Terri Ramsey Beavers The new year is officially here! That means the holidays are looping back around from the minor ones like Valentine’s Day to the major ones like the Fourth of July. You’ll need to be ready to host plenty of parties.
There’s not as much stress that goes into planning as you may think there is. It’s all a matter of inviting people and keeping the food coming. You don’t even have to pick a theme if you don’t want to (though it’s recommended).
Are you a little new to this and don’t know how to host a party? Don’t worry, we can help you out. Keep reading for all the party hosting tips you should keep in mind in 2020.
1. Bite the Bullet and Invite People
You’re going to want to make your house look as spotless and perfect as possible before you invite people over. The problem is that it’s never going to be as spotless as you want.
There is always going to be something that goes wrong. So instead of stressing about cleaning or how many chairs you have for people to sit in, just bite the bullet and invite people over. Chances are if the people you invite really care about you, they’re not going to mention the minor things that you forgot.
2. Choose an Interesting Theme
Build up a little excitement for your party by throwing in an interesting theme. Events sort of do this for you. For Christmas, an ugly sweater party is going to be the way to go. Halloween is just begging you to do a costume party.
You can even do themed parties for small events like football. You can go here to learn more about hosting a viewing party.
3. The Food
You can’t do a party without food. Well, you can but after a few hours, your guests are going to get hangry. This being said, you don’t have to plan out an elaborate feast. Picking up a bunch of pizzas will be fine.
If you’re a little tight on money you can host the party in the morning or mid-afternoon. You won’t have to prepare a meal because everyone has already had breakfast or lunch. If you go this route you should still have snacks for people to munch on though.
Do you want to cook a large meal? This is fine but make something that you know how to cook. Don’t look up a recipe for something fancy and attempt it.
If you do there is a chance you’ll mess up. You’ll be out of the money you spent on ingredients and have hungry party guests.
4. Keep Things Easy
If you wear yourself out with cleaning and stress before the party you won’t be able to be an active host because you’ll be tired. Keep party prep easy on yourself so you don’t use up your entire battery.
Trust us when we say nobody is going to notice the state of your cabinet doors unless they are being held together by duct tape or coated in spaghetti sauce. Instead of focusing on trivial areas when you’re cleaning, cover the basics like vacuuming, sweeping, mopping, dusting, and cleaning the toilet.
Do some of your party prep the night before such as cooking or stocking up your bathroom with toilet paper and hand soap.
5. Use Social Media
You can use social media to instill hype about the party in your guests. Create a Facebook event page and post in it regularly or Tweet about it whenever you get the chance. You can also use social media for party organization and reminders.
If you’re planning to ask people to bring food, create a post on the Facebook event page to tell people what you have and what you need. Create reminders so people don’t forget about the party.
Even a little post stating how excited you are will jog your guest’s memories. Make sure you’re not posting every few minutes though. You want to remind them, not cause them to turn off their phones.
6. Setting the Party Mood
It’s not a party without some kind of music unless you’re doing a football viewing party. Then you’ll want the TV going full blast. If you’re doing a Christmas party then create a Christmas playlist in Spotify.
Same for Halloween. Another way you can set the mood is with holiday-themed treats. No Christmas party is complete without eggnog.
7. Always Plan for Early Birds
Not all of your guests are going to have the “arrive fashionably late” mentality. There will be some who will show up early. That can make things a little bit awkward if you don’t have anything planned for them.
Have some premeal appetizers laying around. You can even set up a board game or two for them to play while they wait for the late arrivals.
8. Be an Active Host
As the host, you need to be everywhere. Greet people when they arrive. Talk to everyone.
Tell people “thank you for coming” and goodbye when they leave. Play an active role in party games. Keep the playlist going and of course, serve the food.
It’s a lot of work that’s why we told you not to mentally drain yourself with party prep. You’re going to need to be in tip-top shape.
9. Turn up Your AC
Depending on how many people you invite, there will be a lot of bodies in one room generating heat.
Things are going to get hot fast if you don’t turn on the AC before the party starts. Your guests will thank you when they aren’t melting into puddles on the floor.
How to Host a Party That’s the Talk of the Entire Town
The year is rolling around again. It’s time to think about the parties you’ll be hosting in 2020. It may feel a little early but due dates have their way of sneaking up on you fast.
Use this guide on how to host a party to throw celebrations that will be the talk of your entire town.
Planning on doing your own cooking for your parties? Check out the recipe section of our blog daily for all the latest meal ideas.