As the festive season approaches, learn how you can host a great Christmas party with the tips below.
First impressions are important
When you have guests over, the first thing that they will notice is your hallway. Therefore, before you have your party, it is imperative that you remove any clutter from this area and make sure you have a space to store your guests coats. In most cases, you’ll be the person who opens the door to greet your guests, so it is a good idea to have a tray filled with welcome drinks when you do so.
“Balloons are a great way to create a theatrical look” says Sarah. “I absolutely love the Northstar foil balloons since they are easy to blow up using a straw and can be used to make words. So, you can create balloons that say party or yay throughout your home. This will create a big impression without much effort.”
Be organized
“Be sure to carefully think through the music you want to play” says Hannah. “It is a good idea to start with warm up tracks when the party has just started and people are now arriving. Then, you can play dance tracks during the party and even take requests from your guests to make them feel included.”
Next, lighting is another important factor that can be a bit challenging since you need to balance practicality with creating a good mood. “You can use table lights that are woven around the food and spread” according to Sarah. “However, if you want to be a bit more entertaining, you can find lights that look like small prosecco bottles and place them on your tables.”
Hannah definitely agrees with this. “Twinkly lights are definitely needed at a Christmas party!” says Hannah. “Make your guests feel welcomed when they arrive by creating a beautifully lit entrance area. This is not only delightful but will set the tone for the rest of the party.” Be sure to add plenty of sparkle with party props from Premier Glow.
If you want your party to be successful, you need to learn to delegate. This may mean asking or even paying your teenagers to place the coats in another room or even to serve drinks. You can also ask your friends to bring foods such as canapes, cheese trays etc. You can also ask specific persons to top up the snack trays as well as get rid of empty cups and plates. You definitely need help so don’t be afraid to ask for it. The vast majority of people will be happy to do so and this will allow you to enjoy your own party as well.
Menu
Your guests likely won’t eat much food unless you’re hosting a dinner party. With that said, most of your guests will appreciate snacks, canapes etc. You should indicate the type of food that will be available on your invitations. So, for example, you can simply state that “foods and nibbles” will be served. According to Hannah, it is best to serve food in waves. Of course, make sure that you have snacks available at the start when welcoming people. Then, have a break and continue serving throughout the evening in intervals. Keep in mind that most people will get hungry as the evening gets later and you can offer different food to help ease the hunger pangs caused by alcohol.
“Canapes can be made in different ways, but it is enjoyable to make them like a four course meal. So, to start with you can have satay prawns, fish crackers and sauce. Then for the main course, you can have tapas style meatballs, chorizo skewers with vegetables, fish and chips etc. Then, when it comes to dessert, you can serve a big cheeseboard, strawberries covered in chocolate, profiteroles etc.”
“Some of the favorite drinks would include punch and mulled wine” says Hannah. “In the last year, the most popular drink was hot toffee apple cider which may make it a favorite this year as well. After all, it is quite comforting to arrive at a party and get a warming drink. It definitely helps to create a Christmas mood. Be sure to also offer snacks such as toffee apple bites and assorted nibbles.”
You should also serve lots of cocktails, particularly ones with gin. You can create a couple of recipe cards that will help your guests and ensure they don’t go astray. You can even place the ingredients for the cocktails on a bar trolley and allow your guests to create their own drinks.
