Deck the Halls: Low Stress Party Ideas for the Holidays

While the rest of the winter might seem dreary, around the holidays, a good portion of the population finds their spirits rising with all the gift giving, good cheer, and available mistletoe. Above all, who can discount the idea of a great party to highlight the season of celebrating? However, with good tidings can come a lot of stress, making it hard for the host or hostess to truly enjoy the good time. After all, making sure there's enough punch for everyone, keeping a constant smile pasted on, and worrying about the mess that's going to have be cleaned up when it's all over can truly put a damper on the night for the one that's throwing the soiree. This doesn't have to be your fate this holiday season. Here's some handy ideas for throwing a stress free party and enjoying yourself as much as you hope your guests will.

1. Make It a Group Effort: If you're used to throwing a big party every year as the single hostess or host, why not enlist the help of some friends to take some of the slack off? Get three or four people to help you out and designate tasks. Make one person in charge of decorations, one in charge of food, one in charge of invites and then get together and come up with some games together. Not having it all fall on your shoulders will ease the stress a great deal and planning the party with friends will be a lot of fun in itself.

2. Let Someone Else Clean up the Mess: Big parties leave big messes and the host or hostess is always the one who has to clean it up. This year, have the party somewhere else, like a community center that does their own cleanup or a nice restaurant that will let you rent a room for the evening. Depending on how swanky you want to go, this might cost a little extra, but if it comes close to matchingo what you would have spent in food and party favors anyway, it's worth it to save yourself some time and energy for your holiday party.

3. Alcohol is Not a Must: While many holiday parties center around having a few drinks (and then a few more), there's no rule stating that you have to have alcohol at your party. If you've found in the past that you're biggest stresses come from having one too many inebriated guests in your home to take care of, make your party alcohol free. Serve mocktails (non-alcoholic cocktails) and non-alcoholic beer as well as sparkling white grape juice to take the place of champagne. Still feel like a party really isn't a party without a little nip or two? Make a plan to have snacks and play games in the early evening at your home and go out later to a local bar together. Make sure everyone knows to bring money for a cab to their own home at the end of the night.

4. When in Doubt--Pot Luck! - Summer may seem like the season for potluck, but there's no reason that the holidays of winter can't take on this time honored tradition for a stress free party as well. Food and drink can be very time consuming, especially if you plan on cooking a big meal. In fact, making sure everyone is well fed can often take the fun out of the party for the person throwing it. This year, tell everyone to bring a dish to pass. Have them RSVP with what they're going to bring and keep a running list so you don't have three people bringing fruitcake. To do your part, take care of the drinks, or offer up a roast as long as everyone else brings the fixings. Not having to cook everything for everyone will go a long way towards making an enjoyable party for you as well as your guests.

5. Let Your Party Be Silly: Trying to have the perfect party often adds a lot of unnecessary stress, so this year, make it a point to aim for non-perfection and have a silly theme to go along with your gathering. Tell everyone to wear their most hideous Christmas shirt or to make and wear their own New Year's Party Hat. Pajama party themes are great because nightclothes (the comfy, not the sexy, kind) make guests feel comfortable enough to let their hair down. Rent famous childhood holiday shows to play for your guests or plan goofy games like Twister, Pictionary, or even the old school favorite, Charades. Give your menu a fondue flair or set up a sandwich bar. Guests will enjoy the laid back feel of the party and even if something unplanned happens, with all the other silly little things happening, a small mishap won't be a big deal.

6. Cut the Guest List: Have you got the reputation for being the host with the most...guests? Sure it might be a nice status badge, but think about parties in the past. Have they gotten so out of hand that you end up not even knowing everyone that shows up? If this is the case, you're inviting way more stress than you need to into your holiday gathering. This year, cut the guest list down from fifty to fifteen or smaller. Opt for the small gathering of a few friends rather than the outlandish display meant to make headlines. Cozier gatherings are more personal and if you're celebrating with those closer to you, your stress level will decrease greatly.

7. Serve Brunch Rather than Dinner: Dinners can be time consuming and hard to cook for many people, even those who love being in the kitchen. On the contrary, breakfast foods are generally easier, usually needing no more than a couple large skillets and a baking sheet for biscuits and crescent rolls. Instead of having an evening party, invite your guests to a nice brunch at your home. Serve up brunch buffet style and treat your guests to mimosas and a fresh array of juices. Then let them spend the afternoon enjoying sports and the company of each other and their fabulous host. Whatever stress might come with this party will be long gone by evening, leaving you worry free to go out and enjoy yourself in other ways.

8. Hold a Tournament: In some situations, it's not so much the food or the entertainment that becomes stressful, but the guests. If you have many friends who don't know each other, interactions can be few and the atmosphere can seem a little tense. Instead of having a party where the focus is social, hold a tournament for your guests. Card tournaments are highly popular because decks are cheap and you can have several games going at once. Have guests bring a party dish or favor as their ante to get in the tournament and offer up a prize at the end of the night, such as a gift card or a stocking full of goodies. Through competition and the natural way that games bring people together, you'll most likely find your guests not only getting along but making new friends themselves.

9. Take the Party Outdoors: This is great for people celebrating in warmer climes but it's very doable for anyone in colder regions as well. Having all kinds of people crammed into a small space can add to the stress level of having a holiday party. Instead of crowding inside the house, tell guests ahead of time to bring warm clothes, boots, hats, anything to keep them warm in the outside. Build a bonfire if you can without breaking any local ordinances and let people roast hotdogs and marshmallows. Who says you can't have a BBQ in the winter? Break out the grill and serve hamburgers, keeping the fixings inside for when people are ready to eat. Then bring them back out for sledding and a good old fashioned snow ball fight. When it gets too cold, head back inside for hot chocolate. The few hours of bringing the kid out in your guests and yourself will add joy and take away stress for the holiday season.

10. Just say No: Pinpoint why you need to have a holiday party in the first place and then decide if it's really worth it. If you really and truly don't need to have a party this year, don't. Instead, make it a point to go to everyone else's parties. Enjoy their food, their entertainment, and mingle with their guests. You may even get some ideas for the party you'll throw next year. If you find yourself having withdrawals from being productive on the party circuit, ask around and see if anyone needs help and give it where you can while not taking on a whole soiree yourself.

No matter what you decide, remember that the season is a time to raise spirits, not beat them down with the stress of throwing a great party. Make it a point to enjoy your friends and your family rather than trying to impress them, and you'll find your holidays to be enjoyable for everyone at the party...including you.