Holidays wouldn’t be complete unless celebrations are put into order. Celebrating the season with your loved ones would be the ultimate satisfaction anyone could get. The pretty much awaited Christmas party in your office, or a simple family gathering at your aunt’s house would definitely add more color to the season. And as long as good company, laughter, gift-giving, and a healthy feast are all in place, Christmas in the Philippines is definitely something to look forward to. But for someone who resorted to condo living lifestyle, you may want to consider a few things before hosting that holiday party for your friends and family. And so, these few considerations and ideas would help you prepare that to-die-for party everyone would surely remember.
Planning Makes Perfect
Every successful event starts with a nice, polished planning. For Christmas parties held in a condo, it is highly recommended to consider the number of people attending your party. Bear in mind that most condominiums have limited parking space allotted for residents only. You may want to advise your attendees about this ahead of time so that they may be prepared looking for alternative parking.
Inform your friends about the party two weeks in advance. In this way, you and your friends will have ample time to prepare. Parallel to this, make sure to plan your budget for the party expenses. Now if you are on a tight budget but still wanted to push with the party, you may want to suggest having potluck with your friends. But remember not to overstress yourself in planning. You don’t want to look awfully dreadful during your own party. The least you can do is to put your best foot forward and pray things go out as planned.
Start Your Countdown
An excellent way to get the ball rolling is to do simple countdowns. Make use of the internet. Create a Facebook group solely dedicated for the party. Make them feel that there is absolutely no reason for them to miss out on this occasion. A tweet or two from you would also be a nice way to get them engaged. You may even opt to make posters and teasers for the party, especially if it is a big event you are planning.
You may also want to ask ideas from your friends to come up with awesome and creative kicks for the party. As they always say, “Two brains are better than one.”
Serve With Pleasure
Your guests will always look forward to those mouth-watering cuisines you have on your party table. But never force yourself to serve a grand feast if your wallet says otherwise. Always stick to the budget.
Be practical in preparing the party food. Consider the diet of your guests and avoid serving too much quantity of the delicacies. Serve meat and veggies in moderation. With regard to dessert, you can resort serving the traditional fruit salad to your guests. You can even expect that one of your friends will bring a cake over to your condo to cover the sweets.
Now also consider the time of the day your party will be held. And regardless of how you serve it, the food should be high quality, substantial, and suitable to the taste of your guests.
If you can hire outside help, say a catering service, then do so. In this way, you minimize your stress planning the party to give more time managing other details of the event. Just make sure these are all done within the confines of what is planned.
The Party Jam
If you want to throw a kick-ass holiday party, then make sure that you have the element of music ready and in-tune. Your music selection should be related to the party theme and the crowd. The music should create a comfortable atmosphere for your guests all throughout the night. Just make sure that they don’t become too comfortable that they doze off because of your music choice. Try mixing elegant Christmas songs and some classic jazz music, with an occasional R&B or modern songs. This will definitely keep everyone lively for the entire party.
Alternative to playing music would be the ever-effective videoke. Everyone always has that little voice at the back of their heads telling them to grab the mic and sing their hearts out. Just make sure to inform your neighbors politely that they may need to use some ear plugs in their sleep that night.
Fun And Activities
Your party would be a total wreck without the games and prizes. Of course this would certainly depend on the type of crowd you are with. Prepare at least 3 games that will compel your guests to move their muscles a bit. But see to it that these games are not that strenuous, okay? You don’t want your friend rushed to the nearby community hospital or anything. Your games must be age-friendly to accommodate even those guests who are young-at-heart.
If you prepared some games, then your guests would most likely expect some prizes. Bear in mind that prizes may not always be in the form of cash. You can buy relatively cheap items from the nearby thrift store, cover them in attractive Christmas wrappers, and viola, you now have the game prizes.
Decorate To Appreciate
Another important factor you should consider when planning a Christmas party is the aesthetic arrangement of your venue. Bear in mind that you must decorate not to impress your guests, but rather make them appreciate the party venue.
A good way of doing this is to add appropriate lighting to the condo. This will create an illusion of sophistication and elegance. Since it is the Yuletide season, you can take advantage of this and use Christmas decors as physical arrangement as well.
For instance, you can give your Christmas tree a total makeover by minimizing the number of ornaments or decors attached to it. Your old Christmas lights may also need some reconditioning and updating. But don’t overspend just to decorate your condo. Be practical, reuse and recycle old ornaments to create new and unique Christmas decors.
Make Sure To Invite People
All your party preparations will be put into waste if nobody attends your event. To avoid this, you should send invites ahead of time. If no invitations are available, just call them through their phones. Doing this adds personal touch to your invitation. And since people are now always online, you can utilize the power of social networking sites to send invitations.
As Christmas is fast approaching, always bear in mind to uphold the true spirit of the season. Holiday parties left and right are just small boosts to emphasize that the holiday season is certainly alive and kicking. Celebrate Christmas by using these simple, yet practical tips in planning that holiday party which everyone will surely remember.