Four Holiday Party Busters and How to Avoid Them

Holiday entertaining is great fun, but it can also be stressful. Everyone is busy, including you, but because this is a special time of year, it is important to you that your parties be successful. Here are four party busters, and some of the techniques that can help you avoid them this holiday season.

Lack of time.

Everything takes longer because of the holidays. There is more traffic. There are more people in the stores. You need to stand in line everywhere. People keep you on hold longer. Businesses hire inexperienced people as extra holiday help, and it takes them longer to do what’s needed. You have more things to do, especially shopping. How can you cope?

First and foremost, plan ahead and be organized. Make a written plan for everything that needs to be done for your party and assign each task to a day. Then make sure you do it on that day.

Do each task as far ahead as possible so you aren’t cooking at midnight the night before your party because you miscalculated the time. Make any do-ahead dishes and set your table one to three days before the party. Allow yourself that extra bit of time so you can enjoy the process instead of racing the clock at the last minute.

Do your shopping as early in the day as possible. You can cut your shopping time by at least half if you avoid the crowds.

Know where you can shortcut by buying dishes or ingredients that are pre-made. For example, one of my favorites is rotisserie chicken. I use it anytime I need cooked chicken chicken salad, chicken enchiladas or chicken soup. It is a huge time-saver, cutting my prep time for these dishes by at least an hour.

Stress

Stress, combined with too much to do and not enough time, saps energy and makes people are cranky. Other people, that is. You are serene, thanks to your organization and planning. Here are three ways to maintain sanity during this season.

Stay healthy. Easier said than done, but advance planning is the key. Keeping a supply of vegetable soup on hand, a supply of healthy TV dinners in the freezer, and a supply of apples and tangerines in the refrigerator will mean that you can always have something healthy to eat at a moment’s notice. Another trick is to keep a bag of raw almonds or hazelnuts in both your car and your purse to munch on as you shop. Grab a bottle of water out of the fridge whenever you leave the house and you’re set. This way, you won’t find yourself downing a candy bar instead of a meal because you are faint from hunger and don’t have time to eat.

Include a plan for the day before the party in your organizational strategy. Again, use shortcuts where you can. Party preparations always take longer than anticipated. When you have been busy all day preparing for the big event, a hungry family looking for some dinner can push you into overwhelm. Include pre-made dinner items for the day before on your shopping list and save yourself from additional stress.

Do what you can and let go of the rest. Plan, organize, use time-saving ideas, do whatever you can to make your party a success. But when you run out of time, energy, or both, stop. Agree with yourself that you have done enough and let go of everything else. Everyone will be fine and the world will go on.

Unavailable guests

People have lots of invitations at this time of year, and chances are, if you plan a party for a Friday or Saturday night, some of your guests will have prior commitments.

Make sure they are available to attend your party by entertaining at off-peak times. Week nights are one idea, although they can be hard for both hosts and guests. Sunday evening, on the other hand, is a great time to entertain. You avoid conflicts with most of the other parties that way, and you give yourself the weekend to prepare.

Same old thing

Many holiday parties seem to follow the same pattern. Do something different than the usual holiday cocktail party or open house and you will be much in demand as a host.

Think about what your guests might need during this time, and provide it. An After-Shopping Buffet on a Sunday evening gives you a chance to give your guests something unique. They will probably have been shopping for hours, coping with crowds, lines and noise. They will be tired and hungry and probably have nothing prepared at home to eat. Their choices are to stop at Taco Bell on the way home or to go to your house for a relaxing and satisfying meal, great company, and a personalized gingerbread person to take home. Which will they choose? Yours, of course. It’s a no-brainer.