Holiday Party Planning Tips: From Prep to Post-Party Clean-up!

Holiday parties are a blast. There is a lot that goes into party planning, and it doesn’t end when the party is over! From the planning, to prepping, to the POST-party cleaning it is imperative to have everything planned out perfectly.  Here are some tried and true party planning tips for a fun event!

PARTY PLANNING TIPS

Compile a Guest List

Make sure to include either the mailing address or the email address, depending on which form of invitations you choose to use. For my most recent party, I chose to create an e-invitation. It’s super easy to do and in most cases it is free, so you save on purchasing paper invitations and postage!

Determine the Menu

Depending on the time of day for the party, decide on what food you will be serving. For example, if it is during lunchtime, you can offer finger sandwiches and salads. For a party around dinnertime, hot dishes like a chicken dish or pasta would be great kept warm with sternos. Don’t forget the drink options – both non-alcoholic and cocktails. If you choose to serve alcohol, opt for a “signature drink” that you can make a large quantity of in a pitcher. This way it will be self-serve and in most cases a less expensive option.

Themes

The holiday itself could be the perfect theme, but sometimes it is nice to add a little creativity to it. Some ideas include:

• Winter White Party: Request that the guests dress in white and extend that theme through to the decorations and food.
• Ugly Sweater Party: Request that the guests wear their ugliest sweater and have a contest to see who wins.
• White Elephant Gift Exchange: Request each guest to bring a gift (determine the cost – usually it’s $10 – 20) to the party. It has to be gift-wrapped but with NO name on it. Each guest picks a number out of a hat, and depending on their number, they either choose a gift from the pile or steal one from someone that already opened theirs. It’s a lot of fun!

Decorations

Get festive tablecloths with matching plates and utensils. Choose holiday-inspired music to play lightly in the background.

PREP TIME!

Food

If you decide to cook for the party yourself, be sure to schedule the preparation of the dishes ahead of time. This way everything will be ready at the same time. Anything you can prep ahead of time, like the cheese platter or certain dips, definitely do so.

Your Home

Put out all of the decorations, if purchased. Set up a central location in the kitchen or dining area for the plates, cups, napkins, and utensils.

PARTY TIME!

AFTER-PARTY CLEAN UP

This part is the least favorite of the three, but it is something that has to be done!

• Try to clean up used plates, napkins, etc. throughout the evening.
• Once the main course is completed, attempt to put away any leftovers and clear away the serving dishes and utensils.
• After everyone has gone home, depending on the time, the cleaning begins!
• Wipe down all countertops and tables.
• Place all fabric tablecloths and napkins, if used, in the washing machine.
• Floors tend to get a bit destroyed so vacuuming and mopping are next.

It is inevitable that at every party someone spills something. Whether it is on the carpet, your dining room rug or the couch it needs to be taken care of. Unfortunately, soiled areas aren’t found until a few hours after the spillage occurred. The most important thing that can be done is to find a reputable carpeting cleaning company. I tend to look for the companies that offer environmentally friendly services. Try to find one that uses natural, safe, low allergenic and non-polluting products to clean. The use of their effervescent carbonating cleaning solution helps to remove the stain with only a small amount of moisture.

Once your home is back in shape from the amazing party you had, you are ready to plan your next event!