Posts Tagged ‘Entertaining’

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A Christmas Party Doesn’t Have to be Expensive

By: Candace Martin

In these stretched economic times even festive celebrations are falling onto hard times. The past couple of Christmases have seen a bit of a downturn in the level that folks were willing to pay for gifts along with the celebration itself, and the upcoming season looks to be about the same. If you are affected by budget issues but need to prepare for a holiday celebration, you do not have to let those things impact the quality of the merrymaking. There are lots of ways to throw a good gathering with limited funds.

The number one thing to keep in mind is that seasonal events take place each year and pretty much everyone you are acquainted with participates in them. Basically everyone you are acquainted with is also accustomed to putting up decorations for them. This means that, once you choose a spot to hold your party, you can almost certainly decorate the whole thing at no cost. All you require is to acquire the contribution of a few of your guests. Ask them to give or loan their preferred ornaments, or even only those that they don’t use any more.

You can also decide to have your gathering at a restaurant or at a bar. Despite the fact that doing this nearer to Christmas is typically challenging as those venues will have restricted room and won’t very likely offer you the space free of charge, near the beginning of December you won’t have much trouble obtaining a location. As long as they are not busy those venues will in fact give you a reduced rate on meals in contrast to making you pay you for space! What’s more, bars and restaurants are bedecked for Christmas from early winter, which means you won’t need to worry about putting up decorations for yourself.

Food is an added concern you will likely be concerned about. Well, at locations such as those mentioned there’s not much flexibility on meals. If you host it at a home or a different place there are lots of alternatives available to you. The ideal thing to do for spending less on the food for your Christmas party, apart from making it a potluck, is to make as much of the food on your own as feasible. In this respect, choosing a dessert buffet in comparison with a complete meal is likely your best bet. And keep in mind, punch isn’t just the cheapest beverage you can provide, but it is in fact a drink that everyone expects to find at a seasonal party.

As for crafting the right atmosphere, you do not need to pay a lot of money. Christmas events can have live bands, DJs and other expensive musical alternatives. Producing a good Christmas ambiance, though, does not require all that flash. Even for sizeable events the most fundamental things are often the most enjoyed. Consider sing-a-longs and gift exchanges. For a gathering where the guest list is loaded with folks without a lot of spare cash, try out the idea of throwing a Dirty Santa type of gift exchange where individuals actually have to re-gift (ie: they have to give gifts that they have received themselves, but didn’t care for.)

The bottom line is to be imaginative and not to be concerned about asking for assistance. Don’t forget that the key consideration of any seasonal party is people, and as long as they are together they’ll accomplish nearly all of the tasks by themself. If you aren’t content with that though, then spend the week after Christmas shopping for all the holiday merchandise that are on sale so you can throw an all-out celebration next year.

Author Resource:-> Get shopping tips, find Christmas games and activities, and learn strategies to get you through the stressful holiday season at Christmas Ideas.

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PartyWeDo
The AlbinoPhant Creators
Your Party 2.0 Specialists

Some good ideas and great causes come from a loss or tragedy. I learned of a wonderful way to use the gift exchange concept to share with children this season.

Julia Chambers, crochet artisan and the author of several blogs, including “The difference between a duck”, shared a stocking stuffer gift exchange that has its genesis in a personal loss. Some family friends were tragically killed in an accident near Christmas.

She and her daughter decided to gather small gifts for children and wrap them for a gift swap, as a way of healing the wounds of the community. They started a stocking stuffer swap for kids in their area.

“The gifts were meant to carry on the spirit of gratitude to our community, both givers and receivers.  To bless friends and neighbors…” Julia Chambers

All ages appreciate a great party, and a White Elephant / Yankee Swap party is a great way to be social in a group. I would caution that small children may have trouble grasping the “stealing” component of the white elephant style of gift exchange, so an alternative might be better.

I would recommend for the child-version, that you stick to just a simple exchange of wrapped gifts.  Make sure that you mark boy or girl gifts and share them appropriately. This is the style that Julia and her daughter have chosen and it seems to be working well for them.

Every challenge in life can be turned into an opportunity, with a little creativity and some care. The stocking stuffer exchange sprung from a challenge, but with thought and charity it shows others what it means to truly care.

Have a great holiday season of sharing.

Thanks to Turn Back to God for image

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Princess Phant
Daughter of the King of Burma
Caretaker of the AlbinoPhant Parties