Deck the Halls and don the dress – It’s party season!
The holidays are a time for celebrating and spending time with friends and family. A perfect way to enjoy the holidays is to invite people to your home for a holiday gathering. There are many different types of parties you can host, but they all have one thing in common – they create life long memories for you and your guests. Here are some ideas of different kinds of parties you can have in your home.
Sit-down dinner
A wonderful way to enjoy a close group of friends is to plan your gathering for all those invited to sit around a table and a eat meal together. Plan a meal you are comfortable with to reduce stress on the day of the party. Your guests will feel well taken care of with this intimate setting. The conversation at a dinner party is more inclusive and will be enjoyed by all who attend.
Open house
If you are would like to invite more friends or just want a more casual party; an open house style is a great option. This type of get together allows more flexibility for your guests. A four hour time frame is usually a nice amount of time to have people coming and going. An open house can really be at any time of day, but you may want to consider who you are inviting when you pick the time frame. If all your guests are adults, then an evening party works well, but if you are inviting families you may want to have people over earlier in the day. Your menu does not need to be extensive, but should include food that can sit out in room temperature and still be safe to eat. You can also have some hot food in a crock pot. A holiday party is not complete without dessert, so don’t forget a dessert section.
Round Robin
To keep people moving, get a group of friends, or neighbors to throw a party together. In a round robin style party, each house provides one part of the meal. Split the party up however you want. The different courses will depend on how many homes you will include in the round robin. An example would be to start with drinks and appetizers at your home, then move to the next house and have your main course, end the night at a third home with dessert and coffee. This allows each host to focus on just one part of the party and can give everyone more time to enjoy each other.
Cookie exchange
Everyone likes a variety of cookies at Christmas time, but it is a lot of work to bake many different kinds of cookies. An easier way to achieve that variety is to host a cookie exchange party. Each person invited brings their favorite holiday cookie. They will need to bring one dozen cookies for each person invited. At the party, each guest receives a dozen cookies from all the other guests. The amount of cookies you end with will depend on the number of guests. To ensure there is a variety, ask each guest to let you know what they will bring. In this way, you can avoid having two dozen of the same cookie. Since the baking is done ahead of time, everyone can just sit back and relax when they get your home.
Theme party
A party with a theme gets people excited and adds some extra fun to the gathering. The holidays give many options for different themes. Here are some suggestions, but you can really use your imagination and come up with a theme on your own: Ugly Sweater, Christmas around the world, a Christmas crafting party, or a caroling party. Your options are endless when it comes to this kind of gathering, just be ready to have some fun with your friends.
The holidays give you many opportunities to get together with friends. Regardless of the kind of party you chose, be sure to start by getting the house decorated. A holiday party isn&rs