One of the things about the holiday season that people greatly anticipate is the festivities that go along with it. Although spending time with family and friends is the point of the season, when you’re the one planning the holiday party, it may cause you to feel overwhelmed and out of control rather than relaxed and happy.
In this article, we will provide the best practices to follow when you are planning a holiday party and still get to enjoy your time with family and friends.
1. Early Planning and Decor
Everyone knows that planning determines the success or failure of an event, and so thorough planning is essential for a happy holiday party. As to obliviate the feelings of feeling overwhelmed and out of control during the holiday party, we suggest that you start early.
Depending on when you found out that you were going to be the host, early planning means doing a little every day. You can start by choosing a theme that you can stick to. Then you should choose the location and time of the party. In addition, and according to the theme you can send the invites out to those who you have listed. As you have chosen a theme first, this will make it easier to know what décor, flowers, and trinkets you can use. So, along the way, you can add to your décor a little at a time. Your choices should make sense yet affordable. In addition, activities such as party games and what gifts you will give your guests should also be decided on. This is where you will start compiling your holiday party to-do list.
2. Food Preparation
Another thing that should be considered early is what will be on the menu. To start you should keep in mind that you will need to overestimate the food and drinks. This will ensure that you don’t run out while your guests are there. Another thing to consider is whether the food will be homemade or store-bought. You shouldn’t wear yourself out so you should consider buying some dishes. You could also ask someone you know is a good cook for assistance if store-bought sounds unappealing to you. With snacks and drinks, it is possible to stock up on them, but the cooked foods would be done before or on that day of the party.
3. Creating a Holiday Atmosphere
The last and fun part of party planning is setting up. All your collected trinkets and décor will now be used. You should also figure out if you want to set up table settings or have a more casual seating arrangement. This will be determined by your theme. Although setting up will be done on the day of the party, you may want to arrange the centerpieces the day before. These centerpieces could also act as gifts for the guests to take home afterwards.
What is a party without music? You can choose to play a holiday album, or you can use Spotify as another great option. Lastly, place all food and drinks out in time to welcome your guests.