Make it a themed party. Choosing a theme can help you focus your planning and guide your choices. The theme can be as involved as a costume party, or as simple as a basic color palette to guide your decorating. Consider going out of the box in choosing your colors: instead of red and green, maybe crimson and silver, or white and gold? Get creative!
Be mindful of other traditions. You don’t have to include all traditions at your event, but keeping a range of traditions in mind can help you make sure your guests are comfortable. If your guests observe a range of holidays, as them to help you plan the event: this reduces your workload, too!
Many food items, such as cookies and snacks, can be prepared ahead of time; do this as much as possible to keep the party day stress to a minimum. A little work each day will make the day of the party a cinch!
If this is a sit-down event, encourage guests who don’t know each other to converse by placing namecards along the table and seating individuals with similar interests near each other. For a more casual party, you can even print up a list of conversation starters and set one at each place setting. You could give each guest a conversational “scavenger hunt” list; for instance, “find a guest who has visited Iceland, talk to someone who speaks a second language,” etc.
Keep dishes simple by asking your guests to bring their own favorite festive mug to drink from (with perhaps a simple door prize for the best one!) Line your serving dishes with thick wrapping paper: it’s not only festive, but it makes clean-up a breeze!
Holidays are perfect for gift-giving, so don’t let your guests leave empty-handed! A great simple gift is a few iced cookies, personalized with a message written in food markers or frosting. You can even tuck the gift into a simple stocking for an extra dash of festivity!
People tend to remember other people more than events: as long as your guests enjoy each other’s company, you don’t need to stress about having the biggest bash of the season. Take the time to mingle with your guests, chat with friends, and enjoy the holidays!
I hope you’re having a great day – let me know if you need anything.
