Holiday Party Decorating Tips

With Thanksgiving over that means one thing, Christmas is just around the corner. I wanted to share some holiday party decorating tips with you. How much or how little you decorate is completely up to you.

When decorating for your party you want to consider safety first and foremost. You don't want to place decoration where they could be in the way. Be careful of placement that people will not trip and fall over the decorations. Be sure the decorations are child friendly for the children that will be visiting.

Use candles to create a warm, homey atmosphere. Candles also help with the lighting. Be sure the candles will not be in a place that someone could knock them over or burn themselves. Also, make sure that if there will be children attending they cannot reach the candles.

You can add a touch of the holidays in every room if you like. Strings of white lights and vases filled with ornaments add a lovely touch. A bowl filled with scented pine-cones is beautiful and gives a holiday aroma to your home.

Holiday flowers are a great way to add a festive touch to your rooms. Be sure if you have pets you get flowers and plants that are safe for them to be around.

If you will be having a sit down dinner party place cards are festive and they help you to plan the seating arrangements. A small party favor is a great way to say thank-you to your guests. They also help to decorate the table.

Decorating for your holiday party can be lots of fun. Get the entire family involved.

Tips For Being A Good Guest

Being a good guest is as important as being a good host. You are being welcomed into someone's home. While they are doing their best to make you feel comfortable you can do your part too.

When you are a guest in someone's home you are to show the host or hostess total respect. This can mean removing your shoes before you enter their home, or refraining from using inappropriate language. What is acceptable in your home may be different from theirs. If the host or hostess does not smoke in their house you should not either.

Don't be a demanding guest. Always use your manners. When eating only take what you will eat. Do not take too much of any food or drink. There are other guests that would like to eat and drink too.

Don't overstay your welcome. When the other guests have left and the host or hostess is changed into their pajamas, you have overstayed. Most parties have an approximate end time. Be a good guest and leave when the festivities are through.

Offer to help clean up. Many hosts will turn you down, but it is still nice to have the offer. Always clean up after yourself. Don't leave drinks sitting around once you are through with them. If you should accidentally spill something tell the host so it can be cleaned up right away. Stains happen after a spill has sat and had a chance to soak into the fabric. If caught and cleaned right away there is less chance of staining.

Bring a hostess gift. You don't need to spend a lot of money on the gift. Just bring a small token showing you appreciate being invited to their house. Some good hostess gifts examples include candles, bottle of wine, ornament if around the holidays, or even something homemade.

Most of these tips are common sense. However, sometimes we can all use a refresher course in etiquette.

Tips For Being A Good Hostess

Have you ever been to a party where you didn't really know anyone so you sat off to yourself feeling uncomfortable? Now think about a party where you still didn't know anyone but you were introduced to several of the guests and had a wonderful time. This is the difference between a good host and a bad host.

You never want your guests to feel uncomfortable while at an event you are hosting. If you have never hosted a party before you may not know what is expected of the host. Here are some tips to make sure everyone has a great time at your next event.

Great all of your guests personally. Meet them at the door. Thank your guests for coming and offer to take their coats if they have one. If your guest doesn't know may people introduce them to some of the other guests. This will help them feel more relaxed. It is easier to strike up a conversation with a stranger if they have been introduced first. You are breaking the ice for them.

Try to have as much of the party preparation done before your guests arrive. You need to be mingling with the guests and not stuck in the kitchen. As the hostess you are going to set the tone for the party. If you are feeling rushed and stressed your guests will pick up on this and feel uncomfortable.

Keep pets locked up during the party. While some guests may be animal lovers, not all people are. You may have someone with an allergy attending the party. Plus guests are not going to want pet hair on them, or Fido begging for handouts.

Use candles to help set the mood. You don't want to overdue it, but a few candles placed through out the room will help create a warm and inviting atmosphere. Always keep candles out of reach of small hands if children will be present.

The main key to being a good hostess is to make your guests feel at home. Even if something unexpected happens as long as the hostess remains calm everyone else will too.

Thanksgiving Table Tips

With Thanksgiving next week everyone is busy planning their menus. Often people forget to think about the table itself. You will have all that delicious food you should have a beautifully festive table to showcase them. Here are some videos that offers some ideas for decorating your Thanksgiving table.









There you have it, several great suggestions for dressing your Thanksgiving table. Don't forget the place-cards to let your guests know where to set. Your dinner is sure to be a hit when you take a little extra time to spruce up the table.

Photo created by David Sinofksy

The Pros and Cons of a Holiday Wedding

The holidays can be a wonderful time to plan a wedding, but there are pros and cons to planning your big day during this magical, busy time of the year.

The holidays can be a great time to have a wedding. Family members are often in from out of town. The beautiful lights and decorations would make any wedding look wonderful. The snow covered ground makes a gorgeous background for pictures. The holiday season provides a magical, festive atmosphere.

However, there can be cons to planning your wedding during the holiday season. The holidays can be very busy. There are parties and school plays. People are out of town visiting their families. Locations and vendors are booked with holiday events. The weather can be too bad for traveling. Many of these cons can be taken care of with enough advanced planning.

If your heart is set on a holiday wedding then go for it. Just make sure you send out invitations early enough to allow for guests to make changes to their plans if they wish to attend. Reserve you vendors and locations before the holiday rush begins. I would recommend touching base with them as soon as you know you want a holiday wedding.

Photo created by Dave Dyet

Bachelorette Party Games

Since we have been talking about bachelorette parties this week I thought it would be fun to share some game ideas. These are lots of fun and will have everyone laughing like crazy.

Happy Veterans Day

I wanted to take a moment and thank all of the men and women who have or are currently serving in any branch of the service. You are all truly heroes for giving your all to protect us.
Thank you!

Have a Spa Bachelorette Party at Home

Earlier in the week we talked about having a day at the spa for the bride-to-be and her guests for the bachelorette party. This can be expensive and everyone might not have this type of budget for the bachelorette party. Well don't fret you can still do a day at the spa at home.

This works well for smaller groups. You can have the guests do manicures, facials, makeup, etc. If the budget allows you could hire a massage therapist to come to the house. Try a finding a student massage therapist. The price will be cheaper and they will get more practice.

Don't forget about food and drinks. You could have the guests bring a bottle of their favorite wine for everyone to share. Serve finger foods such as sandwiches, fruits and veggies with different types of dips, and anything else you think would fit your party.

The main idea is to give the bride-to-be a relaxing fun time. After all this is probably the last time she will get together with the girls before she is married. Make it a time to remember.

Take lots of pictures to help the bride-to-be remember how much she enjoyed herself. You could put the pictures into a scrapbook if you are the creative type. You could also take a pictures of all the girls and give it to the guests as a party favor in a mini photo album.

Have a Spa Bachelorette Party

If you are in charge of planning a bachelorette party consider having a girl's spa day. What could be better than spending a relaxing, refreshing day at the spa with your girlfriends. Any bride-to-be would be grateful for a day of pampering after she has been so busy making wedding plans.

Decide on how much you have to spend for the day at the spa. Then call your local spa to see what services they offer and prices. Ask them if they have any packages available for parties. You would be surprised at how many offer this type of package.

If you spa offers food you could have a brunch or lunch depending on the time of day you schedule the party. If they do not offer food consider having lunch at a nearby restaurant. This doesn't have to be a five start restaurant. You want the day to be casual and fun for the bride-to-be and guests.

Don't forget about party favors. A spa head wrap would make a great favor. The bride-to-be could use it the day of the bachelorette party and again for the morning of the wedding while she is getting ready.

A day at the spa will be a welcome treat to the bride-to-be. Planning a wedding can be stressful, having a day to relax and unwind will help tremendously.

Photo created by Dominik Gwarek

Host a Trim The Tree Party

Decorating the Christmas tree is always lots of fun. Why not host a trim the tree party. You can invite friends and family to help decorate the tree with you. This would be a party that both young and old would enjoy.

When hosting a trim the tree party most people choose to have the lights already on the tree. Most trees come pre-lit so this is not a problem. The lights can take a long time to do, and people might become frustrated or bored while waiting. Having them done can make sure your party is a hit with everyone.

The best part about decorating the tree is hanging the ornaments. Each person can take a turn placing the ornaments on the tree. Make sure to have some ornaments that the children attending the party can help hang on the tree.

It is always a special touch to have a child place the tree topper on the tree. If there are no children attending the party you can save this job for an older adult like grandma.

You'll want to have some refreshments at your trim the tree party. Serving hot chocolate and Christmas cookies would make the party perfect. If you want to include more refreshments you could have finger foods and appetizers. If you really wanted you could have a dinner before decorating the tree. The choice is entirely up to you.

A trim the tree party is the perfect time to add some new ornaments. You could purchase personalized ornaments for the members of your family. Every year after when you hang the ornaments you will remember the fun that was had at your trim a tree party.

Photo created by RAWKU5

Decoration Tips for Your Holiday Party

Since we have been talking about holiday party planning I figured we better include some tips for decorating. Some things to consider when planning your decorations are the location of the party and how much you are willing to spend.

Location can play a large role in how you decorate for your holiday party. If you are having your party at your house then you are free to decorate any way you choose. However, if you are having the holiday party at another location you will have to check with them on what decorations are allowed. Some location may not allow anything other than table decorations such as party favors.

If the location allows you to decorate next you will have to decide how much you want to spend on decorations. If your budget is tight you could with something simple. Candles make a great decoration for holiday parties. They help set the mood with a soft glow. You could also add a few strands of white lights to help make the location more festive. Glass bowls or vases filled with ornaments are a nice touch to add to the center of the tables.

If your party is being held at your house you can decorate any way you wish to. Having several Christmas trees set up decorated in different themes is always a fun way of adding cheer to your party. Again candles can help with lighting and setting the mood. Make sure you place the candles in a safe location. If there will be children attending the party you don't want them to be able to touch the candles. You also don't want to take a chance of having them knocked over.

Decorating for your holiday party can be lots of fun. Just remember the location and budget when consider which decorations to use.