Holiday parties can be a great way to relax and have fun with friends and family. However, planning a holiday party can be a little intimidating. Probably the most difficult decision to make when planning a party is the guest list. Who to invite and who not to invite can be stressful. But if you take a moment to consider both your party and its guest list, the process can be made simpler.
Before you can even think of a guest list, you have to know your space. If you intend to host the party in your living room, and you only have room for ten people, then that limits your guest list considerably. If, on the other hand, you’d like to rent a hall for a hundred people, your list of guests expands quite a bit.
The next step is to decide what kind of party you’ll be having. Are you having a sit-down dinner or a buffet, or perhaps cocktails? Is your party primarily for friends, family, colleagues, or a mixture of all three? What kind of entertainment will you be planning? Will you include children in your party?
These questions will all slightly alter your guest list. For example, if the party is primarily for your colleagues, then you might not want to include children, and you probably won’t invite your sister. You can mix your groups, of course, but you have to do this carefully. A party full of family and friends can be wonderful, but don’t invite only one friend in a sea of family members. It will just make everyone uncomfortable. You have to achieve some kind of balance, or limit yourself to only one group.
Children are an important issue when it comes to planning a party. Babies, in particular, require some attention to detail. They may be tiny, but they come with stuff. Expect that a parent bringing their little one might have a playpen or carrier for the baby to rest in. If you invite any breastfeeding mothers, you might want to have a space, perhaps in a spare bedroom, where they can retreat, if they need to.
If your party is child friendly, and you have a maximum number of people you can invite, remember to count each attending child as a guest. This is especially important if you’re in a rented space, as you’ll have to abide by fire codes, and fire codes do count children as people. Even parents, however, are entitled to have a child-free party. Sitters can be found, after all.
Try to keep it simple, and remember that the point of a holiday party is to have fun with people you enjoy being around. Be creative, invite those people who mean the most to you, and remember, it’s a holiday party. It doesn’t have to be perfect, just fun.
Any holiday table can be enhanced by the use of personalized place settings. Even some very simple ideas can make your holiday table unique, while at the same time letting everyone know where to sit. Get creative, and maybe use something that your guests can take home with them to spruce up their own décor.
Frosted pinecones, found at most craft shops, make wonderful place settings. Simply take a gold or silver pen and write your guests names on the pinecones. If you want to turn these pinecones into ornaments, simply add a ribbon so that it may be hung on a tree. Make sure you write clearly and neatly, so there’s no confusion when it comes time to sit down for dinner.
If you have a box of plastic or glass ornaments laying around that you’re not using, turn these into a personalized place setting. Using coordinating pens designed for writing on glass or plastic, gently scrawl the names of your guests onto each ornament. Now each guest has a personalized ornament to hang on their own tree when they get home.
If you’re any good at origami, or know someone who is, try making paper reindeer, trees, Santas, or even gift boxes. Use a felt pen to write the names. Your guests will appreciate these unique crafts, and will certainly want to take them home at the end of the evening.
If you’d rather send your guests home with chocolates, cookies, or other treats, purchase some small gift boxes. Write the guests names on the boxes, and stuff each box with any goodie you’d like. You might also consider Christmas crackers, personalized with the name of each guest.
For the craftier holiday host, try personalizing the table itself. You could write names on glasses or dinnerware, but make sure you use food safe paints. If you don’t want to re-use your tablecloth, you could even get some fabric paint and put the names of your guests directly onto the tablecloth.
A more difficult, but very unique idea is to use actual food as personalized place settings. Try preparing an appetizer that requires a sauce, and use that sauce to write the names of your guests. Or offer a salad, and use dressing instead.
There are countless ways to use personalized place settings to make your table beautiful and unique. This is a chance to exercise your creativity in planning your holiday party. It usually only takes a few extra minutes, and your guests will certainly appreciate the effort.
Holiday parties are great fun and a tradition for many people. They can be a time to gather together with friends and family, and simply enjoy the holidays. The best holiday parties are those that leave the guests with a fond memory, and one way to do this is with fun and creative party favors. Try sending your guests home with any of these suggestions, and they’ll remember your party for years.
Mini Stockings: You can purchase these at most craft shops around the holidays. Fill them with chocolates, cookies, candy canes, or any treat you can imagine. You could also fill them with tea bags or candles. These little items are inexpensive, attractive, and festive, and will add ambiance to your party.
Baking: Bake up a few batches of your favorite holiday cookies or other treats and package them in festive bags. Attach the recipes used to make these cookies, if you can. Guests will appreciate being able to recreate these treats at home. You might want to avoid peanut products when baking, in case of allergies.
Engraved Glasses: If you want to spend a little more money, and are serving wine or champagne at your party, consider purchasing wine glasses or champagne flutes and having them engraved with each guest’s name. You might even want to add the date and occasion. These will last forever (or until they’re broken), and will give your guests something to remember you by in years to come.
Hot Chocolate: Most people will appreciate a mug of hot chocolate on a cold winter’s day. Pick out some unique holiday mugs and place packets of hot chocolate inside. Wrap the mugs in cellophane, tie them up with brightly-colored ribbon, and give your guests a warm party favor to enjoy when they get home.
Picture Frames: Frames are a useful favor for most guests. Try to find the kind that can be either hung on the wall or placed on a desk or mantle for added versatility. If you can, find holiday-themed picture frames, or decorate them yourself. Try adding the names of your guests for a personal touch.
Personalized Ornaments: This is a quick and easy way to make beautiful party favors that your guests will use when they get home. Simply purchase a set of plain holiday ornaments, either glass or plastic, and personalize with the name of each guest. You can even invest a little more money and get the kind that open up. These will allow you to hide a special treat or present inside. Consider replacing the standard wire hangers with pretty ribbon, perhaps with the date and occasion of your party. Your guests can immediately put this on their tree, and they’ll remember you every year when they decorate for the holidays.
These are only some ideas for creative party favors. There are many other things that can be used as holiday favors, such as holiday CDs or a small vase with festive flowers. Check your local holiday or craft stores for more ideas to make your party memorable.. Try sending your guests home with any of these suggestions, and they’ll remember your party for years.
Scent is a powerful thing. The right scent stirs the memory, relaxes the body, and creates a warm and inviting atmosphere. The holidays are a perfect time to use scents and aromas to create a festive feeling. The following suggestions can help turn your home into a holiday retreat.
Baking: One way to infuse your home with holiday scent is to bake some holiday treats. Try chocolate chip cookies, cinnamon rolls, apple or pumpkin pie, or even some fresh baked bread. If you don’t bake, you can purchase premade cookie or bread dough, or even oven-ready pies. Throw them in the oven and you’ll soon have holiday scents wafting through your home.
Candles: Not only does the glow of a candle offer a cozy atmosphere, but if you choose a scented candle, it can add a festive aroma to your space. There are hundreds of candle scents to choose from, but try picking something appropriate for the season. There are candles that smell like peppermint, baking cookies, pumpkin, apple, pine, and many others. All of these would work for the holidays.
Pine Tree: Your holiday tree, if it’s real, will already be giving off a distinctive pine scent. If you have an artificial tree (or artificial wreaths around your home), you can still enjoy this same aroma. Purchase a small bottle of pine essential oil and add a few drops to a cup of water. Place the mixture in a spray bottle and liberally spray your artificial tree. Essential oils can also be sprayed onto fabrics in various areas of the home, but be careful of delicate fabrics, as essential oils can stain.
Room Fresheners: All manner of plug-in air fresheners are available on the market today. These can be purchased in many holiday scents, and produce decent aromas throughout your home.
Potpourri: Any craft or holiday store will likely carry holiday-scented potpourri. This can be located in strategic areas of your home, and tends to be a more subtle way of creating ambiance in your house. For a stronger scent, invest in an electric potpourri burner.
Oil Warmers: Burners can be purchased which accommodate scented oil in the top well, and a tealight candle underneath. The tealight warms the oil and the scent spreads quickly through your home. These scents are often quite strong, so use the oil sparingly.
Room Sprays: Commercial room sprays are available at your local grocery store, among other places. These are good for a quick burst of scent, and are available in many holiday varieties.
Applesauce Cinnamon Ornaments: These are made with highly fragrant dough. Mix one cup cinnamon, one cup applesauce, and one tablespoon white glue. Roll out on wax paper, cut into holiday shapes, remembering to add a hole so you will be able to hang them, and let dry for twenty-four hours. Hang the resulting ornaments on your tree or anywhere you want scent. The scent may last as long as two years.
There are many other ways to bring festive scents into your home, including pomanders, fresh flowers, or burning wood in your fireplace. You could also try simmering some spices on the stove. Use your favorite aromas to bring the holidays into your home, and you will experience the season on a whole new level.
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