How to Host an Eco-Friendly Winter Themed Party

You don't have to sacrifice style when hosting an eco-friendly winter party. There are several ways that you can be kind to the environment and still have a very stylish winter party. The following article will inspire you to cut back on waste and up the chic-ness quota at your next party!

Sending an electronic invitation can save you time, money and be easy on the environment. Websites such as evite.com will allow you to send out an "evite" for free. They have several neat graphics that will help you set the mood for your party. Also evites allow your guests to easily RSVP and leave comments for you to see. Some electronic invite websites also give you the option to assign guests things to bring or to sign up for food items to bring.

Stay away from cans and multiple bottles by serving your party beverages in pretty pitchers and classy beverage dispensers. You could serve ice water in a beverage dispenser and float lemon and orange slices in it instead of setting out cases of plastic water bottles. This will also save you time on your party clean up! You can serve warm apple cider directly from the stove top or put cider in a crock pot to keep it warm.

Locally produced foods are a good additional to an eco-friendly party. Locally produced food doesn't have to shipped too far and this cuts down on gasoline consumption and carbon dioxide that is put in the air. When planning your menu, you should consider locally grown and produced food. An appetizer tray featuring local produce and cheeses would be a good starter for your meal. Other dishes at the party could be planned around local foods. A card placed by the various dishes telling where the food was produced at, would promote local food even more. A chili made from locally grown beef would be a fun and casual main course to serve at a winter themed party.

Bring out your fancy stuff! Do you have tablecloths and fine china that are collecting dust in the closet? Break them out instead of purchasing disposable plates and tablecloths. Running a load of laundry or dishes uses up a lot fewer resources than a couple of packages of disposable party supplies. Are you lacking in fancy table linens and dishes? During the holiday's Target and Wal-Mart sell simple white dishes in large qualities. It's a little investment but then you won't need to buy paper again! If you don't have a tablecloth, do you have a pretty sheet or large piece of fabric you could use? I used a Wal-Mart brown sheet as a tablecloth at my friend's baby shower. It was a twin sized sheet and worked out great!

Giving your guests a favor when leaving the party is a nice touch. Useful favors are the best favors. Cute reusable shopping bags are everywhere these days! Present them to your guests rolled up and tied with ribbon. A small journal or notebook made out of recycled paper would also be a welcomed gift.