Monday, November 30, 2009
Stress-Free Holiday Entertaining Tips
If you want to enjoy stress-free entertaining the first step is to have the right mindset. Don’t worry about having the “perfect” party. It should be fun – for both you and your guests. If you’re stressed that can change the mood of the whole party. The second key to minimizing your stress is to have some kind of strategy going into it. If you get organized and have a game-plan to fall back on you won’t be pulling your hair out the morning of the party.
Here are some practical tips for stress-free entertaining:
Plan Ahead- Well-planned parties not only run more smoothly, they create less stress. One way to plan ahead is to send your invitations out well in advance so you know how many guests will be attending. Also try to figure out what tasks you can take care of ahead of time – like planning your décor, renting or buying linens and place settings, cleaning your carpet, or even make certain dishes in advance and freezing them. Doing whatever you can in advance will minimize stress the day of the party.
Accept a Helping Hand - Let your guests get involved. If someone calls and asks whether they can bring something, take them up on their offer. Ask a friend to show up an hour early to help you with last minute details and help greet guests as they arrive. This gives you precious time to get cleaned up and dressed for your party.
Try a Potluck - Go ahead and ask everyone to bring a dish – it’s a great way to cut down on the work and everyone has the satisfaction of contributing to the evening. Just be sure you know what type of dish everyone is bringing so you can fill in the menu holes. You don’t want to end up with ten desserts and no appetizers! You can even encourage your guests to exchange their recipes on cards. Everyone has a favorite to share and this means everyone can go home with some great new recipes!
Skip the Full Bar- You can easily spend your entire evening acting as the bartender. To simplify your evening, while still providing options, have just one specialty drink(like a margarita or martini) and offer beer and wine as alternatives.
Simplify by Renting - If you can afford to rent table linens and place settings, this is a huge time-saver. The rental company delivers the items to your home in time for your party, so you don’t have them sitting in your living room weeks before. After the party they pick-up and haul off dirty dishes and tablecloths, so when your last guest leaves you don’t have piles of dirty dishes to tackle.
Hire Help- The simplest ways to reduce stress is to hire someone to take care of the things you really don't want to do. For example, hire someone to come in and give your house a thorough cleaning the day before your party. If you really want to go stress-free consider a catering company that can supply some or all of the food, plus servers and bartenders. It’s not always as expensive as you might think and you’ll enjoy your party more if you can focus on being a host instead of attending to all the details.
Enjoy Yourself - When the doorbell rings and your guests start arriving, take a deep breath and relax. Remember that you threw a party to have fun with your friends and family, and everyone will have more fun if they see you enjoying yourself.
These tips can be summed up by the following reminders: keep it simple, keep it organized and ask for help when you need it. I hope you enjoy your stress-free party and the holidays to the fullest.
If you could use a little extra help throwing a party and you live in the following areas please contact us: the Bay Area Peninsula and South Bay, including Palo Alto, Los Altos, Menlo Park, Atherton, Los Gatos, Saratoga, Cupertino, and San Jose.
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