Holiday Party Essentials
Guess what today is? Well, if you read the title, which I assume you did, you’ll know it’s my first Holiday blog post of the year! Woohoo!
Do you ever find yourself wanting to throw a little holiday get together with some close friends, or even wanting to host a pretty big party to get everyone in the holiday spirit, but have absolutely no idea where to start? Well, that is what I’m here for today in this post. I’m going to tell you some of my go-to holiday party decor items, and supplies that are absolutely essential to me when throwing a holiday party. I’m also going to list some tips for when you’re purchasing the decorations & supplies to give you the right mood for your holiday party, as well as some smaller tips on how you can save some money long term if you plan on hosting an event yearly - we all know the holidays are definitely not the cheapest time of the year, so saving any amount of money around then definitely makes most people happy!
Holiday Cheers
To start, you of course need some cups for your guests to be drinking their rum & eggnog (or maybe just eggnog) from all night, and I love everything to be themed around the season from November until the beginning of January, sometimes later. I’m lucky enough to have a bar cart at home, and during the holidays, I love switching out my regular glassware for something a little more seasonally appropriate*.
Of course, you know I’ve mentioned before that the environment is important to me, so if you’re looking for a single-use cups, maybe try to avoid plastic, and opt for a biodegradable choice like paper! If you’re insistent on getting plastic, try getting ones that can be hand washed & reused in the future. If you want to purchase seasonal glassware like highball or lowball glasses and wine glasses, I’d suggest checking out Pier 1 for these as well. They usually carry a variety of options that are hand painted and very unique. You can also try Hudson’s Bay, where they carry a plethora of brands who come out with seasonal dish and glassware!
* Tip: Opt for winter-themed pieces like snowflakes, trees, snowmen, etc, over Christmas or holiday themed pieces like nutcrackers, Christmas trees, presents, etc, so you can keep them out for longer periods of time, making the cost per use, a lot more affordable.
String Lights Galore!
There is absolutely nothing that gets me into the holiday mood, or smiling more than tons of lights. I love when I’m driving around in the winter, and I can see them in peoples homes, windows, stores, and even on trees in parking lots or on a business’ property (especially when there’s been some snow - ugh, I’m melting just thinking about it), so the same should go when you’re hosting a get together for the holidays. Not only does it put everyone right into that holiday mood, but it also makes everything feel super cozy and warm*.
My suggestion would be to go to HomeSense, and pick up as many containers of string lights as you feel you need, and place them anywhere you want to add some coziness (ex. in a hurricane with a candle, around the food placed out on your table, in a tray with some ornaments). And before anyone runs out to get lights, I’m talking the small ones on the thin wires, not the ones you hang up on your Christmas tree or your fence outside - I suggest avoiding those for this scenario as they are very chunky and don’t look nearly as elegant as the wire lights.
* Tip: To keep the mood on the cozy side, choose warm-white lights over cool-white lights when you’re trying to embrace the coziness. Cool-white lights are great for adding some “sparkle” to a holiday village display, or anything that you want to resemble or feel very snow-like.
Festive Drinks Menu
Of course, if you’re throwing a holiday party, you have to include a drink menu! Whether you want your menu to have just alcoholic, non-alcoholic or a combination of both, the best way to make it easier on both you and your guests, is to create a menu. (Hint, hint - there may or may not be a post coming soon with a few of my favourite holiday drink recipes… stay tuned for that!) So you don’t have to keep repeating to each guest that comes through the door what the drink options are, I’d suggest getting one of two options: a chalkboard or printed menus:
Chalkboard: If you don’t already own one, pop by (yes, again) HomeSense. They have great chalkboards for reasonable prices, so your bank account won’t be hurting too badly. Don’t forget when you’re listing your drinks to create a hierarchy between the name of the drink & what’s in the drink (and yes, you should absolutely be putting the ingredients that are in your drink on the board). It will help your guests to differentiate the drink names from their ingredients & generally just looks a lot cleaner. If you’re offering beer & wine in a cooler, you can even point your guests in the direction of the cooler to help themselves! You can add little winter or holiday themed drawings around to give it a mood that matches your party!
Printed Menus: If you choose to set out a printed menu scattered on the dining room table, or wherever you’re planning for your guests to hang around the most, I’d suggest creating a menu that you can use year after year. Firstly, printing can be expensive, but also it’s nice to reuse instead of throwing something in the recycling bin. I’d just make sure that your list of drink options is solid, and you’re okay with serving them year after year. If you’re trying a new drink recipe for the first time, you find that guests are on the picky side or think you just may not want to serve a certain drink the following year, I’d opt for the chalkboard option to save you some time & money in the long run.
Holiday Themed Napkins
Like I mentioned when talking about the cups & glassware, I’m an absolute sucker for everything being holiday or winter themed during this time of the year. I’m that person that October 31st everything is Halloween, Halloween, Halloween, and November 1st everything is Christmas, Christmas, Christmas. (Yes, I’m a November Christmas decorator - if you saw how much stuff we have & how long it takes, you’d understand). When throwing a holiday get together, there’s bound to be a few spills, drips & drops over the course of the night, so you should definitely have napkins on hand, and at the ready.
When it comes to napkins, your only options are single-use paper napkins or reusable cloth napkins. Of course, depending on your kind of get together, paper napkins generally are better for these kind of scenarios, unless you really trust your guests not to completely ruin your good fabric napkins. If you decide to go for paper napkins, Michaels, Pier 1, HomeSense or even the Dollar Store offer plenty of great options. You can also always check out whatever party supply store is in the area, but my personal favourite places to look are Pier 1 & HomeSense. If you choose to go for a fabric napkin, my suggestion would be to go for something that is white with some stitched in detail like snowflakes or trees, and try to avoid as much colour on them as possible. White can be bleached, and if you’re serving red wine, you will absolutely thank me for that. You also can always go with the other end of the spectrum, and choose a darker colour fabric napkin like a burgundy or a forest green, that won’t show stains nearly as much.
Holiday Playlists
Okay, I know - this one seems incredibly obvious, but there’s nothing worse than going to a holiday party and the only thing playing is Justin Bieber’s Mistletoe or Ariana Grande’s Santa Baby. Don’t get me wrong, I don’t mind those songs, and do appreciate a lot of newer holiday music, but nothing quite sets the mood for a holiday party like the classics. If you couldn’t be bothered to put together a playlist yourself, which I totally understand - there’s so many songs out there, and who has time to make a playlist in the midst of the busiest time of the year? - I’d hop onto Spotify and search for a classic Holiday playlist, and I’m sure there will be plenty to choose from. If you are brave, and feeling up to the task, here are some of my favourites for you to consider throwing on your list (includes both classic songs & some newer):
Brenda Lee - Rockin’ Around the Christmas Tree
Mariah Carey - All I Want for Christmas is You
Tony Bennett - Winter Wonderland
Elvis Presley - Blue Christmas
Burl Ives - A Holly Jolly Christmas
Andy Williams - It’s the Most Wonderful Time of the Year
Idina Menzel & Michael Bublé - Baby, It’s Cold Outside
Bobby Helms - Jingle Bell Rock
Michael Bublé - It’s Beginning to Look A Lot Like Christmas
Wham! - Last Christmas
Frank Sinatra - Let it Snow! Let it Snow! Let it Snow!
The Jackson 5 - Santa Claus is Coming to Town
Madonna - Santa Baby
Lauren Daigle - Have Yourself a Merry Little Christmas
Lea Michele - Christmas in New York
Stevie Wonder - What Christmas Means to Me
Hanson - Merry Christmas Baby
Fiona Apple - Frosty the Snowman
Dean Martin - Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer
Charcuterie
There is nothing that says a good holiday party quite like walking in and seeing a big charcuterie board* filled with all sorts of snacks for you to nibble on throughout the evening. Traditionally, most charcuterie boards include nuts, cheese, meats, pickles, olives, seeds & crackers and breads, but if you go to Pinterest, and search charcuterie board ideas, you’ll find yourself buried in a sea of different options including Mediterranean inspired boards, Italian style, and absolutely everything else in between for you to be inspired by.
If any of your guests have dietary restrictions or allergies, and you’re planning to accommodate them, I’d start with the following steps:
1) Determine if anyone has any dietary restrictions (ex. vegetarian, vegan, dairy-free, etc.), and write down their names & their restrictions, so you don’t have to depend on just remembering. Depending on what you have on your spread, and board you may be able to section off a vegan and/or vegetarian portion of the platter for them to nibble from. If not, maybe put together a vegetarian/vegan platter for them to grab snacks from!
2) Determine if anyone has any severe allergies. If anyone has a severe allergy to dairy, nuts, seeds, gluten, dairy or anything else, I’d recommend making them an entirely separate personal-sized charcuterie board. Do not, and I mean it when I say do not mess around with allergies. Make sure you prep their plates with clean hands, clean utensils and a clean surface - you don’t want any emergency hospital visits at your party, so if you decide you’d like to do this for you guest(s), make sure everything is as clean as possible, and put their boards together before you handle anything else. (They may decide to bring their own board instead if they don’t feel comfortable.)
3) Regardless of if you make the board or they bring their own, keep it completely separate from the rest of the foods with any allergens, and label it with that persons name. It’s very important to know that cross contamination from someone touching a food that contains what they’re allergic to, and then touching the food on the allergy-free plate can lead to a very bad allergic reaction. If you don’t feel comfortable or prepared, let your guest know & I can guarantee they will bring their own platter.
* Tip: You can easily find some holiday-shaped charcuterie board platters, much like the Christmas tree shaped one, shown above at places like Pier 1 & HomeSense. If you’re looking, try checking for it beginning in October to early November. By the time holiday parties start, these items are usually well picked over.
Holiday Cards For Your Guests
One thing that I truly miss is receiving Christmas cards in the mail. I remember as a kid, we used to get a bunch, and as they arrived, we’d hang them on a string going up the banister, and when that got full, we displayed them on the mantel of the fire place until we had no more room. However, over the years, it’s become increasingly less popular to get a Christmas card in the mail, and it’s something that this year, I’m going to make an effort to send out to close friends, and some family that I don’t get to see super often. Let’s be honest - our mailboxes are usually filled with stuff we don’t really want (cough, cough - bills), so it’s always nice to have a surprise card in there, especially during the holidays.
A nice way to send your party guests off is with a holiday card that thanks them for joining you, celebrating the holiday with you and wishing them a happy holiday and New Year. You can opt to personalize them with their name or even a special greeting, but if you don’t have time or there’s too many guests for you to personalize each card, leave a stack by the door and ask each guest to take one on their way out.
You can choose to buy an assortment of cards with different designs, multiples of the same card, or even personalize it and have a photo of your family & sweet holiday message, depending on what you’d like to give out, and what your budget is. I promise, cards do not go unappreciated - it makes your guests feel welcomed and thought of, especially during the holiday season.
* Tip: Depending on how many people you’ve invited & what your budget is, it’s always nice to include a little thank you for celebrating the season together. If you can, adding something small like a $5 Tim Hortons or Starbucks gift card goes a long way in making your guests feel appreciated.
There you have it - these are what I consider to be some of the most essential things to have an amazing holiday party. I hope this provided some inspiration for some new ideas, and maybe you even fell in love with Christmas music again? (If you worked retail, I doubt you did - I’m sorry). Thanks for checking out the blog & see you on Friday for a new holiday post featuring the first gift guide I’ve ever put together! Xo.
