’Tis the season to be jolly, fa la la la la...
The season to catch up with old friends, to party, get some Christmas spirit going and spread the joy. It’s ALSO a great time to play host and have a bash of your own! Drinking games, boozy treats, Mariah Carey’s “All I want For Christmas Is You” blaring merrily on the stereo – the scene’s just right to have a house party.
And that’s where the problem lies.
You may have all the right intentions of wanting to host a party, but it can’t be Plain Jane – you’ve gotta shine and throw one that people remember till next year. Alas, in today’s “can’t-get-anywhere-on-time” race, planning a kickass house ball may be the last thing on your mind.
Phikar not, all you need is a couple of tips, a fast car, a trusted friend and you can whip up a night to remember in less than 60 minutes. How? Read on.
The Guest List: Create a Facebook Event
Sure, sure, your best loyal friends will come for sure, but you want to mix it up right? Inviting people individually is quite a pain, so it’s social media to the rescue! Facebook and its genius event pages allow you to invite multiple people on your friend list within minutes without the hassle of sending an email or a text.
But what about its design? Head over to canva.com and pick up one of the free Christmassy templates for your FB cover, write your info clearly and publish. If you want to go the extra mile, just Whatsapp blast the same FB cover to everyone, and you are set.
On to the decorations!
The Décor: Recycle the Old!
Still have your old Diwali decorations? Get ’em out and hang the lanterns in the balconies ASAP! Remember the basic colours of Christmas, green and red. For the lights, get small mirchi ones which are famously available throughout the year, hang them around your tubelights, dim them down and done! Download a nice Christmas wallpaper or a small animation from the net, play it on your TV and you’ve got yourself a very merry Christmas, my friend.
The Booze: BYOB is Totally Acceptable
As a host, your job and responsibility is to take care of everyone’s FIRST drink.
And that’s where it ends. You should spread the cheer, but it is not your mandate to get everyone drunk! Let people bring at least a part of their own poison.
Of course, that doesn’t mean that the first drink can’t SCREAM Christmas! Blitz together one part vodka, one part tequila, some cranberry juice ( for the colour), lemon juice and ice. Give it a funky festive name and welcome your guests with it.
The Eats: Finger Food Ki Jai
The first rule of any successful party? Make sure there is enough food and more to go around.
Having said that, you don’t have to blow a hole through your wallet to feed everyone. Also, who wants to deal with the mess of a thousand plates the next day? Hence, finger food works the best. Get a couple of bag of chips, whip up some homemade quick dips, mini samosas, bacon sausages – you get the drift. Also, buy only what is available close to you, so that if you may need to restock, you won’t have to drive miles or deal with traffic.
Also, get red paper napkins and plates to go with the theme! If the party demands a pizza for the late nighters, you take a call later.
The Entertainment: Stream a Christmas Playlist
Dedicate about 10 minutes or so to creating a banging playlist – and by create, we mean Google and stream. You are not going to have any time to make one from your own local files and shouldn’t be wasting time doing so either. Just head over to either ‘gaana’ or ‘saavn’ and relax.
Also, get a couple of Post It’s and ask each guest to wear a sort of a name tag – that cuts out the need for introductions and awkward conversations! Mingle freely!
The Party Favours: Boozy Christmas Cakes
Ain’t no party without some gift giving! This can be simple but effective too. Target the bakery near you and buy a dozen boozy Christmas cakes, put them in tiny colourful readymade bags and your return gifts are good to go!
Also, everyone likes a reminder of the night before, so make sure you click plenty of pics and upload them on your Facebook event for some great ‘after’ stories!
(A massive EDM junkie and a Jedi Padewan, Radhika believes in taking life by the fork and knife every day. She has been a media woman for the last 10 years with a huge passion for video technology. While working in content management is her day avatar, nothing gets her foodie side going like a good spicy misal pav!)
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