Thanksgiving is over and I started the week in full panic mode. Will I have enough work this month? What to get my family for Christmas, not to mention the two December birthdays??!! When to go get the tree and all the decorations out of storage? It is enough to get anybody's heart racing!Relax and let us assist you in planning a special party or just the holiday dinner...
- Plan ahead! It saves time and money. Plan on what you will make yourself, what you will buy prepared and what you will ask others to bring. Or better yet, call a caterer!
- Clean and decorate the house prior to any event you are having. I always clean the house (or have a housekeeper or service come) the day before. Then, I arrange my flowers or orchids based on my party presentation. It saves as lot of time the day of when you are trying to cook and do last minute errands. Plus, you haven't even showered yet!
- Rent glassware and dishes! For a nominal price, you can have all the glasses matching (for once!) and not have to do the dishes! You can even rent a fabulous linen to give instant Holiday charm to your room! If you plan on using the fine china, definitely hire someone to assist with the dishes. I started out in high school as a hostess helper and see what happened?!
- Keep it simple! If you plan on doing all the planning, shopping, & cooking yourself, you owe it to yourself to streamline. Don't forget the music-program the IPOD and forget about it! For cocktail parties, wine and champagne, and one signature drink. Don't do a full bar unless you have hired a bartender. If not, your husband will be serving drinks all night-and he won't be happy! Simple Artisanal cheeses, fruit and desserts are easy to assemble ahead of time and perfect for a small cocktail party. Or, make some great soup and serve it in mugs with fresh baked bread! Yum!
- Enjoy! My job is really to let the hostess be a guest at her own party. How many times have you done everything for a party and REALLY enjoyed yourself? You know that anyone who arrives early for your party gets to open wine and arrange plates of crackers. You were replenishing the smoked salmon when you should have been enjoying that glass of wine, instead, you can't remember where you left it! P.S. Your kitchen is a pigsty, your feet hurt and your husband went to bed... Happy Holidays!
