another stressful item on your never-ending list of to do’s. A last minute holiday party can be simple to plan as long as you keep the purpose of the party as your driving factor.
The most important thing to remember about a holiday party is that your gift is not the food, the entertainment or the location, but the experience of bringing the many people who make up your life together for an enjoyable, and most importantly, stress-free evening.
Hosting the party in your home is the best way to be both personable and budget conscious. Be sure to clean the house a couple of days before hand and put all valuables away in a secure location to protect them from being accidentally broken.
As for décor, simple seasonal floral and lighting is all you need to create an enchanting environment. Use a lot of candles to create the warm glow and flicker as well as strategically placed floor lighting to set the mood. A couple of mid-sized floral pieces placed in the right locations are enough to impress your guests without breaking your budget. Strategically place furniture allowing for small group setting areas but keep enough floor space to encourage your guests to move and mingle.
Hire a caterer to take care of the food and beverages. This is the most time consuming element to maintain throughout the party and most stressful for the host. Streamline your budget by stocking the bar with beer, wine, champagne and a couple of signature cocktails you create specifically for this party. Bite sized food is best for social parties, so pick a couple of your favorites and have them presented in fun and unique ways that will keep the guests talking. About half way through the evening present the guests with passed desserts and a surprise warm specialty drink like hot chocolate or a cool glass of eggnog; this will help make the evening feel like it is progressing.
To entertain your guests, put together a custom mix of your favorite holiday music to play. Try to keep a variety of music playing and keep an upbeat tempo. At some point in the evening, have a group of carolers come by and sing for a brief period of time. Guests will love the surprise performance.
A nice finishing touch is to have a table of cookies and candies for guests to put into gift boxes and take home with them. There are many varieties of boxes that can be picked up affordably and decorated simply with ribbon and a thank you note from you as the host.
Remember, the holidays are about sharing time and memories with the ones you love. Hosting in your home can be done quickly and affordably and your guests will appreciate the opportunity to take a break from their busy schedules to share their evening with you.
Happy Holidays!
