Holiday Party Planning Secret

We're all very thankful for the holidays scattered across our calendar year because they allow us a few extra days of rest from our work-and holidays are a natural time to party and enjoy family and friends! Of course, there's a certain amount of preparation and work involved in throwing any party, but hopefully the following hints will make your holiday party planning that much easier.

You don't have to guess at a party theme with the national holidays-the theme has already been chosen for you, and each holiday has its own natural kinds of celebrations: Thanksgiving is a time for family to sit down at a table and carve up a turkey; Christmas involves several parties-not only large, sumptuous family meals but cocktail parties with friends and workmates; Fourth of July parties generally happen in back yards around a barbeque.

As with all other kinds of parties, drawing up your guest list should be given careful consideration-not only who you invite, but the number of people you plan on having over, since that directly affects the amount of food you'll serve. If you want to (or need to) host a larger party than your home can accommodate, you'll have to consider renting a hall, renting folding tables and chairs (if those are not included in the hall rental). And wherever you hold your party-in your home or some outside venue-you'll have to buy party supplies such as paper plates, etc.

So far we could've been describing preparations for any party but, as you know, holidays entail lots of work and thought above and beyond the normal. At Christmas, for example, you also have to make the time to put up Christmas lights outside and decorations inside and do all your gift shopping. If you're generally the one that people expect to host and plan the holiday parties every year, you can begin feeling stressed after a while, dreading the approach of the next holiday instead of anticipating it. If that's you, don't be afraid to draft some help-either a family member or two or even a professional party planner.

As mentioned above, each holiday comes with its own built-in theme, but that doesn't mean you have to do things exactly the same every year. Why not have some fun and incorporate different activities and "new traditions" into your holiday? With just a little extra planning and a bit of extra cash, you can make your seasonal same-old party truly unique! For example, if you've never mailed out invitations before, or if the ones you've sent are just run of the mill, spice them up. Maybe include part of the party gift with the invitation. Imagine your guests' surprise at your thoughtfulness-and how welcome they'll feel-if they receive a small but beautifully-wrapped Christmas or Hanukkah gift with an elegant invitation card. You'll have already spread holiday cheer and increased the level of happiness a week or two before the party takes place.

You can spice up your annual Thanksgiving gathering as well. This year, why not hand write an invitation in old English with all the "thee"s and "thou"s the Pilgrims would have used; then artificially age the paper by placing it in the oven briefly. Glue a dried flower inside to add to the seasonal charm. Think of what you could do for Halloween or Fourth of July invitations as well! The sky is the limit. The nice thing about holidays is that they allow the child in you to come out and play. So cut loose and think outside the box!

The whole idea of putting a little extra thought and planning into this year's holiday party, and getting your guests into the spirit of it ahead of time, is that they'll already be in a good mood before they arrive and will be expecting to have a good time-and that positive expectation will help create a happy time! Everyone wants to leave the daily workaday grind behind and enter a magical world once in awhile, and by adding a few perks and new features to this year's holiday gathering, you have helped them do that. Ask yourself, "What little things can I do this year so that when my guests leave they'll be talking about what a great time they had?-and even years later will refer to that party as the year they came to my house?"