HomeMy WebLinkAboutThe Citizen, 2008-12-24, Page 45It’s that season for making partyrounds and opening up homes tofriends and family.
Maybe it’s your turn to play host
or hostess and you’re not sure where
to start or how to set your party apart
from the others. More importantly,
you want to ensure guests have a
good time.
Even if you’ve waited until the last
minute for party planning, you can
still host a memorable and fun event.
Here are a few ideas how.
* Secret Santa gift exchange: Part
of the enjoyment of the holidays is
exchanging gifts with others.
Instruct guests to bring along an
inexpensive gift. You can set the
price limit at $10 to $15. Place all of
the gifts in a big red bag and play
Santa, handing out a gift to everyone
who attended.
* Play games: Scour the game
aisle of your favourite store for
board or action games that would
work well in large groups. Or,
modify baby or bridal shower games
to fit a holiday theme. Door prize
games, or Pin the Red Nose on
Rudolph are silly ideas that can add
up to fun, especially when the
cocktails are flowing.
* Create the mood with lights and
music: Christmas and New Year’s
are celebrated in most areas during
the darkest days of winter.
So shed light on your festivities
with plenty of twinkling lights and
votive candles. Create a holiday
playlist on your MP3 player and
make sure the tunes continue all
night long.
* Involve guests in decorating:Short on time? Gather up suppliesfor decorating and advertise that
you’re having a tree-trimming or
house-trimming party on your
invitations. Allow guests to get
crafty and be involved in dressing up
your home.
* Don’t fret about food:You don’t
have to be a gourmet chef to host a
winning party. If food isn’t your
forte, don’t worry about catering the
event or looking to pre-packaged
appetizers and snacks. As guests
mingle and hop from party to party,
they’re not going to be looking for
an elaborate sit-down dinner. Fresh
veggies and dips, bite-sized finger
foods and the like are standard party
fare.
If you want to get creative, take
any of your favorite foods and just
make them in miniature. Tiny
burgers, bite-sized pizzas, and even
small peanut butter and jelly
sandwiches can delight.
* Cocktail savvy: Stock the bar
with the old standards for variety
and come up with one signature
drink you can make in bulk. Why not
try a frosty punch and give it a
theme-inspired name, such as Winter
Wonderland? Be sure to have plenty
of non-alcoholic drinks on hand for
those designated drivers.
* Dessert bar: Top off the evening
with a dessert bar where guests can
create and garnish their own
desserts. Set out ice cream and
fixings, a fondue pot with skewers of
fruit, different pies with nuts and
whipped cream, or any other
combination you can think of.Try out a couple of these tips for amemorable evening that doesn’t take
much planning.
THE CITIZEN, WEDNESDAY, DECEMBER 24, 2008. PAGE 45.
Time to sing
Christmas is a time to sing according to the kindergarten
class at last week’s Christmas concert hosted by Blyth
Public School. Students treated the crowd to a song
complete with tambourines and other musical instruments
played to perfection for their part of Is Santa Smarter? From
left: Abby Bos, Garrison Miller, Ryan Cowan, Joel Howson
and Chandler Bromley. (Shawn Loughlin photo)
Some tips to help you host a happening holiday party
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