If you’ve planned a holiday party before, you know that it comes with some unique challenges. From wild cousins and tipsy uncles to expecting bosses and coworkers, holiday parties can be tricky to plan. Our team is always looking for ways to make holiday events for our clients stress-free, and have found a few tips and tricks to keep your holiday hosting fun!
Keep It Simple
A simple, beautiful holiday party will always go better than an event where you’ve tried to do too much. Often, hosts attempt to create the perfect event that ends up looking rushed, thrown-together, or messy. Avoid holiday overflow by keeping it simple. Pick one or two ticket items that are important to your 
guests, and supplement them with classic and easy holiday decor. You could invest in a fun photo-op or a nice catered meal, while keeping decor simple with a basic drape or simple centerpiece. Making sure you’ve found a good balance between every element of your event will also be cost-effective! Simplifying your event will cut back on unnecessary items, freeing up funds to be invested in something that would be really memorable for your guests.
Holiday Party Inspiration: Click to see In The Event™ set up a 15 foot Christmas tree!
Prioritize Expectations & Traditions
Does your family have Santa come and visit every year? Maybe your boss cares about nothing more than having good food, or a karaoke contest. Make sure you’ve properly identified the big traditions and expectations your guests have, so that you can more efficiently plan budget, time, and resources to making those experiences count. Don’t forget to keep it simple! Making important decisions about which traditions to observe and which to leave for next year will save you time, money, and will help to manage party planning stress!
Think Ahead
Remember, a holiday party isn’t over for the host until it’s like you’ve never been there before. The holidays can be especially tricky, because after throwing the bash of the year, you’ll likely have family and friends ready to sit back and relax. It’s important to remember that as the host, you might get stuck with some of the dirty work. Make sure that you’re mentally prepared to handle it yourself, or have chosen people in advance to help with cleanup. Thinking ahead is always the number one priority for an event planner, so that when things go wrong, or take an unexpected turn, you’re willing and able to accept the challenge!
Pro tip: Check out this article about how to stay happy and positive this holiday season!
De-Stress In Advance
After you’ve planned ahead and are ready to host your event, make sure you’ve made time before your guests arrive to take a few deep breaths. Having a 
stressed host open the door to arriving guests is never a good start to a fun holiday party. Learning how to leave party planning stress behind is essential to creating a relaxed and fun environment for your next event. A big part of this is making sure that you’ve really prepared for your event. Having the conference room decorated in advance, or the party platters arranged and ready to serve may seem like small pieces of a bigger puzzle, but when it comes down to the wire you’ll be grateful that these little things are done and out of the way.
Are you overwhelmed with the idea of your holiday party? We would love to help! Contact us today to get in touch with our professional event planners who are always ready to throw the holiday party of the year!
