Laughter, good cheer and great company all figure most prominently in people's memories of a good holiday party. Sure, delicious food and wine are pretty key too, but only if the prep work doesn't detract from your mood. In times of stress, even entertaining can take on a heavier tone. Money and work/life balance are big bugaboos this year, between recessionary layoffs and the growing workloads of those left behind.
You may be worried about throwing a great get-together on a limited budget or with a minimum of prep time. Well, here's the good news: It's cheaper and easier than you think. With a little planning, anyone can do it. Here's how.
SET THE TONE
You don't have to spend a lot of dough to decorate for a chic holiday party. Try these simple upgrades to easily uplift any get-together.
The major change: swapping disposable plates and glasses for eco-friendlier and more up-market china and glassware. Store 'em in a "Party box" and you'll have them ready for any future cocktail or birthday parties. After a couple get-togethers, you'll recoup any initial investment costs expended in upgrading from disposables to these better choices.
MUSIC
Party music sets the mood. Do you want people chatting or dancing up a storm? The best tactic is to start slow and low and then turn up the volume and the tempo as the evening progresses.
Ask a couple pals with varying music tastes to each burn you a CD of songs they'd like to rock out to. (Who doesn't love making playlists?!) This way you're covered whether it turns out that Brit Rock is the big thing at your shindig, or the crowd's feelin' more of a hip-hop kind of groove.
Early on in the evening, stick to can't-fail standbys like mainstream jazz (Ella Fitzgerald, Diana Krall etc), bossa nova (Antonio Carlos Jobim, Joao Gilberto etc) or lounge music (Hotel Costes or Buddha Bar compilations etc). Think: pleasant background sounds for ages 9 through 99.
Then move into the dancier stuff (if you want dancing, that is), and finally put on some mellow Billie Holiday to segue to coffees and goodbyes.
FOOD
Consider going potluck if your party is small and sit-down. Otherwise, for cocktail parties, stick with easy-to-serve two-bite-or-less nibbles that guests can eat standing up (no forks or cutting required).
Major chains like Lobaws (Great Canadian Superstore, Fortinos, etc) and Sobey's have their own private-label frozen hors d'oeuvres that you can heat up in a jiff to serve throughout the evening.
Or make your own. Prep the days leading up to the party so all you have to do the night-of is heat and serve. Caprese salad on stick (cocktail pick with bocconcini slices, grape tomato and basil, light drizzle of olive oil and balsamic vinegar) can be made the day before. Or grill marinated chicken or beef on skewers, refrigerate overnight and then reheat the night of.
Estimate five or six hors d'oeuvres per person, per hour. So, for a three-hour cocktail party, approx 15 pieces per guest. Aim for a variety of about five to 10 different kinds of foods.
You can save yourself some work by working in some no-effort standbys to leave out on tables (mixed fruit and mixed veg trays, breads and dips, spiced nuts) to round out your fancier heat-and-serve hors d'oeuvres.
DRINK
Keep your beverage menu simple:
Feel free to have a pitcher drink on hand so cocktails are serve-yourself, not a huge production. Mix 'em up a pitcher at a time, then keep the pitcher on ice, with plenty of fresh glasses and garnishes on hand.
SET THE TONE
You don't have to spend a lot of dough to decorate for a chic holiday party. Try these simple upgrades to easily uplift any get-together.
The major change: swapping disposable plates and glasses for eco-friendlier and more up-market china and glassware. Store 'em in a "Party box" and you'll have them ready for any future cocktail or birthday parties. After a couple get-togethers, you'll recoup any initial investment costs expended in upgrading from disposables to these better choices.
| CHEAP | CHEAP-CHIC |
|---|---|
| Paper plates | Plain white side plates (borrow from friends, or source at Dollarama if you need extras, and Quick Wash in the dishwasher as needed) |
| Plastic wine goblets | Inexpensive IKEA wine glasses (for all beverages), Quick Wash as needed |
| Plastic or paper tablecloth | White table cloth, or pretty fabric runner (Winners has inexpensive ones) |
| Overhead lighting | Inexpensive tea lights displayed in glass votive holders (again, try IKEA or Kitchen Stuff Plus) |
| No decorations | Tiny vases or even glass cups featuring a few fresh-cut flowers – or evergreen twigs |
MUSIC
Party music sets the mood. Do you want people chatting or dancing up a storm? The best tactic is to start slow and low and then turn up the volume and the tempo as the evening progresses.
Ask a couple pals with varying music tastes to each burn you a CD of songs they'd like to rock out to. (Who doesn't love making playlists?!) This way you're covered whether it turns out that Brit Rock is the big thing at your shindig, or the crowd's feelin' more of a hip-hop kind of groove.
Early on in the evening, stick to can't-fail standbys like mainstream jazz (Ella Fitzgerald, Diana Krall etc), bossa nova (Antonio Carlos Jobim, Joao Gilberto etc) or lounge music (Hotel Costes or Buddha Bar compilations etc). Think: pleasant background sounds for ages 9 through 99.
Then move into the dancier stuff (if you want dancing, that is), and finally put on some mellow Billie Holiday to segue to coffees and goodbyes.
FOOD
Consider going potluck if your party is small and sit-down. Otherwise, for cocktail parties, stick with easy-to-serve two-bite-or-less nibbles that guests can eat standing up (no forks or cutting required).
Major chains like Lobaws (Great Canadian Superstore, Fortinos, etc) and Sobey's have their own private-label frozen hors d'oeuvres that you can heat up in a jiff to serve throughout the evening.
Or make your own. Prep the days leading up to the party so all you have to do the night-of is heat and serve. Caprese salad on stick (cocktail pick with bocconcini slices, grape tomato and basil, light drizzle of olive oil and balsamic vinegar) can be made the day before. Or grill marinated chicken or beef on skewers, refrigerate overnight and then reheat the night of.
Estimate five or six hors d'oeuvres per person, per hour. So, for a three-hour cocktail party, approx 15 pieces per guest. Aim for a variety of about five to 10 different kinds of foods.
You can save yourself some work by working in some no-effort standbys to leave out on tables (mixed fruit and mixed veg trays, breads and dips, spiced nuts) to round out your fancier heat-and-serve hors d'oeuvres.
DRINK
Keep your beverage menu simple:
- pitchers of tap water
- big bottles of sparkling water
- single-serving glass bottles of soda pop (so they don't need glasses; try Boylan's or old-school Coke)
- wine (red and white, or, if you're concerned about your new area rug or upholstery, white only).
Feel free to have a pitcher drink on hand so cocktails are serve-yourself, not a huge production. Mix 'em up a pitcher at a time, then keep the pitcher on ice, with plenty of fresh glasses and garnishes on hand.
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