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Tips & Ideas — Party
Tips
Holiday
Party Tips
What:
Holiday Party
Where:
Your House
When:
Anytime in December
Why:
To Celebrate the Holidays
Fun Holiday Party
Celebrate the Holidays — invite
your friends over for a fun "Holiday
Party" at
your house.
Personalized Holiday Party Invitations
Personalize your Holiday Party Invitations — dress up
in Fun
Holiday Costumes.
If you don't want the expense of buying printed Holiday Party
invitations, you can always print your own. If you want to go high-tech, use Eventbright.com — the online service can be used to send free invitations, or you can charge for tickets to your event. You can also make the event public or private. Other options include sending an email, using Facebook or using Google+.
Holiday Decorations
Decorate your home with fun Holiday decorations — don't
forget the mistletoe! Order online or visit your local Party Store
for fun Holiday theme decorations.
Or better yet, be creative and use what you have
at home and save money. Fill a big glass bowl with large colored
ornament balls — Red & Gold, Blue & Silver, or assorted
colors.
Fill tall clear crystal vases or bowls with red
and green apples or limes — they're
colorful and festive and make great table centerpieces. Pomegranates
look good too and can be used later in a salad, couscous, or cocktails.
Martini glasses add a nice touch to any Holiday
table — fill with colorful condiments, assorted nuts, chocolate
truffles and Christmas candies.
Use plenty
of candles (votives work well and they're inexpensive) — they
really add to the Holiday atmosphere and give any room a festive
glow.
Green
Day-Glo
sticks
are FUN too (as Holiday decorations and/or party
favors).
Buy
FUN STANDUPS! A large selection of photo-realistic lifesize cutouts
of all
your favorite personalities and Holiday classics
Holiday Music
/ Live Entertainment
Play festive Holiday music throughout the party and have everyone sing along
to their favorite Christmas Carols. As your party gets going, kick
it up a notch and get everyone dancing. If you have the budget, hire a group
of Carolers or a three-piece jazz band to entertain your guests.
Fun "Holiday Gifts & Party
Favors
Put together a "Holiday
Tote Bag" of goodies — you don't have to spend a fortune if
you know where to shop. Go to the "Dollar Stores," Target
or Costco for
token Holiday Gifts and Christmas Candies.
Buy "Wine Lover" Holiday Tote Bag
(Fill with Holiday Goodies or Wine)
Give out Fun "Holiday" Party
Favors. "Travel-Related" Gift Magnets & Buttons
make fun gifts for homes, lockers, dorm rooms or offices — buy
just one, or save with packs of 10 or 100.
Traditional
Christmas crackers make fun party favors — each brightly
wrapped tube holds a surprise trinket or toy.
Visit
our Travel Gift Store to order
Special Gifts for your Party
Buy Fun Gifts to wear or give out to your guests at the party. Gifts feature
Fun Travel Destinations, Romantic Gifts, Family "His/Hers" Gifts,
Political Gifts, Body, Mind & Spirit Gifts... and more!
Holiday Video Camcorders
Buy a NEW, low-cost, all-in-one, Flip Mino Video Camcorder, customized
for your Holiday Party... to record and share your party activities.
Buy the Latest Flip HDTV Video Camera from Amazon
Share Party Photos,
Videos
and Comments
Upload your Digital Party Pictures for Free to Flickr, Facebook, Shutterfly, Twitter, Google Photos (Picasa) or MySpace and
upload your Video to YouTube after
your Holiday Party to share with your family, friends and
co-workers. Post comments and updates on Twitter, Facebook, or Google+ to share what is happening real-time.
Free Video Conferencing
For those people who can't be at your Holiday Party (especially your
overseas friends and family), set up a FREE Web Conference using Skype, Yahoo,
AOL, or Microsoft Live Instant Messaging (IM) — that way they can participate
live during the event. We use Skype for our FREE International Video Calls,
Meetings, Parties and Conferences.
It's
all in the detail. Make High Quality Video calls on Skype – FREE 
Happy Holidays!
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Holiday
Party Themes
Depending on how formal or casual you want your party
to be, here are a few Holiday Party Theme suggestions:
Formal / Fun:
"Favorite
Movie Star or Character in a Christmas Classic"
Be
creative and have everyone dress as their Favorite
Movie Star or Character in a Christmas Classic (e.g. Kris
Kringle in Miracle
on 34th Street)
or make it a Formal "Black-Tie" event. Rent a Designer
Dress, Jewelry
& Accessories.
Buy
Holiday Costumes
at BuyCostumes.com
Casual
Chic:
"Holiday Bash"
Keep your Holiday Party simple — make
it a fun Holiday Bash" and dress "Casual
Chic."
Casual:
" Holiday
Pot Luck"
Short on time — host a casual "Holiday Pot Luck
Party."
Whatever you do... have FUN!
Holiday Party Menus
Holiday
Formal /
Fun Menu:
For a more formal
Holiday Party, plan a fun menu of decadent "finger
foods" and hors d'oeuvres... and fabulous desserts. Here
are a few ideas:
- Smoked Salmon & Dill Canapes
- Crostini with Thyme-roasted Tomatoes
- Crab-stuffed Mushrooms
- Mini Blinis topped with Crème Fraiche
and Caviar
- Olive Tapenade Crostini
- Roasted Beet Salad with Feta Cheese & Walnuts
- Ahi Tuna on Wasabi Crackers
- Tomato, Basil & Mozzarella
- Pizza Bites
- Melon-wrapped Proscuitto
- Parmesan Puffed Pastry Twists
- Chicken Satay with Peanut Sauce
- Chilled Giant Shrimp
- Roasted Asparagus Spears
- Mini Sweet Potato Soufflés
- Stuffed Mushrooms w/fresh Breadcrumbs
- Imported Cheeses
&
Figs
- Chocolate
Truffles
- Mini Pecan Tarts
- Lemon Squares
- Santa's Fudge Brownies
Catered Event & Entertainment
If you don't have the time — and aren't worried about a budget — hire
a caterer to handle "all the details" for you. For more
elaborate parties, hire Celebrity Look-a-likes (Marilyn Monroe, Elvis)
dressed in holiday costumes to mingle among your guests.
"Holiday Bash"
Buffet
Menu
Whip up a "Holiday Bash" buffet
menu that's simple, fun... and colorful. Here
are a few ideas:
- Tomato, Basil and Mozerella appetizers
- Pimento & Garlic-Stuffed Green Olives
- Red & Green Peppers
(cut out center and fill with Humus or your favorite dips). Serve with red, green, orange and yellow pepper strips and/or pita chips
- Cream Cheese topped with Red Pepper Jelly and/or
Mint Pepper Jelly
- Mini Crab Cakes and Cocktail Sauce
- Roast
Turkey
- Glazed Ham
- Rack of Lamb
- Garlic Mashed Potatoes
- Baked Sweet Potato Fries
- Broccoli Cornbread
- Roasted
Vegetables
- Green Bean Casserole
- Apple Crumble
- Pecan Pie
- Chocolate Fudge Ring
- Christmas
Cookies
- Hershey's Holiday Kisses
Holiday
Beverages
- Hot Mulled Wine
- Rum Eggnog
- Apple Cider
- Holiday Punch
- Red & White Wines
- Soft drinks
Casual:
" Holiday Pot Luck"
Pot
Lucks
are a lot of fun, especially if you're on a budget. Have each guest bring
a dish (their favorite appetizer, salad, entree, or dessert... and whatever they'd
like
to
drink).
Costco and Trader Joe's both offer a wide variety of delicious
Holiday hors d'oeuvres, entrees, desserts, wines and assorted beverages.
Wine Selection & Quantity
Depending on your budget, you have several options regarding wine
selection.
Tip: Allow approximately a 1/2
bottle to one bottle of wine per person for a three-hour party.
For
an "upscale" Holiday Party (with wine aficionados),
splurge on a selection of "fine" red and white wines.
For a "casual chic" Holiday
Party, offer a variety of good mid-priced red and white wines.
For a "limited budget" Holiday
Party, buy
a case of Charles
Shaw "Two-Buck Chuck" wines from Trader
Joe's — at under $30, these good table wines
are an excellent value. We like the Cabernets and Merlots.
Or ask your
guests to "BYOB" — bring
a bottle of their favorite wine or whatever they'd like to drink.
Be sure to have plenty of sodas, soft drinks,
bottled water and coffee on hand for non-drinkers and "designated
drivers."
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