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Christmas Party Planning Guide

Christmas is a time to bring family and friends together to celebrate old traditions and start new ones.  If you're planning a Christmas party this year, here's how to make it no-fuss, fabulous and festive.

• Start planning early.  It goes without saying that the month of December gets busier and busier as the days go by.  So, make it easier for yourself by planning early.  Determine your party date, location and menu first, and then put together a guest list.
• Be sensible about guest numbers.  You may want a big bash, but there's no point trying to throw a shindig for seventy people when you can only afford to feed ten.  Consider the size of your venue and your budget.  It's always better to have an opulent smaller party than skimp on food, drinks and decorations to squeeze extra people in.
• Send out your invitations early.  You'll find people's calendars start to fill very quickly in December, so invite your guests as soon as possible.  Set the tone for the party with beautiful Christmas invitations, or, if your guests are technologically literate, try email invitations through evite.com.  Include information such as dress code and whether guests may bring children.
• Determine final numbers.  Ask your guests to alert you in advance to anybody extra they will be bringing along.  And don't forget to call anyone who doesn't RSVP within a week.
• Plan a menu.  There are some obvious considerations: the type of event you are hosting, your theme and budget.  Christmas food can be either traditional or, in a hot Australian summer, casual. 
  Barbecued seafood is always a hit for a casual Christmas soiree, but you won't go wrong with a roast turkey either.
• Set a budget for food and decorations.  Determine exactly what you can afford to
  spend before you go shopping.  Write a detailed list and don't deviate from it - even for the most fabulous impulse buys.
• Decorate your venue for the event.  Dust off the Christmas decorations, hoist up the tree, string out the Christmas lights and deck the halls with boughs of holly! 
• Delight your guests with Christmas party favors.  You could try decorating your Christmas tree with mini stockings that have been personalised with their names, and fill them with candy canes and chocolates.  Alternatively, Pink Frosting has some gorgeous personalised Christmas decorations which you can pop a photo in and have engraved.  What a beautiful way to say Happy Christmas and thanks for stopping by!
• Prepare some traditional Christmas treats.  There's nothing like Christmas puddings, gingerbread, eggnog and roasted chestnuts to get people feeling the holiday spirit!

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