That glittery New
Year’s Eve party was perfect until the popular hostess dropped dead in front of
distinguished 50 guests.
The 8th night of Channukah seemed to be going so
well for the gathered family and friends until Cousin Sue found Uncle Ben dead
in the upstairs hall bathroom.
Christmas Eve cookies
and cocoa might never be served again after Aunt Mildred poisoned the next door
neighbors.
On the other hand, maybe you just want to have a rip-roarin’
good time yourself. For whatever reason, planning a holiday party doesn’t have
to be stressful. The point is to have fun with family, friend, and food!
First things first:
How many and who can
you invite? In the Phoenix, AZ area, it is still warm enough for the party
to spill over to outdoors. But inventory your space. This is finger-food
eating, not sit-down-dinner, so perhaps you can invite more. Or not, if you
want a more intimate party. If you decide to make it a family party you will
have to plan activities for the kids and adults.
So, make your list and check it at least twice. How many is
the right number for the party you see in your head?
What foods will you
have? The Internet is loaded with holiday recipes right now. It’s super
easy to plan a party with gorgeous and delicious comestibles.
Make this a heavy appetizers party. Ask each family to bring
two appetizers. Now here’s my bias: Tell everyone that you are doing the
sweets, so they should bring the savory. Obviously you can do a true potluck
appetizers party, but I think that’s more work for you.
By focusing your attention on one category only, sweets, you
will pull off a great party. One- or two-bite sweets are especially appreciated
so people can sample from your array. Make tiny cookies, shot glass puddings
and parfaits, mini-fruit tarts, cupcakes, and the like. Having a lot of
different desserts will make it look more sumptuous than a couple of cakes
sitting beside a plate of cookies.
Will you have a punchbowl with alcoholic and non-alcoholic
options or stick to fruit juices and wine? Unless you have a dedicated
bartender, I’d suggest not serving mixed drinks or having too many options. You
want this to be as easy as possible. Letting people serve themselves frees you
up for other things, like having fun at your own party.
What about
entertainment? Will you have a TV in another room playing classic Christmas
movies all night? Will you put on dance music like “I’m Dreaming of a White
Christmas”? Or will you let
sparkling conversation drive the evening?
A very fun thing to do is decorate gingerbread people. Make
(or buy) a batch and put out the icings. People really enjoy this. If children
are present, the rules are pretty obvious, right, about how to depict them? No
kids? Go for it!
I also like to buy clear glass ornaments in bulk and let
people fill them with beads, tinsel, or other small items OR paint the inside
or outside. It’s amazing how creative people can get with just a few suggestions.
Playing board games or old favorites like charades with
holiday-themed book, quotes, movies is easy entertaining.
If you have the fixings for simple holiday candies or
no-bake cookies, everyone can make a box to take home if they like cooking
activities.
With kids, one thing I have done is provide a room with gift
wrap and adult supervision. Kids bring the gifts for their families and wrap
them at your house. Parents will appreciate your effort, and it keeps kids busy
for a long while. Have a holiday movie playing in the room, too.
What about decorations?
You have this one nailed. You’re already decorated for the holidays. Plan the
party between the time of put up and take down. With low lights, no one will
notice the dust!
Getting it all done:
I’m huge on list making. Write down every single item in a
column, arranged in categories (like these headings) and figure out each tiny
step. Planning now saves headaches later.
After you have your menu planned, you choose the hardest,
most elaborate, or expensive items for yourself. Make sure you prepare enough
food so if people “forget” their assigned dish, you don’t run out. Divvy up the
other menu items and get the directions/recipes for each.
Send an invitation to each family you’re inviting and ask
them to bring two savory appetizers, telling them the desserts are all by you.
If they can’t come, have them let you know well in advance so you can adjust
the amount of dessert.
Your invitation should specify who’s invited, when and where
the party is, and the dress code.
There! Here you have everything you need to pull off the holiday
neighborhood party of the year. It truly is merely a matter of organization
supplemented by Internet ideas!
Here’s some help to get you started:
http://www.cookingchanneltv.com/recipes/best-holiday-and-christmas-dessert-recipes.html?oc=CNNPaid&hpt=hp_bn16
https://gma.yahoo.com/bite-sized-party-finger-foods-guests-love-171446805.html
https://www.yahoo.com/food/how-to-make-cheez-its-at-home-103053326238.html
http://www.foodnetwork.com/holidays-and-parties/packages/holidays/holiday-central-hanukkah.html
http://allrecipes.com/Recipes/Holidays-and-Events/Hanukkah/
http://www.myrecipes.com/menus/easy-finger-food-recipes?xid=cnn-dec14&hpt=hp_bn19
https://www.yahoo.com/food/how-to-make-bacon-wrapped-dates-maybe-the-best-104425636781.html
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2014/12/09/englsih-christmas-food_n_6295332.html
http://www.cookingchanneltv.com/recipes/cooking-channel-holiday-cookies.html?oc=CNNPaid&hpt=hp_bn16
http://wallstcheatsheet.com/life/16-holiday-themed-sweets-that-will-dazzle-the-dessert-table.html/
Still looking for a present for a foodie friend? Maybe you could give
Mission Impastable, a tasty treat of a mystery with recipes. Sort of a two-fer!
http://amzn.to/1eYJ4AY It
would certainly make MY holiday brighter!
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