This year we greeted 200 guests through our front door for our Annual Holiday Party. It is a lovely tradition that welcomes both young and old to toast the Season of Light. The following suggestions will allow you to enjoy your gathering and move with grace and elegance through the affair. If you have never hosted a party before, you may be very nervous the first few times you do it. Here are some party hints to give you the courage to begin.The first step is to decide what kind of party it will be.Will it be formal, or informal? Large or small? If you’re not experienced at hosting social events, a small party may seem less intimidating.Will you hold your party indoors or outdoors? Who do you want to invite – people you already know well? Friends from work? Family? Do you want everyone to know each other, or do you want to mix a lot of people who would normally never encounter each other?Will you be serving food and liquor? Do you want people to bring their own?Would you like your party to have a theme? Are you celebrating any special occasion? Do you have a lot of money to spend, or very little? Do you have a lot of room? Do you need to keep the noise down?

It’s very important that your guests are very clear on exactly what to expect. For example, if you will be providing a full course, sit down meal, and you don’t tell your guests in advance, they will probably eat at home before they come to your party. If you want everyone to be wearing casual clothing, those guests who decided to get very dressed up will be embarrassed.

Staying organized, focused and on task will help relieve stress and pressure that can be associated with having a party. Allow enough time to get everything done because it is better to have too much time than ‘burning the midnight oil’ trying to get it all accomplished. This will leave you drained and exhausted for your own party. Instead, plan ahead and map out your to-dos which will help you to gracefully flow with ease through your party planning process.

Your list may include:

Food: Plan what types of food you want to serve whether it is heavy appetizers and pet its fours or you plan to serve dinner.