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For the Season: Festive Festivities – Five Secrets to a Perfect Holiday Gathering
By DeDee Birdsall
With the hustle and bustle of the holiday season eating away at your already busy schedule, do you really have time to host a holiday party? Of course you do! The key to any memorable seasonal gathering is planning ahead. With a few simple hosting secrets, you can keep the stress of playing host or hostess at bay and marvel as your party becomes the talk of the neighborhood!
Secret # 1: Festive Focus (3 – 4 Weeks Before)
A party planning checklist can keep you focused and help avoid the bottlenecks and last minute frenzies that go into preparing for a holiday party. Organizers can be found online via a simple Google search, but you can get a jump on things a few weeks beforehand with these easy tasks:
- Create your invitation list.
- Send invitations via snail mail, e-mail or phone call.
- Plan the menu and drinks and create your shopping list.
- Create a holiday music playlist via iTunes or Pandora.com.
- Decide on take-home gifts for your guests.
- Enlist help for cleaning, organizing and running the party.
Secret #2: Deck the Halls (2 Weeks Before)
Decorating is a snap for holiday parties since most of the trimmings are already up and can be completed in advance, but make sure you focus your adornments on areas that your guests will see: the front door, entryway, restroom and the main entertaining areas. There’s no need to go over the top and spend lots of money. Lights and greenery are both beautiful and cost effective.
When it comes to decorating, don’t neglect your tablescape. With just a few holiday accents and some dressed up dishes, your bountiful feast provides the focal point for the entire gathering. Stage your platters and serving trays at varying heights to add plenty of elegance and depth.
Secret #3: Build Your Buffet (1 Week Before)
Ditch the sit-down dinner and opt for a festive hors d’oeuvre buffet to keep things simple. Stocking the pantry and preparing food ahead of time can help you pull things off with only a couple hours of prep. Consider laying out a few warm dishes along with some dips and sweet treats for variety. Chafing dishes will help avoid having to heat in the oven or crock pots and bring a touch of class to everyday dishes, particularly finger foods such as meatballs or eggrolls.
For sweet treats, roll out your finest holiday cookie and candy recipes and keep the portions small. Freezing cookies and bars is easy and can be done well in advance thanks to these tips:
- Bars – Line pan with heavy duty aluminum foil sprayed with nonstick spray. After baking and cooling, remove the bars but do not cut them. Wrap completely in foil and again in heavy duty plastic wrap. Pull out of the freezer, thaw and cut before serving.
- Baked cookies – Stack baked cookies between sheets of parchment paper in a disposable aluminum pan. Cover with heavy duty foil and plastic wrap. Freeze and thaw at room temperature the day of the party.
Set aside a drink station with bottled drinks in “help yourself” containers as simple as holiday adorned galvanized buckets filled with ice. If you don’t have enough glasses, invest in plastic disposables. Designating a signature drink or two is another great way to keep the spirit bright, but old standbys such as eggnog will delight guests with a nostalgic, once-a-year indulgence.
Secret #4: Small Favors (1 -2 Days Before)
Party favors make a great thank you gift and a perfect way to show some love to your loyal guests. Trees-to-Go make wonderful holiday mementos. These miniature evergreens can be planted in small tins with labels that include season’s greetings and tree care instructions.
Other ideas include baking small loaves of your favorite holiday breads wrapped in festive packages or creating “Jingle Jars” filled with batches of homemade spiced nuts decorated with ornaments, jingles bells and ribbon, also wrapped up nice and neat. Keep things simple but add your own dose of creativity. Arrange gifts near the door so guests can grab one as they depart.
Secret # 5: Holiday Ambience (Day of the Party)
Set the mood by dimming the lights, putting on some background music and burning a few candles – and don’t forget to include the scents of the season. Whether you use holiday candles, a Scentsy burner or simple plug-ins, nothing says holiday comfort like a room infused with signature aromas. Anything from pine tree to candy cane to gingerbread cookie works great!
With a little preparation, planning and a few simple secrets, you’re on your way to hosting the perfect holiday gathering and enjoying it just as much as everyone else. Relax and greet your guests like the hostess with mostest and you’re sure to have a holiday get-together to remember.
Peppermint Martini
If you’re still looking for a signature drink to help spice things up a bit, try this tasty peppermint martini for a dose of the holidays in a glass.
Serves 10
2 ½ cups white chocolate liqueur
1 ¼ cups peppermint schnapps
1 ¼ cups vodka
Corn syrup
Crushed peppermint candies
Crush candies in a food processor. Dip rim of glass on corn syrup. In a shaker, combine 1 cup of white chocolate liqueur, ½ cup schnapps, ½ cup vodka and ice. Shake and strain into martini glasses. Repeat twice with remaining ingredients. Serve immediately.
