It’s that time of year again when the holidays are rapidly coming back around. One minute you’re sunbathing in the summer heat, the next thing you know you’re stuffing a turkey for Thanksgiving! The great thing about the holidays is that it gives people an excuse to be surrounded by friends and family - all in one place. If you’re the one tasked with hosting any of those get-togethers at your home - we’ve got some tips for you to awe all your guests!
If you’re throwing a holiday party for your loved ones, create an event that they’ll remember and cherish for a lifetime. Follow along with us and get some great tips on how to turn a normal family event into a luxurious tradition.
Defining Luxury
For many of us, the word luxury is synonymous with expensive, however, luxury doesn’t have to be accessible to only a few people. There are tons of small details you can consider that don’t require tons of prepping, planning, and money to push your party from average to unforgettable. When it comes to some of the bigger holidays: Thanksgiving, Christmas, New Years - there are several ways to turn it into a memorable event for you and your family.
Let’s explore 4 tips to elevate your get-together.
Tip #1: Use Invitations as a Preview Tip #2: Pick and Personalize Your Space Tip #3: Elevate Your Food Tip #4: Let Your Work Speak for Itself
Tip #1: Use Invitations as a Preview
Invitations are a great way to get your guests in the mood for the holiday season. It gives them all something to look forward to and doubles as a preview of what they can expect, just with the colors, motifs, and language you use. There are many ways that you can create personalized invitations, which we’ll discuss below, but whatever option you choose, make sure the invitation matches the tone of the event! You want your guests to feel like you’ve put a lot of thought and time into this gathering, and it will serve as a great keepsake if you do it well.
We live in a world where technology is always improving. So, creating invitations online and sending them out by email is a great way to quickly get everyone up to speed - there are tons of resources just a few clicks away. If you prefer something a bit more tangible like myself, creating physical cards and sending them by mail is the way to go. Paper invitations are always a classic and can be stunning with a little bit of time and effort, but it isn’t the only option. You can also go the extra mile and outsource wood or acrylic invitations for something a bit more flashy, or even something with multiple materials. Whatever works for you! Just ensure you include the place, time, and name of the person you are inviting on the invitation.
Tip #2: Pick and Personalize Your Space
You’ve got to have enough space. If you’re like me and already have a huge immediate family and intend on inviting other people - your home may not be big enough. So, consider renting out an event space. This could get pretty expensive, so rallying together some of your family members and seeing if they mind pitching in with the cost can be a great solution. If your home is spacious and you have no issues with hosting a large amount of people there - go for it!
Whatever space you use, just ensure that it sets the mood for the holiday. For example, if you are celebrating Christmas, make sure you decorate the space with more than a tree covered with a few generic ornaments and some Christmas lights strung about the place. Bring the space to life with personalized ornaments that speak to you and your family or add some decorative tags to your stockings that double as labels for now and years to come. You can even go as far as placing a welcome sign near the entrance to let your guests know how thankful you are that they took the time to show up!
Tip #3: Elevate Your Food
You just cannot have a successful holiday if you are not going to incorporate food! Tons of people don’t even show up to the event until the food is going to be ready; how many of us have heard “what time is the food going to be ready,” prior to showing up? Most people stick to traditions when it comes to food at family get-togethers - some of which might include ham, turkey, barbeque, and more - however that doesn’t mean you have to present the food in a boring way! From menu cards to food tags, and even place cards, there are tons of practical but stylish ways to decorate your table.
If you’re working with a set menu, having a menu card listing all the dishes your guests can expect is a nice detail that adds a bit of formality to the meal. However, if you’re going with something more buffet-style, food tags are a great way to ensure everyone knows what they’re adding to their plate and can be a nice way to offer something new if your guests are up for it. Additionally, for those of us hosting large scale events, place cards are a stylish and fantastic way to avoid any family drama around seating or during the meal.
As we discussed in our last tip, there are a few materials you can pick from when it comes to these items, however the main two you’ll see when curating food-related signage are stock cards and acrylics - though one of these will certainly last longer throughout and after the meal. I’ll let you guess what my go-to would be!
Tip #4: Let Your Work Speak for Itself
I can’t stress this enough - take a breather and have fun. You’ve spent all this time stressing out and getting things together so that everyone else has a good time, now it’s time to relax. We see it happen all the time, during the event the host is still running around and making sure everything runs smoothly - don’t be that host! Let the decorations set the mood and any signage inform the crowds.
Spend time with your family. The holidays are a great excuse to just relax, so consider playing some party games with your family to get everyone laughing. I’ve known some who even do a bit of karaoke during their family gatherings! Whatever your family will enjoy the most - do that. Enjoy yourself and those around you will do the same.
To Sum It Up
Before you know it, the holidays will have gone just as quickly as they first came. You don’t want to look back and think of what could have been! Take these tips and turn your family event into something that everyone will remember for years to come.