tips to plan a stress free holiday party!
Clearly I love planning parties but I totally understand the stress and anxiety that come with it. The next two weekends are going to be jam packed with holiday parties and I cannot help to be both excited and nervous at the same time! If you are getting ready to be the hostess with the mostess check out the tips below to help you get through the party stress (and sweat) free!
- If you’ve got friends like mine then you know the place where everyone is most likely to congregate is the kitchen. I don’t care how big your house is..this is going to happen! Try spreading out all of the goodies. Set up a nice bar area in the living room with the food in a few different places. That way people will have to migrate around to get what they want. Avoid placing anything near the door so nobody blocks traffic coming in/out of the house. Which leads me to my next tip…
- Room layout – Feel free to rearrange the furniture the make it more conducive to guests who will most likely be standing and/or sitting in groups. You’ll want everyone to have easy access to food and drink but also have the room to set up to be ideal for socializing.
- Bar accessories – Make sure you have everything out that you’re going to need for the bar. If you’re putting out wine and/or beer you’ll want to make sure you have a bottle opener on the table with all of the drink options. That way you don’t have guests rummaging around the kitchen and you don’t have to rummage either!
- Food options – I am known for always getting WAY too much food than necessary but my policy is that it’s better to have too much food than not enough. Think of foods that you can make the night before or morning of so you’re not cooking up to the minute your guests arrive (or while everyone is there!). And don’t feel like everything has to be homemade either (though I put the pressure on myself to do this as well). There are some delicious frozen appetizer options out there that are quick and easy.
And don’t forget to have fun!