You’ve probably already locked down a date to throw your holiday party. While I love a trashy solo-cup filled party, I believe something a little more high class is needed for the holiday season. I’ve always been a fan of throwing an intimate holiday dinner with a great group of friends (read: people that all hate each other) or doing something super festive. Instead of spending a ton of money on going out to eat for the holidays (Bonus: you can avoid that one friend who doesn’t want to split evenly because she only had 1 glass of wine.) you can throw the best party in your own home.
1) Don’t be afraid to ask for help. Putting together a holiday party is a lot of work for one person. Grab a friend or two and delegate some responsibilities. Have one friend make the desert and another work on getting everyone at your party. You’ll be too busy making sure the decorations and main course is ready to worry about everything else.
2) Don’t be too risky. As you start to work on preparing your menu, you’ll have to put some thought into what you want to serve your closest friends (or enemies) for dinner. Stick to a recipe you know well and that’s a crowd pleaser. You don’t want people running out of the party early because your dinner sucked and they’re starving.
3) Have a festive touch. The holidays are a great time to be festive. I suggest coming up with an awesome signature drink to serve. Personally, I’m a fan of mulled wine for a holiday party. Whatever you do, don’t serve egg nog — it’s so basic. You can do the same when it comes to your decorations. Make cute holiday place cards for the dinner table.
4) Have other options. When it comes to desserts, some people may be allergic to your offerings. When your guests ask you what to bring, suggest a dessert they like or a bottle of wine. If you supply all the booze, you’ll go broke. You know your self and you know your friends, you’ll all be drunk before dessert.
5) Make it social. Trying to get everyone off their phones is too hard. You know your friends are going to want to Tweet about your holiday party win and take some awesome Instagram pictures. This time, add a hashtag to your event. You’ll be able to track it and find all the images/tweets from it. You can turn it into a cute DIY album.
6) Have a takeaway. Give them something to take home. You can DIY ornaments with the date and event on them. If you’re feeling really sentimental, write each guest a note thanking them for their friendship and looking forward to a wonderful new year.
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