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Hosting a last-minute Christmas party may be tricky but can be done! The Christmas season is always super busy and packs a lot of things into a very short amount of time. We know that throwing a successful party usually takes at least a month to plan and put together, but the reality is after Thanksgiving there are only three weekends until Christmas. Right now, we are just over a week until the big day! So lets take a look really quick at how you can host a successful last-minute Christmas party!
1. The Party Theme
When preparing your last-minute holiday party, you must decide on a few things! Check out the list below to help you make some quick decisions on what type of party you want it to be!
Kid friendly party
Adults only party
Semi-formal cocktail party
Ugly Sweater party
Christmas pajama party
Open House cocktail party
These are just a few ideas to get you going!
2. Last-Minute Invitations
Now that you have chosen the type of party, your invitations and your guest list should reflect your parties theme. Let’s be honest no one wants crazy cousin Larry at your formal holiday dinner party with your friends, neighbors, and possible some co-workers. So choose that guest list accordingly.
Invitations are going to set the tone for your party long before the first guest arrives. Options for invitation are endless these days. Along with being fun and appropriate to your party, they should also represent your personal style. However, with a limited time frame, there are great sites out there that offer free and creative ways to send email invitations or allow you to create event pages. These include:
Facebook (create an event page and invite all your friends and family via social media)
3. Decorations and Music
Now that you have picked your theme and sent your invitations, you can focus on the magical decorations that are going to make your invitations come alive. Since it is Christmas time your house will already have the Christmassy feel to it, but you will need to add a little to give it the right touch.
If you went with the Ugly Sweater party, the tackier the better, it will give the party the holly jolliness in the air. If you plan to have a dinner party, you want to focus most on the lighting. Make sure it is well light with candles that give your house the ambiance of a Christmas movie coupled with the right amount of Christmas tree lights and dimmed lights.
If you are a huge fan of music and consider yourself a bit of a closet DJ, then go ahead and make that awesome playlist. If you are anything like me and need a little help finding the right balance of music then you are sure to find the right mix with any of the following:
All are free except SiriusXM. Choose a few stations that you and your guest would like including some Christmas stations, hit shuffle and you don’t have to worry about it the rest of the night!
4. Food
I am from a large Italian family and the number one rule I have learned from my mom, grandmom and aunts are that it is always better to have too much than not enough! So if you plan to have thirty people cook for sixty. Trust me the food will not go to waste! People will continue to pick throughout the night and it is always great to have leftovers throughout the holidays. That way you can truly relax and enjoy your family once the rush is over and not cooking dinner will is always an added bonus.
Here are some ideas and things to consider when planning your food for your last-minute party:
Full meal
Pitch in
Appetizers only
Catering
Food Allergies
Being mindful and asking guests about food allergies is important and your guests will appreciate the consideration when it comes to the food. My mom is severely allergic to both types of shellfish so it’s never in anything I serve when she is present. The risks are never worth the reward.
Nut allergies, gluten allergies, and dairy allergies are a few others to consider. A great way to take precautions against all food allergies is to label the food with really cute and decorative labels. Any craft or party store sells mini chalkboard clips where you can simply write what the dish is and mark what allergies it is free of. Your guests are sure to appreciate this!
5. Fun
The last thing is to have fun! Yes, you are the host and its hard to relax because you want every last detail to be perfect! But, remember it’s the Christmas season and everyone is happy and thankful to be together! Trust me, I speak from experience no one will notice if you forgot to put the snowflake ice cubes in your signature drink! It will go down just as smooth for crazy cousin Larry just the same. Have a Merry Christmas, Happy Holiday and a Blessed New Year!
Looking for more great tips and tricks? Check out our other blogs here!