So as the title says, 'tis the season for holiday parties. Ugly sweaters, boozed up egg nog in antler glasses, and pigs in a blanket are the staples of holiday parties... How many times have you been to one of the ho-hum holiday parties where the most exciting thing that happened was getting the yellow mustard on your Swiss cheese and realizing it is actually pretty good? Too many times for me, that is for sure.... SO the purpose of this blog entry is to talk a little bit about good party planning.. what it takes to turn the ho-hum holiday party to the event your friends cant wait for each year.
Invitations
Invitations are the one of the most important parts of any party, as they set the tone of what people expect. Invitations should be simple and to the point, yet somewhat elegant in how they say it. The invitation should include the details important to the party: Time, Place, Reason (birthday, holiday), Party Type, Contact Information, and a short note to your guests. The note is where to convey the overall atmosphere of the party.. Will it be a classy cocktail party with jazzy christmas classics, or will it be a booze soaked drinking and singing around the piano party? Hey, its your party, do what you like... Another option I generally include is a vague menu so people know what to expect. How often have you asked your significant other if it is a good idea to eat before going to a party? I like my guests to know so they come hungry.... Here is an example of an Evite (www.evite.com) invitation that I used for a Christmas party:
This invitation is very simple and elegant, and subtly conveys that this is an elegant holiday cocktail party. The wording of the note is simple, straightforward, and implies that this is not something you wear your UCSC Banana Slugs T-shirt and ripped jeans to. The menu reinforces that there will be light offerings and munchies, and wine and beer to drink. For the socially inept, it also tell you at the bottom NOT to wear your Banana Slugs T-shirt. In short, it gets the point across, and is not obnoxious or snobby.
This leads me into another point about invitations.... EVITE ROCKS! It is easy to set up, just pick a template, enter your info, enter your guests list, and you are off to the races.... best of all, its free. It gives you guests a place to RSVP, contact you, and see who else is coming. The first one you do is a little bit of a pain, but once you do one, your guest list is already done so its just checking off who you want to invite.
Food
Food is the one part of a party that is almost always screwed up because people ALWAYS try to overdo it. They either make way too many things, or they try to do really complex things that they dont have the time or skill to do. With food, it is OK to make things that are just good, they don't always have to be fancy. For instance, a typical cocktail party menu for me consists of a small fruit tray, a small vegetable tray, olives, a big bowl of cocktail shrimp, a cheese cube tray, and and nicely laid out tray of gourmet cheeses. I will also have one or two "specialty" items that I put together for the theme of the event. For a holiday party, smoked salmon or Gravlax (cured salmon) is a terrific item to add into the menu; it is super easy to deal with and everyone LOVES it. Just get a nice of smoked salmon, or make your own gravlax (There is a terrific recipe in the Silver Palate Cookbook), throw it on a nice tray, garnish with mixed greens, capers, diced hard cooked egg, diced red onion, and cream cheese and you have a *WOW* dish that everyone will talk about.
The important thing to remember about the food is do things that you can make and put together ahead of time. If you want to do something to turn out during the party, keep it simple and make sure it can be prepped ahead of time, such as bruschetta or baguette slices with brie and dates; you throw them together, pop them in the oven, and in minutes you are back with your guests.
You will want to avoid things that get gross if they are kept hot, such as pigs in a blanket, fried or baked cheese, or hot sandwich meats (turkey, ham, roasted beef) unless you will have the time to have several small batches ready to go. Also, if you choose to do something like pigs in a blanket or fried cheese, make sure you use a vented covering so they don't get soggy.
For desserts, remember to fit them to the occasion. Sheet cakes are great for things like birthdays where everyone will have a slice of cake, but for holiday parties you will see them go to waste. Items such as parfaits, cupcakes, chocolate dipped cookies, and chocolates are great, as guests can pick them up and continue to move about the party with little fear of staining their reindeer sweater or Christmas tree tie.
Beverages
This is another area where people screw up alot. I can't tell you how many times I have been at a party and had to drink warm beer for the first hour because the host didn't put it in the ice correctly. For those of you that don't know how to ice a cooler, here is how to do it.... First, put 2 inches of ice in the bottom. Add beers, but dont pack them too closely, give them about an inch apart. Add ice to cover to just below the caps. Do it about an hour before, and you will be good. If you are putting it in a refrigerator, put it in about two hours before the party. My personal preference is the iced cooler, because you can get more beer colder much faster making it easier to keep the party going.
Coffee is something that hosts often get caught with. Either one person wants a cup and you have to make a whole pot, or you have that one person that HAS to have decaf. If you choose to offer coffee, I recommend purchasing a Keurig machine or something similar, that way guests can easily have some choices and you aren't wasting whole pots of coffee.
And now for the wines... Reds should be served at room temperature or slightly cooler, Blushes or Rose should be served chilled, and Whites MUST be served chilled. Again, you can chill your wine in the refrigerator, just make sure you put it in at least 2 hours ahead of time, and remember to have several extras in as well. If you are going to ice your wine, the best way to do it is to use a ratio of 3 parts ice to one part cold water, and submerge the wine halfway up the neck. A 750ml bottle will be chilled in less than 20 minutes. Typically, you can expect 3-4 glasses of wine from a 750ml bottle, and most guests will drink 2-4 glasses of wine. It is a good idea to have at least half to 3/4 of your wine chilled before the party because it usually goes fast and takes a little while to chill.
Last.... Liquors.... Liquors and parties are generally NOT a good idea. The reason for this statement is that it is much easier to overindulge at a party drinking liquor than wines or beer. In many states you can be held liable if someone leaves your house drunk and gets into an accident, so its a good idea to avoid the hard stuff. Usually, I keep a few choice liquors on hand for those who really prefer it, but I only offer mixed drinks and keep the bottle away so they don't start pouring on their own. This lets me have a good idea of how much someone is drinking, and what shape they are in when it is time to leave. If you still want to do liquors, I would recommend making a big bowl of rum punch or whisky sours.
Also, ALWAYS have a few bottles of soda or other types of non-alcoholic beverages on hand, so designated drivers can still have fun without feeling left out. Good choices include Izze, San Pelegrino, and Perrier.
Entertainment
For a well planned party, the entertainment will generally take care of itself. The best part of any party is the conversation, getting people talking, sharing stories, and telling jokes. The best way to get it going is to make sure you introduce everyone if they don't know each other already, and keep the drinks flowing the first hour. Personally, I just pour without asking the first hour, as it loosens everyone up. I also make the rounds to each group of people and help along the conversation; in many cases you are the only link between guests at your party, and can often give a conversation a kick start to get them talking. One thing to avoid for parties is TV/Movies (unless its a superbowl or media event party), as it gives people a reason to sit around and not be part of your party, thus making all of your hard work pointless. Another thing is make sure you have music, but make sure it is not too loud and it fits the event. You don't want Dropkick Murphys or 50 Cent blaring at classy cocktail party. iPods are awesome for this because you can make a playlist, load it with stuff for your party, and let it play. If you want, games like Wii Bowling and Rock Band are great for parties as well, but only if you have the space to dedicate to it.
Size of the Party
One thing that people often do is invite too many people for the space that they have. It is hard to have fun at a party and converse with people if you cannot move. Remove pieces of furniture that take up a lot of room or that can be easily knocked over.
Seating is another to think about; if people are not comfortable, they won't want to stay. It is important to make sure you have enough places for people to sit and relax. A good rule of thumb is have seats for at least 3/4s of the number of people you invite. In most cases, people will walk around a bit, grab a drink or a bite to eat, talk, then take a break, then get up and do it all over again. If it is a formal dinner party, ensure places are set beforehand so you are not scrambling to find chairs at the last minute.
Another thing to consider is what you are going to do with coats. Most of us are not Andrew Carnegie and have a hat check girl at the door, and a coat tree or closet gets packed pretty quickly. Typically I take a guests coat and put it in an extra bedroom. When the guest is ready to leave, I go and get it. This seems like a pain, but it allows you to see what condition your guests are in before they leave the house, and gives you a chance to have them stick around awhile longer to have a glass of water and sober up if needed.
Think About The Flow
Most parties end up breaking up into smaller groups of people who find each other entertaining or know each other beforehand. Keeping this in mind, arrange your space to accommodate that. Arrange seating so that small groups can form yet still have access to refreshments. This is easy to accomplish if you have a modern open floor plan home, simply have your food and beverages in a central location, such as a kitchen island or table centrally located. If you have an older home with a few smaller rooms, don't fret; small tables (like coffee tables and end tables) can be used to set up smaller refreshment tables in each room. Remember to keep traffic areas clear so people can still move freely.
Throwing a party can be a stressful affair, but it really doesn't have to be. A little bit of forethought and planning goes a long way to make sure you and your guests have a good time and enjoy the party. So plan your menu a few days before, make food ahead of time, and get that wine chilling early so you don't have to be a harrowed host.
Feel free to ask me specific questions on your upcoming party or holiday feast, I will be glad to assist!
