Spread the Cheer at Your Holiday Party

Blog post/article written for the Art Institutes' AI InSite blog, 2012

Despite the warm and cheerful scenes crooned about in your favorite Christmas songs, we all know that the holidays can be the most stressful time of the year. Looking for the perfect gift among the frenzied holiday rush, traveling to relatives’ houses through slush-covered roads, and untangling strands of lights can stress out even the most zen-like elf.

Among the most stressful holiday traditions: holiday parties. This is particularly true if you are the one hosting. Luckily, we have some tips and tricks to keep your bash as low-maintenance and cheerful as possible.

Pick a Date

Keep in mind that your party will be competing with everyone else’s holiday parties. If it’s important to you that most of your invited guests can attend, set the date well in advance and get the word out.

“We find early in December is a great time to not interfere with family or other social events,” says Darren Dreger, of BC Event Management in Vancouver. You could even consider mid to late November. If you are hosting a smaller, more intimate event, talk to your guests about their plans so that you can determine a date that will work for most guests.

Prep Work

The number one recommendation for reducing your stress (and actually enjoying your own party) is to do as much of your preparation as possible in advance. Depending on the size of your party, start cooking, organizing, and setting up a week or two in advance.

“The more you can do in advance, the less stressful the day of the party will be,” says Karran Finlay, instructor at The Art Institute of Vancouver and president of Karen Finlay Marketing. Create a list of all the food you need to prepare, decorations that need hung, etc. Pick foods that can be cooked in advance, frozen, and then heated up on the day of the party. By doing this, you won’t be exhausted by the time the first guest arrives. It gives you a chance to mingle and have fun at your own event and also reduces the chance that you will forget something.

Not sure how much food you should prepare? Dreger gives us some tips for figuring out how much your guests will eat. “I always start with understanding what your guests needs and wants are. Did you invite them for dinner, lunch, canapé's and lights snacks?” he asks. If your party starts at six in the evening, guests will probably be expecting a full dinner. If you start it a little later, or mid-afternoon, you can serve light refreshments.

“Hotels over-prepare five percent of the food required, we suggest over preparing for fifteen percent of your food, you can always eat leftovers the next day,” says Dreger.

If you are serving a sit-down dinner, it’s pretty easy to determine how much each guest will eat, particularly if it’s a served dinner and not a buffet. Appetizers are a little trickier to predict. “If the event is during cocktail hour, then a safe rule is to account for 4-5 pieces per person per hour,” says Finlay.

Set the Mood

Decorating your house or event location for your holiday party doesn’t require a massive budget and hiring a crew. By following a few tips and tricks from our event planning experts, you can set a beautiful and tasteful atmosphere for your party.

Dreger and Finlay agree: candles are the best and most inexpensive way to give your party a cheerful holiday glow. “Turn off your main lights and light the house with candles or even better, LED candles,” says Dreger. If you want to go the traditional candle route, use inexpensive tea lights on tables and other surfaces. Just make sure you check the packaging for the burn time. Options like soy candles can burn longer than typical wax candles.

Finlay suggests an idea for saving money on centerpieces. “Rather then spending a lot on flowers, use inexpensive but lovely seasonal greens,” she says. You can even utilize your own backyard by cutting evergreen branches or collecting colorful fall leaves to be used as décor.

“We also suggest de-cluttering your space, move small furniture and knick-knacks to the garage,” says Dreger. “If you have a throw carpet roll it up and put it in the garage so if you have some spills it wont stain your white throw carpet.” He also recommends pushing furniture to the perimeter of the room, to give your guests room for mingling. If your event space is larger, consider setting up clusters of furniture, like coffee tables surrounded by couches and chairs.

Don’t forget a vital component of any party: the music. Consider the preferences of your guests when selecting your music. You can create a playlist that will last the time span of the party. Set it to play and you won’t have to play deejay at your own party.

Location, Location, Location

Selecting a location for your party can be tricky. Venues are in high demand during the holiday season, and that may be reflected in their rates. If your party is small, consider hosting it in your home for a warm and intimate atmosphere.

Hosting a larger event? Check out less traditional places. “Sometimes hotels have conference rooms that aren’t used a lot during the evenings so are relatively inexpensive to rent,” says Finlay. “Rent a restaurant on a Monday or Tuesday when they are not as busy.”

Sources:

Karran Finlay, instructor at The Art Institute of Vancouver and president of Karen Finlay Marketing

Darren Dreger, of BC Event Management in Vancouver