To Plan A Great Christmas Party – Plan Ahead to Save You Time

The Christmas season is the perfect time to throw a party in your home. People are definitely in the mood to celebrate!

But throwing a party ? even just a simple wine and cheese party ? can take time and preparation. Here are some Christmas party ideas and tips to make your party festive, fun ? and stress-free for the hostess!

Christmas Party Ideas

Tip #1 Invite people at least three weeks in advance. The holidays is a time when many people throw parties, are invited to get-togethers, or have other obligations. You want to be sure that your invitation is at the top of their pile. So invite everyone you want to come ? but invite them early.

Tip #2 Send invitations out with an easy-to-manage service such as Evite.com www.evite.com. It is free and easy to use. You can even add graphics to your invitation. People can see who has RSVPd to your party, another lovely incentive. This is a great way to help you manage your guest list.

Tip #3 Consider a theme party that is easy to manage. A tree trimming party is a lovely way to celebrate the holidays. For this party you are inviting your guests to come over and help decorate your tree (great tip: put the lights on first, they are always a big hassle). Another fun party to have, especially with kids is a craft party. Select a Christmas themed craft to do and have everyone do this project. It can be a lot of fun for everyone to make ornaments or holiday decorations. Another great idea for a holiday party is to hold a Christmas cookie exchange party. For this party every guest brings one batch of Christmas cookies. Try to figure this out according to how many people you have coming to the party, you want to have everyone be able to take home at least one or two cookies from each guest, so do the math according to how many guests you have coming. At the party serve snacks and everyone packages up their Christmas cookies. It is a great idea to also have everyone bring an extra batch of Christmas cookies to be enjoyed at the party.

Tip #4 Do major housecleaning a week in advance. A great way to do this is to tackle one chore every day until the entire house is done. Planning it ahead of time gives you “breathing room” to get everything sparkling and “guest ready” for your party. You can plan a twenty minute time period of picking up toys or straightening pillows the day of the party, because you have already done all of the heavy lifting so to speak.

Tip #5 Plan your menu around cuisine that you know your guests will love, but also things that you are confident cooking. Trying a new recipe can be stressful, and sometimes we wind up running around, looking for that ingredient we forget. But if you are cooking family favorites at the holidays ? you already know exactly what goes in those dishes. Plan some classic holiday dishes that your guests are sure to enjoy. ~Tip #6 Here are some more Christmas party ideas. When selecting your menu, avoid items that will can spill and cause a stain. These can include things like recipes with tomato sauces and asian flavors (soy). Often parties are filled to the gills with people, and so often people can knock into each other and a spill can occur. This can cause damage to your guest’s wardrobe, or it can cause damage to your rug or other furniture in your home. Improve your odds substantially and select a menu that is more stain-proof than most.

Tip #7 Get every family member involved with the party. From who to invite to how to decorate your home. Also give each family member a job to do the actual night of the party. It does not have to be an enormous responsibility, but it can be terrific to have older children in charge of taking guests’ coats and putting them on your bed or hanging them in the closet. Children can also help set food up on the table or pass h’ors d’oeuvres.

Tip #8 Add party decorations that are easy to manage. You don’t have to spend a fortune to have a great party, all you need is to be a welcoming hostess and to do something lovely to greet your guests. Decide if you would like to use cloth or paper tablecloths and napkins for example. There are benefits to each. A great benefit to a cloth tablecloth is that you can put it aside and use it for next year, and you can also use it for Christmas dinner. But paper napkins can also be a great choice for most parties because they are easy for guests to manage and you do not have to launder them. The most beautiful decorations for the season come from nature ? pine branches, poinsettia plants, an amaryllis. All of these look striking and perfect for a Christmas party. They are also fairly inexpensive. Get your decorations at least two weeks in advance.

Tip #9 Remember your camera. Christmas parties are a great time to get photographs of your loved ones enjoying themselves. Be sure to take lots of photographs and send your loved ones copies of the photographs!

Tip #10 Once the party is under way, enjoy yourself. Every hostess deserves to have a good time. And hopefully these Christmas party ideas will help you have a smooth and enjoyable event.

Tip #6 Here are some more Christmas party ideas. When selecting your menu, avoid items that will can spill and cause a stain. These can include things like recipes with tomato sauces and asian flavors (soy). Often parties are filled to the gills with people, and so often people can knock into each other and a spill can occur. This can cause damage to your guest’s wardrobe, or it can cause damage to your rug or other furniture in your home. Improve your odds substantially and select a menu that is more stain-proof than most.

Tip #7 Get every family member involved with the party. From who to invite to how to decorate your home. Also give each family member a job to do the actual night of the party. It does not have to be an enormous responsibility, but it can be terrific to have older children in charge of taking guests’ coats and putting them on your bed or hanging them in the closet. Children can also help set food up on the table or pass h’ors d’oeuvres.

Tip #8 Add party decorations that are easy to manage. You don’t have to spend a fortune to have a great party, all you need is to be a welcoming hostess and to do something lovely to greet your guests. Decide if you would like to use cloth or paper tablecloths and napkins for example. There are benefits to each. A great benefit to a cloth tablecloth is that you can put it aside and use it for next year, and you can also use it for Christmas dinner. But paper napkins can also be a great choice for most parties because they are easy for guests to manage and you do not have to launder them. The most beautiful decorations for the season come from nature – pine branches, poinsettia plants, an amaryllis. All of these look striking and perfect for a Christmas party. They are also fairly inexpensive. Get your decorations at least two weeks in advance.

Tip #9 Remember your camera. Christmas parties are a great time to get photographs of your loved ones enjoying themselves. Be sure to take lots of photographs and send your loved ones copies of the photographs!

Tip #10 Once the party is under way, enjoy yourself. Every hostess deserves to have a good time. And hopefully these Christmas party ideas will help you have a smooth and enjoyable event.