Christmas is just weeks away, but there’s still time to plan the perfect Christmas party.
The festive season is a time to get together with friends and family and forget the year’s stresses and worries. However, if you’ve been tasked with planning this year’s party, you may be finding everything you need to organize a little overwhelming. Making yourself a list can help you keep track of what you’ve already done and what you still need to do.
If you’re struggling to plan the best dinner party this Christmas, below you’ll discover some great tips and ideas which can help.
Planning your menu
One of the first things you’ll want to get out of way early is the menu. Once you know what you’ll be serving up, you can work on getting everything prepared earlier.
So, the first thing to decide is what type of dinner you’ll be serving. Are you planning on hosting a sit-down dinner or a buffet-style party? A sit-down dinner will take more planning, but it can also provide a more intimate and luxurious dinner party.
You can also take inspiration from some of the top chefs in the world to surprise and delight your guests. Obviously both styles of the party have their benefits, a sit-down meal means you can serve different food, however, a buffet gives people a chance to mingle rather than being limited to the people they’re sat near.
Make sure you take into account any special dietary requirements of your guests too. Provide vegan and vegetarian options if needed and find out if anyone has any food allergies you need to be aware of. There’s nothing worse than making someone ill with the food you’ve made because you’ve not prepared.
Ensuring there’s enough space and seating
Another thing you’ll want to get to grips with early on is space and seating. You need to make sure there’s enough space for all of your guests. If you’re hosting a sit-down meal, you’ll also need plenty of seating. You don’t want everyone to feel crammed in, everyone should have enough space to comfortably eat.
Instead of borrowing odd seats, why not invest in clever seating solutions you can use all year round? You’ll find a great range of additional seating options from Cox & Cox such as Rattan storage benches and loft benches.
These can also be decorated to fit with the theme you’ve chosen. You could do things such as “I’m dreaming of a white Christmas” and have all white and bright decorations or go more traditional with a red and green theme. There are so many options to make your party stand out from the crowd.
Choosing your entertainment
Once you’ve got your space and seating requirements covered, it’s time to choose your entertainment. Party games are always a big hit, but you could also host a disco or if it’s a nice enough evening, play outdoor games.
The entertainment is often what your guests will remember the most, it gives people a chance to talk without having to think up small talk topics and can easily break the ice.
If you’re wanting to include presents in your party, a Secret Santa is a good way to do this with lots of people, that way no one will be left out, this will, of course, require some planning beforehand but this can easily be done with an online generator and emails.
Obviously your guests would all need to know each other for this to be an option but it can be a good way for everyone to connect over. Jokey presents can be a good way to have something to chat about at the party.
These are just a few tips to help make planning a Christmas dinner party easier. The menu, space, and entertainment are some of the most important dinner party requirements.
However, there’s still a lot of other things to plan such as the theme of the party and the decorations. Take your time to start planning the Christmas dinner party now if you want to make it less stressful on the day, don’t try and rush it.
