How to Throw a Christmas Party

The smell and feel of Christmas is fast approaching. The streets will soon be filled with shoppers looking for the perfect gift for the special people in their lives. The hint of eggnog wafting in the air and the sight of Christmas trees will soon be upon us. Your mailbox will soon fill with Christmas cards from your great aunt and uncle and inevitably you will be invited to the annual Christmas gathering at aunt Pat's house. How easy it is for us to forget the meaning of the holiday. Christmas is soon becoming a routine. Everyone's parties are filled with the same guest, the same food and the same music. It will take you to throw a new party for the holiday. A grown up party, the party before the children included parties begin. I am not talking about any old party either but a party to be remembered for centuries to come. A party that is such a hit you will be ushered into a new career instantly.

You will need to take chances this year with your new party theme. You will also need to step outside of the box with your ideas. Don't worry I'll give you all of the information you need. Color is an important part of the holiday we associate red and green and red and white strips with Christmas so this year we will stray away from tradition. Your new colors should be Gold and burgundy. Why do I say Gold you ask well for starters gold is a warm color and if done correctly will give your friends and family a sense of elegance and charm when they first enter. You should seek out gold garland to wrap your banisters. Burgundy should be used as an ascent color. Just for fun or the evening a gold colored slipcover should make an appearance on the coach and loveseat with burgundy throw pillows for a splash of color. You should also try finding a gold colored vase and filling it with burgundy colored flowers as a centerpiece for the dining room table. Use gold colored candles with burgundy flower pedals surrounding it. This color theme will be unique and noted right away. You want to make your guest feel like they are not going to the traditional party and they should feel that way from the moment they hit the door.

I usually dread Christmas parties because of its hum drum familiarity. I enjoy different, I always have and I'm sure I'm not alone. I remember the parties I've attended that were creative and fun. The other traditional holiday parties are all blended together in the back of my memory unless of course there was a family rivalry that was worth stopping to listen to. Every year I know what to expect for dinner I know that their will be Turkey served with someone's famous stuffing and boring cranberry sauce that someone thought they would highlight with real cranberries. Sure the food was made with some love but mostly with repetition. That is why this year your party will not include the ordinary it will not include the expected but the unexpected. You will serve stuffed portabella mushrooms as an enticing appetizer you will serve stuffed cheese and garlic biscuits with a rich mushroom gravy sauce. Your main dish will not be traditional turkey but Garlic and herb beef tenderloin in creamy porcini sauce and small baked potatoes sliced nicely in half and filled with sour cream and chives. They will have a choice of sauteed vegatables and potatoe and vegetable frittata. Stay away from tradition step into the holiday unknown. You can serve glasses of white wine or for the non drinkers peach sparkling cider

When you think of Christmas parties you probably don't think of entertainment. You're mostly likely use to hearing uncle Thomas playing his rendition of "Jingle Bells" on the piano. This year however you will have live entertainment. Hire a local band who plays mellow music to play in the background of course if you have room that is. You want to also have games and I don't mean traditional party games either it is Christmas after all. Give each of your guest an envelope with a toy twenty-dollar bill inside also include a piece of paper and a pencil on the piece of paper write three secret items. Tell them during the course of the party they have to find three secret items. Have them check off the items on the paper and at the end of the night right before all of the guess are about to leave have them show you their paper with the number of items they found and give them a specified number of toy money to use for the auction. After everyone receives their money let them place bids on gifts bought for that purpose. Highest bidder wins.