How to Spruce Up Your Home Before a Holiday Party

Holiday parties are a tradition in many households, and hosting one can be a fulfilling experience. Perhaps you’ve spent weeks preparing for this party, meticulously mapping out each and every aspect. Maybe it’s been a truly last-minute affair. Regardless, you probably want things to be just a little more festive, to add a little more atmosphere to your event. There are many suggestions as to how you can spruce up your home right before your holiday party.

Take a look around and decide which rooms you want to use for the party, and close the doors to any other rooms. Focus only on the areas that will be used by your guests. Check to make sure that these areas are clean and clutter free, and then remove anything breakable. Also remove anything that might be in the way, and add more seating if you have to. Make sure your kitchen is clean (if you're looking to add some holiday scent, use pine scented cleaner), and put any used dishes in the dishwasher. Clear out your hall closet to make room for the coats and boots of your guests.

Once your home is clean and prepared for guests, analyze your décor. If you have any unused strings of lights, pull them out and find places for them. They can be draped over doorways, wrapped around banisters, or simply placed on a mantel or window pane. Garland, which is relatively inexpensive, can be used in many of the same ways. Combine lights with garland for a truly sparkling effect.

Candlelight is warm and inviting, so gather up some candles and start placing them in strategic locations such as on the mantel, tables, sideboards, or anywhere else you can think of. If you have wall-mounted or hanging holders, especially if they’re particularly festive, use them if you can. Try adding glass beads or crushed glass at the base of the candles for added ambiance. If using scented candles, make sure the scents all complement each other. Keep scented candles off the dinner table, as they could interfere with enjoying your meal.

Exchange your regular throw pillows for more festive ones. These can be found at your local craft or discount store, and do much to enhance your décor. Consider a holiday throw as well, and perhaps a wreath or two scattered through the party areas, especially on doors. If your tree looks a little bare, add a few ornaments before guests arrive, and don't forget to plug in the lights. If you have pictures on the wall that you don't want to take down, consider making them more festive. Picture frames are easily wrapped to look like presents, and will almost certainly get some interesting comments from your guests.

Add some scent to your home. This can be done in a variety of way. Try using festive scented candles, air fresheners, or throw a batch of cookies in the oven. The right scent during your party will make your guests feel relaxed and welcome in your home.

Turn your attention to the outside of your home. Add a wreath, mistletoe, holly, even some jingle bells to make your front door seem a little more festive. Sprinkle some holiday sequence or red and green sparkles on the snow outside your door. If you have holiday lights on the exterior of your home, the sparkles will reflect the light and look very cheerful.

Ultimately, a holiday party is a chance to spend some time with your guests and enjoy yourself. Complete your last-minute sprucing up, and then take pleasure in your evening with friends and family.

Christmas Dinner Seating Strategies

When hosting a Christmas dinner for your family, friends, or coworkers, seating your guests can sometimes present a problem. If your gathering is informal, such as buffet-style or cocktail, then seating may not be an issue. However, if you intend on a more formal Christmas party, you should take a few moments to consider seating arrangements, and hopefully before they begin arriving.

Seat those people together who have something in common. If people have something in common, then their conversation can be more than just small talk, even if they don’t know each other. In general, you should not seat people together if they don’t know each other and you can’t envision them having something to talk about. You know your guests, so if you don’t think they have something in common, then they probably don’t.

If you know that two people don’t get along, don’t seat them together. If you do, you’re only asking for trouble. If your uncle hasn’t spoken to your cousin in ten years, you should probably respect that and seat them with other people, and not beside each other (and maybe not even across from each other). Christmas dinner may not be the time to try to resolve old hurts, especially in front of everyone.

Make absolutely sure that you keep couples together, unless you know that they won’t mind being split up. They, obviously, have something in common and will have much to talk about. In addition, they probably expect to be seated together, and may be offended if separated.

Remember that this is a Christmas party, not a matchmaking party. Don’t seat people together with the hopes that they’ll become a couple. You’re supposed to be the host, not the resident matchmaker. You’ll be the one they blame when they didn’t have an enjoyable evening. If you get a reputation for trying to fix up everyone who comes to your parties, you’ll soon notice a decline in the number of guests you can attract.

If you’re mixing friends and family, don’t make your friends feel uncomfortable by seating them apart from your family. You like your friends, and your family will too. Mix them in amongst your family, seating them with anyone they can have meaningful conversation with. Everyone will feel more comfortable, and your friends will thank you later for making them feel included.

Consider setting up a special table for children. This is not impolite, but rather a courtesy. Children have more in common with other children, and they tend to enjoy the feel of a less formal table. Ensure, however, that this table is in the same room as the adult table. You want the children to feel included and special, not banished to another part of the house. Allow teenagers to choose which table they’d like to sit at. Some teens will be more comfortable with the children, but others, especially the older teens, would rather be seated with the adults.

If you have a large group, you should try to have several smaller tables, rather than one long dining table. A longer table with more than about eight people encourages shouting in order to be heard by someone at the other end. Separating people into smaller groups will keep everyone a little quieter, and has a more intimate feel.

If you want to keep difficulties to a minimum, make up several bowls of each dish, instead of one larger dish. This will eliminate the reaching and constant prattle: “Could you pass that stuffing … again?” It sometimes helps to use centerpieces and decorations to divide the table somewhat. That way, you might be able to prevent all three bowls of stuffing from ending up at the same end of the table. And, if you have people with special diets, such as vegetarians, you can set them all together and make everyone more comfortable by not placing the turkey or the ham directly in front of a vegetarian.

Remember that a Christmas party is supposed to be fun. Don’t stress yourself unduly. Seating arrangements should be based on compatible personalities, and since you know everyone you’re inviting, you’ll figure it out. When your guests finally start arriving, put aside your worries about who will sit where, and just enjoy yourself.

How to Survive College Winter Break

College brings a sense of freedom to many young people, but that first semester flies by in no time at all. Before you know it, you’re heading back home for a much deserved winter break. But making that jump from the complete absence of parental restraint back into the bosom of your family can be a difficult on everyone. Surviving winter break can present its own set of unique challenges.

Try not to surprise everyone, if you can avoid it. If you’ve changed your appearance, let your parents know ahead of time. If you dyed your hair blue and pierced your nose and eyebrow, they may not react well. And if your favorite holiday meal used to be ham, and now you’ve become a vegetarian and conveniently forgot to tell them, they’ll probably be a little miffed. Give them plenty of warning so that they can make any necessary adjustments.

If your parents are prone to over scheduling your breaks, talk to them first. Let them know that you’re recovering from a difficult semester at school, your exams were really taxing this time around, and you really need a break. Explain that you’ll probably need a couple days, at the very least, to sleep and spend some time alone. They’ll probably understand, provided you talk to them about it first.

Make time to spend with your family. You’ve been away for a while, and you’ve all missed each other. Tell them about your college experiences, what you like and what you don’t. Listen to the changes that have occurred in their lives while you’ve been gone. If conversations only seem to spark arguments, think of things you can do together that don’t require much talking. Maybe watch some holiday programming, or go out and see the holiday lights in your neighborhood. Anything that allows you to spend time together before you head back to college.

Take care of yourself, just as you’ve been doing at college for months. Do your own laundry, don’t depend on your parents for your every meal, and pick up after yourself. This will show your parents that you’re not the teenager who left for college, but you’re now a fully fledged adult, and you’re responsible for yourself.

If your parents start mentioning a curfew, don’t panic. They’re your parents and they love you. Instead of launching into an argument that can only end in a shouted “I’m not a child anymore!” take a step back. Calmly remind your parents that you no longer require a curfew. Be polite and let them know when to expect you, and out of respect, try not to come home at 3am. Remember to call if you’re going to be late, just so they don’t worry about you.

Finally, if you’re bringing a friend, make sure it’s okay with your parents. It’s their house, and they will not appreciate unexpected guests. On the other hand, if you’re going to spend part of your break visiting your friends, let your parents know first, preferably well in advance. This will avoid any hurt feelings when you suddenly disappear for three days in the middle of your break.

A visit home during your winter break can be a time to reconnect with your family and friends. Be polite and courteous, and very soon you’ll be heading back to college. You’ll have survived your winter break at home, and maybe even had some fun while you were at it.

How to Maintain a College Relationship When Home for Winter Break

Relationships of all kinds are hard. But a college relationship can even more difficult. Being young and in love, having to deal with exams, and then going home for winter break can stress even the most stable of relationships. If you do want to maintain your college relationship during break, you’ll need to make an effort to do so.

Start by defining your relationship. This isn’t always easy, and sometimes it’s less than fun, but it is necessary if you want your relationship to survive winter break. Start by asking yourself if you even want your relationship to survive. College relationships don’t necessarily have to be preserved. If you’re not sure, ask yourself a few questions. Is your partner a person you would want to introduce to your parents? If you could, would you invite this person home with you for break? Do you find your current relationship fulfilling?

If the answer to any of these questions is ‘no’, reconsider your relationship. Not all romantic affairs are designed to last. If you really feel as if it will be too much work to maintain your relationship, then consider ending it before you leave for home.

Maybe your answer to these questions is ‘yes’. Maybe your partner really is your perfect match. And maybe you can’t wait to introduce this person to your family and friends back home. If this is the case, then you’ll have some decisions to make. These decisions will dictate what steps you will take to maintain your relationship during the long winter break.

Be prepared to miss each other. It’s inevitable, if your relationship is indeed worth preserving. Instead of spending the time moping about being apart, look at your winter break as a time to do those things you haven’t done lately. Spend time with your family. Hang out with your non-college friends. Go out on the town you haven’t visited in months. Pack your winter break with activities and things to do. It will make the separation a little easier.

Consider how far apart you will be from your partner during the break. It is possible that you could get together once or twice throughout the break? If not, you’ll need to pick up the phone, or use e-mail. You should communicate with your partner every couple days, if at all possible. Don’t have the time? Make the time. A relationship, especially a college relationship, cannot survive without contact.

Don’t start a new relationship when you get home. Your partner probably won’t appreciate you ‘taking a break’ from your relationship. If you’re lonely, spend some extra time with family and friends. Don’t go looking for someone new, or your relationship will surely fall apart before you return to campus.

Think about your relationship carefully, and decide if maybe it’s time to introduce your partner to your family. Winter break can be a good time to do this, and bringing your partner home with you eliminates some of the problems associated with going home for winter break, such as missing your partner or wondering if he or she will find someone else. Just don’t ‘surprise’ your parents. No one will appreciate it.

If you and partner decide not to be apart for winter break, carefully arrange your visits home. You might have to split your winter break, spending half with your partner’s family, if that’s what your partner wants. Winter break isn’t all about you, after all, not if you’re spending it with your partner. Consider what your partner wants, and maybe the needs of your respective families, to coordinate your winter break.

Winter break doesn’t have to mean the end of your relationship. Be open minded, communicate with your partner, and remember that you’ll be back at college soon enough. If your relationship can survive winter break, whether you’re apart or together, then you’ll face a brighter future when you return to campus.