Throwing a stylish holiday party — whether a sit-down dinner or a cocktail party– doesn’t have to be stressful or cost a fortune. Here are a few tips for hosting your holiday festivities without breaking a sweat.
Guest List and Invitations
Once you’ve decided to throw a holiday party, creating the guest list is crucial. Make sure your guest list is filled with a festive group of people. Also make sure the invitations go out in a timely manner, to ensure everyone is able to attend your holiday party.
Décor
A party is never complete without décor. Forgo a traditional floral centerpiece on the dining table and instead create a charming holiday scene with gingerbread houses, miniature holiday ornaments and gilded nuts. Flickering candlelight is also a nice accent and can be substituted for battery-operated flameless candles for a warm glow without the worries.
Bar/ Cocktails
What’s a party without a bar? But the last thing you want to do is to spend your time fixing drinks at your own party. This holiday serve pre-mixed festive themed cocktails like egg-nog or winter sangria, which you can prepare beforehand in batches. Purchase one or two large beverage servers where you can mix up to 40 cocktails. Set out glasses on trays with an ice bucket and your guests can help themselves.
Food
Abandon the multi-course meal and trade the tradition buffet for an interactive food station you can set up around the dining room, creating movement and to encourage mingling. If you don’t have time to whip up homemade desserts, there’s no shame in swinging by your favorites bakery. Toss the boring store-bought packaging and place food on festive platters, sprinkled with nutmeg and garnished with sugar-dusted pine leaves.
Holiday Playlist
The holidays are never complete without festive music. Create your own playlist or use streaming services like Spotify and Pandora. Keep an eye out for free holiday music downloads from sources such as Amazon and iTunes, then assemble your holiday playlist.
Keep your holiday party planning stylish and stress free and watch ‘The StyleList’—Your roundup of the hottest fashion, trends and pop culture on ONX. Hosted by Kinya Claiborne, STYLE & SOCIETY Magazine.
By Aphua Larbi-Amoah
Wardrobe By Lillian Lane
