1. Choose the date well in advance to give your guests lots of notice as people’s diaries fill up quickly and early for the holiday period!
2. Invite a mixture of guests from different elements of your life to keep the conversation lively, and to help your guests make new friends too!
3. Be clear on the invitation if food or drink is provided, or if it’s BYO so that guests can better plan for the party. You can also mention if there is a dress code. We recommend encouraging festive jumpers to get everyone in the spirit!
4. If you are catering keep it festive! Below is one of of my favourite festive canapé recipes. The key with this canapé it it’s nice and easy and can be made in advance. During the party you only need to warm them through – you don’t want to be spending the whole party in the kitchen!
Festive Brie & Cranberry Canape Puff Slices
Ingredients
– Several slices of puff pastry (frozen from the supermarket)
– A jar of Cranberry Sauce
– A block of Brie
1. Open up the pastry and slice into squares- think bite size squares!
2. Plop a dollop of cranberry sauce and a square of Brie in the centre of each square
3. Cook in the oven for around 10 mins
5. If you are planning to serve drinks you can also make them seasonal. Mulled wine is always a hit and below is a link to my favourite none alcoholic mulled wine recipe. The best thing about mulled wine is it can be made in advance and just left to warm on the stove. It smells delicious too!
6. Decorate! Make sure your Christmas tree is up to set the scene for your festive party. Scented candles can also give a lovely festive feel to a space!
7. Consider hosting a Secret Santa – ask every guest to bring one wrapped gift within a set budget (we recommend 50aed), put the gifts into a sack and get everyone to draw out a present. Expect lots of fun and silly gifts!
8. Create a playlist with a mixture of festive music. Include a mixture of modern and classic. Don’t be afraid to include some of the cheesy classics too!
9. Let your neighbours know that you are hosting a party so that they will be aware there may be some noise. Better yet, invite them to join the party!
10. Finally, have fun. Christmas is a time to enjoy and not stress. Enjoy the party and your guests will to!
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