Think big, get organised and keep stress levels down
We’ve probably all thrown a last minute Christmas party. You invite a few friends, buy some cheap booze, scrabble together a few shop-bought nibbles, dust down your Christmas music CDs – and there’s your party. All great fun and relatively stress-free, but maybe once, just once, you want to do it properly.
You want to impress, and that means a big guest list, a spotless, perfectly decorated house, tastefully presented food and a wide range of drinks. Overnight the stress factor rises, along with the cost.
Assuming you have sufficient funds for a big bash, the keyword when it comes to hosting a big Christmas party is organisation. Plan ahead, and those stress levels can be brought right down to much more enjoyable ripples of excited anticipation.
Food, drinks and seating arrangement
This is the part that needs the most planning ahead and organisation. If you are hosting a party for over 60 guests your ideal food target should be finger foods.
“Bite-sized foods are the most ideal type of foods for a large party.
With finger foods, you’re saving space, time and fuss on plates and cutlery and everyone is free to move around the room, enjoying themselves as they please,” says Jo Fitzalan-Howard, the wife of former defence attache at the British High Commission and a veteran party-giver.
She recommends unusual snacks that could include shrimps or prawns, cheese, ham or even fruit.
“Dips should be on the menu too,” Jo suggests. “For example, you can get a red cabbage, scoop out the inside being careful not to puncture a hole, and fill it with a dip. Place it on a nice big platter and surround it with vegetables like carrots, peppers, broccoli, so people can grab and dip.”
Ideally, you should have 10 to 12 different types of food and keep alternating them.
Although Jo suggests you stay away from foods that need heating, one dish that is incredibly popular is sausages as finger food.
“Try and find the smallest sausages available at your supermarket and cook them that morning in the oven with a bit of oil. You can use mango chutney and fresh grated ginger to garnish them by tossing them in the mix and then once your guests start arriving, heat them in batches and serve them.” This is one food that should be constantly available says Jo.
To figure out how much you should allow per person, do what caterers do and prepare between one and three servings of each type of food per person.
Jo also recommends serving something sweet towards the end of the party like a fruit kebab or baby mince pies and chocolate brownies. “On their way out serve them these types of sweets as it’s always a good idea to go out on something sweet.”
To take the pressure off you on the actual night, you should seriously consider getting outside help. You might well arrange tables with cheeses, dips and fruit set around the room, but the small finger foods should be served to the guests.
“Because you’re serving finger foods, you should have waiters or waitresses passing the food around on trays, so people who are engaged in conversation do not have to look for something to eat. You could even get a gang of teenagers who are more than happy to help out for an extra bit of pocket money,” says Jo.
Likewise for the drinks department. Your life is made much easier if you can hire someone to serve drinks. A selection of spirits should be available including soft drinks, red and white wine. A decent sparkling wine, if you can afford it, is a nice festive touch.
“You know your friends, so you’ll know what they like. Don’t worry about running out,” Jo says. “If people want to drink, they’ll switch to something that’s available or to something lighter if they’re feeling a bit tipsy.”
One bottle of wine is equivalent to six small glasses, so figure out how much you’ll need and do not rely on people bringing alcohol with them.
The bar, Jo says, should be placed on the far side of the room away from the entrance. Inevitably, guests will gravitate to bar and this way you can keep the crowd away from the entrance area. Glasses should include tumblers and preferably flutes as they’re ideal for champagne and wine and suit the party atmosphere.
If you are short of glasses and can’t borrow enough from friends, you can also rent glasses from most wine and spirit merchants.
If you’re worried about smoking, Jo suggests opening your veranda doors and placing ashtrays outside once everyone has warmed up. “If the hosts are smokers, then guests are likely to light up indoors but when you open the doors to outside and make the atmosphere cosy with a few candles, smokers will automatically move outside.”
Overall, your party should have a relaxed atmosphere with soft lighting, music playing in the background and naturally, a Christmas tree.
“Candles can create a beautiful atmosphere even placed outside, if it’s not too windy,” says Jo.
Her most crucial piece of advice? “Make sure you keep the food coming and have enough help!” she says. “Nothing can be as disastrous as needing to run to the kitchen every second. So get enough people to help out and make sure they look happy and smile.”
Theme parties
If you are keen on throwing a Christmas party but want formalities to be left at the door, you can throw a theme party or play some games.
A few good ideas for theme parties include: Christmas Candyland (line your front walk with lighted candy canes and use stripy, red and white decorations); Winter Wonderland (Snowflakes, icicles, and corrugated paper with snowflakes covering doors and windows or even snowball candles); Santa Party (the market is overflowing with Santa-like decorations, so go crazy) and Elegant and Fun (just use a lot of gold and ribbons). Another popular theme is a colour party. Pick a festive colour like red or gold and ask your guests to dress in that colour. If one colour seems difficult to incorporate, try using the traditional red, green and white.
The bravest amongst you could even hold a karaoke party and have your guests sing Christmas carols. Hand out a prize for the best and worst singers.
Music
Be sure to fill the party room with the sounds of Christmas music. You can create your own party mix by downloading Christmas tunes onto your computer and then creating your own play list. Classic Christmas CDs, by artists like Frank Sinatra or Bing Crosby, are always in favour. However, if you’re looking at hosting a more low-key, formal bash, then opt for less-obtrusive all instrumental music.
Invitations
December is a busy month for most people, so send invitations early.
If you’re planning on a theme party, put together an invitation that includes something about the theme. If you require your guests to wear something specific, whether it’s a costume or something more formal, state it on the invitation. You should also request a RSVP and if you really want to be organised, an end time too.
“In Cyprus, people never show up on time, so I always used to include an end time on my invitations,” says Jo. E-mail invitations save paper, and have become a perfectly acceptable way of issuing invitations.
Choosing a party wine
Not all wines are welcome guests at parties. Big, firm reds or steely, high acid white need more than a bowl of crisps or peanuts to strut their stuff. Soft juicy reds and easy, generous flavoured whites are what you need.
Party whites are easier to find than reds. Look for fresh, fruity whites from the latest available vintage. Chardonnay, Sauvignon Blanc, our local Xynisteri and Riesling (yes Riesling) are good grape varieties to choose, but avoid oaky wines. Oakiness becomes boring after a few glasses. Cypri
ot wines – Persephone, Vasilikon, Amalthia, Tsalapati to name but a few – would be a good choice. Xynisteri blends e.g. Island Vines, and the south of France (particularly vin de pays), Australia South Africa and Chile are all potential sources of good party whites.
Cyprus, Spain, Chile, Australia, Argentina lead the way to party reds. Australia is good for party reds and leads the world in swiggability. It makes just the kind of soft, ripe reds you are after. Cabernet Sauvignon, Merlot and Shiraz or the blends of these are the grapes to go for. Locally you are tempted to try the local Kokkinelli or even Mavro grape blends with the likes of Plakota, Othello or Afami. The south of France is also a good hunting ground but add wines such as Minervois, Corbiers, Cote du Rhone to the vin de pays on your shopping list. The other great party red is Beaujolais and Beaujolias Villages is about the right level for parties.
If you are serving fizz think carefully before buying Champagne. Firstly it’s expensive. Secondly, it comes from a coolish region and has pretty high acidity. A glass or two is delightful, but champagne all evening can give stomach ache the morning after. For a fizz to serve all night long consider a warmer climate bubbly, with lower acidity. Australia, Spain, South Africa and the local stuff are all in the frame. (by George Kassianos)
