Secrets of Successful Holiday Parties

by Susan D. Rock

It's the time of year when holiday parties start popping up like shopping mall Santas. While some individuals undertake entertaining with ease, others are left with that reindeer-in-the-headlights look. The secret to hosting a holiday gettogether—and having a good time—is practicing what both professional planners and frequent party givers preach: get help and plan, plan, plan.

Putting on a party can be tough enough any time of the year, but 'round the holidays it is especially true. "There's more stress associated with this time of year," says Janet Bellas, owner of Bella Affair Catering in Crystal Bay. "A lot is just time constraints. Along with everything else going on, not only are you giving a party, but you're going to parties."

Indeed, the decision to throw a holiday party should not be taken lightly. "Make sure it's something you really want to do at this busy time of year, or it will show in everything you do," says Incline resident Judith Buckingham, frequent party-giver, former caterer and owner of A Fabulous Feast in Reno.

What's a hallmark of a great party? A host who is both gracious and relaxed, says Bellas, and to achieve that state, you must learn to enjoy your own party. Keep it simple, avoid lots of last-minute preparations and get help, either from family and friends or, best of all, from a professional.

Certainly the choice of a caterer—or the decision whether or not to hire one—is a central issue in holiday party planning. But there are other key components of planning a successful event, says Corinna Osborne, owner of Stateline's Elegant Affair Catering. The big three are: Think about your event three months out, decide how many people you plan on inviting and determine location, whether it's at home or a rented facility. "Those are the things that you need to think about right away, and then everything else falls into place," she says. "And if you're using a caterer, you need to be proactive. The closer you get to the holiday season the less availability caterers will have."

Here are some gems of wisdom from some of Tahoe's most experienced partythrowers.

What Type of Party?

Most holiday parties are hosted at one's home. "Inviting guests into your space is a very personal gesture," says Buckingham, "a holiday gift."

At this time of year, cocktail parties are more popular—and likely a better bet for a good turnout—than sit-down dinners, says Susan Gavornik, owner of Truckeebased Mountain Concierge. "It's not as big a commitment for guests. Saturday nights during the holidays are tough to plan. Be creative—schedule your party around a less-traditional date and guests are much more likely to be able to attend. A Sunday afternoon open house is a good option."

But be realistic about how many people your house can handle. "Don't overcrowd your home unless you want people to leave quickly," says Buckingham. If you're having problems limiting your list, think about sending out two sets of invitations with different times. There may be a younger set that would love to stay later while older guests might want to head home on the early side.

Establishing a budget may also dictate the type of holiday party you host, says Gavornik. "Food costs typically consume half of allocated funds and there are a hundred other things to buy, so if you're figuring $30 per person, you really only have $15 for food."

Catered or Do-It-Yourself?

"Catering is certainly a good way to go," says Bellas, who's been in the business for 23 years. "It allows you to spend more time with your guests and less time worrying. We set up, watch over the food, pour drinks and clean up. You go to bed and the kitchen is left clean, the garbage taken out. When you wake up the next morning you can hardly tell you had a party."

And using a caterer doesn't always mean it's going to cost you more money, claims Osborne, especially when you figure in your personal time and worry. "Hiring a caterer isn't necessarily extravagant—we can be pretty flexible in pricing and work within your budget. Plus we're professionals and will make sure everything goes off without a hitch."

Nevertheless, not everyone can afford—or wants—to host a fully-catered function. A less-expensive alternative to consider is what Bellas calls "catering to go," where her staff sets up a buffet and leaves, returning the next morning to collect the serving pieces.

If you are going to hire your own help for your party, do it as soon as possible, says Buckingham, and be willing to pay double time, if necessary. One waitperson for every 25 guests for a cocktail party and one helper for 10 to 12 people at a sit-down dinner should do. Tell the servers what to wear: black pants or skirt with a white shirt works well. Have help arrive at least an hour early and designate one person as captain to oversee the party and check with you periodically to see if anything needs attention. (Tip this person more for this extra responsibility.) Write out cooking and serving instructions, showing each dish's destination on the table.

What to Serve?

Whether or not you use a caterer, says Bellas, it helps to think like one. And that means deciding on a menu early on. "Is it a themed event or will it be a mix of different cuisines?" asks Bellas. "Include a variety of foods and flavors to please different types of guests' palates and age groups, choosing from meat, fish and cheese. Once you have a menu, think about it visually. How's it going to look together? Do you have different textures and colors? How will the food be served? Put some things on platters, some in bowls and some in chafing dishes, so that when the buffet is put together it will look nice. Then ask yourself, can your kitchen handle the menu you just designed? Do you have enough oven space to bake five items at the end? Do you have enough fridge space?"

On the subject of food, most people tend to overdo it on the buffet, says Gavornik. "Less is definitely more. It's easier on you and it looks better." She also suggests getting creative with food service.

"There's a huge trend in catering and party planning of having some live action—someone preparing a dish or tossing and serving a salad." Another trend is using unusual serving and decorating materials on the buffet. "You can get creative without investing a lot of money by shopping at places such as thrift and hardware stores."

If you do the party on your own, Osborne suggests selecting menu items that are easy and enjoyable to prepare. "Or do something interactive with your guests when it comes to food, so they're in there helping you." (See sidebar page 52) Spread the work around by having friends—and especially family—bring an appetizer, side dish or little desserts to share at the end. "People like to bring something and this way you get a lot more variety," says Bellas.

Planning how much food and drink to have on hand is part art, part science. "People definitely drink a little more than usual at holiday parties," says Osborne, suggesting that hosts double up on red wine. Figure on five glasses of wine per bottle and two to four glasses per person, depending on the length of the event.

If you're doing a cocktail party—as opposed to a sit-down meal—make sure you have enough food, especially if it's around dinner time when people will eat more, says Osborne. "If you're doing five or six hors d'oeuvres, make sure you have at least five or six pieces of each per person since those items are small. Most people don't think they need that much food, but 90 percent of the time they do."

Timeline

With your menu established, it's time to work on a preparation timeline. Plan to make anything you can early. A lot of things—like appetizers—can be made ahead and frozen. Put together a shopping list of ingredients with things that can be bought in advance and those you have to buy at the last minute, leaving quantities off until you know how many guests are coming. Write down a list of serving pieces and utensils and set up in advance. By party time you should have worked through how everything is going to go, including the last-minute timeline, so that there are no surprises and nothing's forgotten.

Leading up to the day of the party, assign people to help so that every item is accounted for, says Gavornik. She runs down a mental checklist by envisioning herself as a guest attending the event, starting with the driveway. Where will people park? Is the driveway clear? Lit? What's the first thing they're going to see when they approach the house? Who's manning the door and greeting guests? Is there ample space for coats? Do you need a rack? A coat check person? Once past the door, where will guests go first? Is the bar at the back so there's no bottleneck at the front door? Are appetizers spread around the room so people mingle rather than hover? Are there enough trash bins so people don't have to walk around with dirty dishes?

If children are invited to the party, says Buckingham, set up a play area with toys and kid-friendly foods. If appropriate, hire a babysitter to manage them—their parents will love you for it. Make sure that any candles are pushed away from tiny hands or tipsy guests. And don't put your heirloom ornaments on the tree until after the party. Accidents do happen.

Purchase holiday paper hand towels and plan on four cocktail napkins per person for food and two napkins per person for the bar, says Buckingham. Buy two new trash cans and several smaller white trash cans along with liners (put extras in the bottom). And make sure you're well supplied with re-sealable bags of all sizes, aluminum foil and disposable containers. Plan to send leftovers home with people who live alone, the elderly or those who just don't cook—a nice holiday present!

Buckingham's final words of advice: lower your thermostat ten degrees or more two hours before your guests arrive; have music queued up and set at low-medium to fill the empty room, decreasing volume as people arrive; keep the lights fairly low and create sparkle with candles, sconces and votives; and allow at least 40 minutes before you begin passing or serving foods at your holiday table. People want to mingle and visit for awhile as well as see your holiday decorations. If you serve any earlier, the food either dries up or gets cold.

Finally, Relax

"I tell people to remember why they're having a party," says Bellas, "to enjoy family and friends. You don't have to be Martha Stewart. So you didn't make the baked brie that you wanted, or somehow the special berries didn't come in. No one knows. No one's going to miss them."

All the planning in the world can't prevent the occasional unforeseen problem, say the experts. Any host or hostess can recount party disaster tales of blown fuses, backed-up plumbing and blotting red wine from white carpeting. There are also stories of epic snow storms and broken ovens. Going with the flow and handling potential party mishaps with ease will ensure that, whatever happens, you and your guests will enjoy the best of holiday hospitality.