The holidays are supposed to be a joyful time, but you might find yourself feeling more stressed during the days leading up to your seasonal party. Bringing your family, friends, or colleagues together is a wonderful way to celebrate the season, and you can make hosting a holiday party a stressful experience by following a few easy tips.
1- Plan With a Theme In Mind
Holiday party themes might seem like they’re just meant to be fun for the guests, but they also give hosts a guideline to follow while planning. Whether you choose to go with a candy land theme or opt for something more formal is up to you, but you’ll be able to use it to plan for decorations, invitations, and other party essentials leading up to the big day.
2- Recruit Help
Depending upon your budget and overall party plans, you can decide to hire professionals or simply ask a few people you know to volunteer. Once you have helpers, make sure to let them know which activities they can assist with along with a few pointers regarding what to do. For instance, you might show them your preferred table setting design for a formal party.
3- Use Paperless Invites
There’s no need to waste time handwriting addresses on envelopes when digital invites are fast, easy, and provide all the same information. Plus, paperless invites can easily be shared among guests who wish to bring along a special friend or family member.
4- Choose How to Involve Guests
If you’re planning to include a gift exchange in your plans, then you’ll want to make sure to put the information into your invitations. You might also want to ask guests to bring a bottle of wine or a favorite dish to share for a potluck.
5- Rent Tables and Chairs
Trying to pull together a hodgepodge of chairs and tables is stressful since you’ll likely need to pick them up from multiple places. Instead, consider renting the party furniture that you need to accommodate your guest list. On top of having matching sets, you can also choose to include specialty pieces such as couches or cocktail tables that make your event a success.
6- Consider Hiring Caters
Cooking is a major cause of stress for party planners, and no one should be stuck in the kitchen all day. If you’re not hosting a potluck, then consider hiring someone else to do all of the cooking. The dishes will all be served at the perfect temp and at the same time, which eases many of your worries.
7- Create a Playlist
Hiring a DJ or band is preferable for large parties, but you can also manage the entertainment perfectly fine by setting up some good speakers. However, you’ll also want to create a playlist to prevent you from having to constantly monitor the music selection all night.
8- Encourage Guests to Clean Up
You might not expect your guests to mop and sweep the floors, but they can do their part to keep the cleanup to a minimum. Placing trash cans throughout the main event area encourages guests to throw away any trash that develops as they mix and mingle with the other people at your party.
Once the party winds down and the last decorations are put away, take a moment to write down what made hosting easier. Next year, you can pull out your notes, and you’ll know exactly what to do to streamline your party planning and enjoy every moment.
