Ideas For Adult Christmas Parties
Not everyone wants to entertain a sea of people, especially at Christmas time. While hosting a Christmas party certainly is not essential, it is a great way to catch up with all your friends and family. If the thought of planning an adult Christmas party feels challenging and stressful, drop that thought now, as there are many ways to host a simple Christmas party that still has that ‘wow factor’.
The secret behind a successful Christmas Party is thought and pre-planning, we have taken the stress out of the planning and given you some tips, ideas and things to consider to help you organise this year’s Christmas party:
Choose the style of party
A party can be as elaborate as a fully catered affair in a marquee in the backyard or as simple as high tea in the garden. How you choose to entertain is entirely up to you, the important thing is to choose a style that you are comfortable with – here a just a few ideas:
House to house party: If you want to get together with your neighbours for a little Christmas cheer then maximise the fun and minimise the clean-up by planning different elements of the party at different houses in the neighbourhood. Each home pitches in, you could have pre-celebration drinks at one house, and then appetisers next door then move onto the house down the street for the main course -keep the celebration rolling down the street.
A cocktail party: Set up a bar with neon lights, blenders and pre-made cocktail machines in your backyard. Organise a cocktail menu and have it either written up on a blackboard or printed into a menu, to help save money get everyone to bring a bottle of alcohol. To add to the Christmas spirit why not hang these Christmas glass decorations on the stems of the cocktail glasses
A Christmas picnic: For those who prefer to create more of a family affair and enjoy being close to nature, there is no better way to cultivate the Christmas spirit than having a picnic outdoors. A picnic is also a perfect low-cost way for lots of friends to get together on a weekend. Organise some Christmas themed tableware and get everyone to bring a plate of food. Throw in a BBQ, a few soccer balls and Frisbees for the kids and get someone to don a Santa suit and hand out lollies. Don’t forget the coloured tinsel to decorate the trees that surround your picnic area.
Top tips for throwing the best Christmas party are:
1. Keep the menu simple. Don’t complicate things by trying to cook up too many different dishes. Cold seafood platters, antipasto platters and gourmet crackers make for simple yet delicious choices.
2. Prepare as much in advance as you can. Do your best to prepare majority of the food the day before and keep it in the fridge. Ham, salmon, chicken and rare roast beef all work well hot as well as cold.
3. Serve foods that you cook often. Christmas parties are not the occasion to try out every fancy new recipe, you want to enjoy your time as opposed to frantically racing around trying to cook or prepare something that you are not confident with.
4. Host the party with confidence. Greet and chatter with guest and be proud of the party you have organised. There’s no need to make apologies because the tree is missing lights or you forgot to order the Christmas tablecloth. It is Christmas time and people are just appreciative that you put in the effort and thought.
5. Spend time with your guests. That’s what the spirit of Christmas is all about after all. Spending quality time with the people who matter most, sharing funny stories, having plenty of laughs and remembering the importance of family and friends.
No matter what kind of Christmas party you host, remember the most important this is to make sure that YOU have fun. Be relaxed, enthusiastic and allow yourself to be a part of the party. Forget all the pressure and expectation that comes wrapped up with the Christmas season; the truth is that it is ourselves that normally impose the pressure. The only expectation that your guests have is to spend quality time with you.
