Holiday Party Tips – Interior Designer Approved

Decorate and host your home or office holiday party like a pro with these 5 simple tips!

Whether you getting ready to host a holiday party at home or in the office, a corporate event, or you are getting prepared for out-of-towners, these tips will help you master your holiday duties this year, reduce stress, and leave your guests wowed.

At last, the holiday season is upon us. Thanksgiving, Hanukkah, Kwanzaa, and Christmas are just a few of the holidays we will celebrate this year. The question is, are you ready to host an out-of-towner or your corporate office event? Maybe you are just starting to plan and think about it?

Before you embark on your party journey, check out these 5 designer-approved party tips, and make your life easier.

1. Plan your holiday party ahead!

Before you begin shopping and decorating, take a step back, and make a plan. Here are the questions you should be asking to create a good plan:

What holiday are you celebrating? 

Whatever holiday you might be celebrating, decide what type of activities your guests will part take in and write them down. Are your guests going to play games? Do you want a sit-around-the-table dinner? Does your holiday require any particular activities or traditions to plan for? 

For example, suppose you plan to open gifts around the Christmas tree. In that case, you need to be strategic to ensure enough space for everyone to gather. 

How many guests are you expecting? 

Firstly, consider how many guests will be attending your home or party. Are you planning to host out-of-towners? Is this your office party, including spouses and families? Do you need extra coat racks or tables and chairs? How much space are you working with?

Expecting out-of-towners? 

If you are expecting overnight guests, where will they sleep? Do you need to purchase an air mattress or additional bedding or pillows? 

Be sure the guest room has fresh bedding, the bathroom is stocked with toilet paper, toiletries, and fresh towels. If you’re a super host, put up a night light in the guest room and a charger for a cell phone as well.

What food and drinks will you serve your guests?   

It is crucial to decide on a menu ahead of time. After all, choosing a menu can be difficult, but having a theme will help determine what food to plan for. Is the party a potluck, are you planning to cook, or rather cater? Are guests sitting around a table, or is the party cocktail style? 

You will want to make a list of the ingredients needed, along with any dishes or items required to serve and eat the food (e.g. plates, napkins, utensils, serving plates, etc.). Tip #3 below will go into more detail.

2. Choose a theme for your holiday party.

What are your primary holiday party colors?

Choose 2-4 colors you’d like for your event and stick to them. Mixing several colors may give the holiday decorations depth and give you more options when you’re shopping. If you are going for a more traditional style of decorations, consider going for jewel tones. Or for a modern or glamourous party, consider going with the more neutral tones like gold, silver, and lots of white- like the winter wonderland.

What style are you going for? 

There are so many beautiful styles of holiday decor to choose from. Do you want your decorations to have a traditional, rustic, modern, or old-fashion appeal? When it’s time to shop, you don’t want to get lost in all the beautiful decorations your local Molbaks or Hobby Lobby has to offer. Keep the list you created handy to stay on point with your theme.

Now that you know how many guests you are expecting, your party’s theme, and what activities to plan for, you can begin your shopping.

3. Decorate ahead.

Decorating always seems like it will be nice and quick, especially with a plan in your hand. Although, sometimes the decorations you planned for don’t work out, and you want to have enough time to adjust your plan.

If you are hosting a house party, this tip might seem like the obvious. Some decorations might only be intended for the party/event.

Set-up all the tables and seating at least a day before the event, so you have time to focus on decorations, food, and final touches.

This is an area that is wonderful to seek professional help. Decorating is difficult, especially when it’s not something you repeatedly do.

4.Cook and clean ahead.

Consider hiring help like food catering or professional decorating when hosting a larger party. Depending on what you plan on serving, some dishes take days to prepare or require special ingredients. Create a shopping list based on the menu items and do all the shopping at least two days in advance.

For example, if the dough for your gingerbread cookies needs to be refrigerated overnight, take that into consideration.

If you are hosting overnight guests, think about the food and drinks you will serve outside of the party. It’s always a good idea to stock on kitchen essentials like milk, eggs, snacks, fruits, and beverages (alcohol, coffee, bottled water).  Make sure to include these essential ingredients on your shopping list.

Comparatively, choosing professional food catering can free up time and reduce stress.

5. Overwhelmed? Hire professional help!

You may be surprised to find that many services like catering, home decorators/designers, and party planners will save you money. How? Simple. Professionals who plan, decorate, manage, or cater parties do this for a living and have a process in place that works.

Professionals you should consider hiring for your holiday event:

> Home Decorator/Interior Designer

> Party Planner

> Food Caterer

Undoubtedly, their expertise can help achieve your goals more affordably through their established relationships and resources. Besides making things look and taste great, professionals help free up your time and set you free from the stress that deprives us of holiday joy.