Stress Free Party Times: How to Throw a Holiday Party Without Pulling Your Hair Out
Holiday parties are a time to celebrate your family and friends and reflect on the past year. As much as you would love to peacefully reflect on your relationships, you’re too busy tripping over Super Mario figures as you try and clean up the house for your holiday bash. All right, just calm down, take a deep breath and read these tips for throwing the perfect, stress-free holiday party. Trust us, you’ll be happy that you did.
Limit the Guestlist
If you are a social butterfly, you may want to check yourself and set a limit to the number of people you can invite to your holiday party. The more people you invite, the more people you have to entertain, the more food you have to serve, the more things you have to organize, etc., etc., etc. Keep the guest list short and sweet and you’ll have a more intimate and less stressful party to throw.
Skip Dinner
Skip out on a holiday meal and opt for easy appetizers instead. Juggling brown sugar ham, wine, green beans, and mashed potatoes will be too overwhelming to an already-busy hostess. Try bite-sized treats like shrimp with cocktail sauce, Boursin cheese with artisan crackers, grapes, and sweet sausage meatballs. Easy prep, easy cleanup, easy peasy.
Think of Etiquette
Yes, you’re probably a class act 99% of the time, but when you’re planning a party you may forget to be cognizant of mini etiquette rules that can escalate into an awkward evening. Welcome guests, introduce them to other people at the party if they don’t already know each other, and prepare yourself for possible mishaps. Your Aunt’s best friend may just spill sausage meatball sauce all over your new, off-white couch. Ouch. Keep it cool and know that these things sometimes happen. Another tip? Serve a great choice of wine. Wine will allow everyone to come out of their shells a bit and get the party rolling.
See? Don’t you feel better already? Just follow these easy tips and focus on the real point of every holiday party: celebrating the things you’ve got with the people you love.
