Planning parties can be intimidating. When do you send out invites? Who do you invite? What kind of food do you serve? When exactly is it too late to tell everyone never mind and make some pizza rolls and watch Netflix at home instead?
We're here to take the stress out of party planning during the holidays in ___ easy steps.
1.) Pick what atmosphere you're going for
Do you want your guests in cocktail attire or is it going to be a cozy gathering watching Christmas movies together? It's important to pick a vibe for your get together so you and your guests are on the same page and so you don't get overwhelmed with options. It can determine everything from attire to what kind of food it makes sense to provide.
2.) Send out your invites early
This time of year, social calendars fill up fast. Whether it's someone else's holiday party, work or family being in town, people are busy this time of year. It's best to send out at least a heads up that you'll be hosting an event and that you want them to be there as soon as you have an idea of when it is so people know. A week in advance is when you'll really need official detailed invites to go out.
3.) Deck the halls but deck them earlier rather than later
Decorating doesn't sound like it would take that long right? You're just hanging garland and putting decor around our place. Here's a horror story: we're supposed to meet for dinner at 6 and so we start decorating at 4:30 and then 5:45 rolls around, we're still not done and have to get ready. It caused a lot of stress that could have been avoided if we'd just decorated that morning and could've just done finishing touches later.
4.) Don't be afraid to delegate
Chances are you're inviting your friends to your party and your friends are there to help you out. Delegating is key. You're treating them for a fun night, it's okay to ask your best gal to help you decorate and bond over that fun memory together when you burned the dessert and had to make an emergency bakery run. There's nothing wrong with asking your guests to bring a bottle of wine or an appetizer, just be specific so you don't end up with 3 plates of deviled eggs.
5.) Have fun!
Party planning is stressful but it's still a party which means the whole point is to have fun with your guests. They'll have more fun when you're able to actually spend time with them and not be running around like a chicken with its head cut off. Take a breath, you pulled it off and now's the time to let loose with your guests!