To plan a Christmas do, here are some tips to help you pull it off perfectly
1 Make it buffet-style. Having your guests serving themselves is especially good when you have a large crowd.
2 Prepare food ahead of time. Therefore, it's critical to choose recipes and food that can be prepared ahead, refrigerated or frozen without sacrificing quality. Make sure to use seal foods in tightly-covered containers or freezer bags. Wrap food destined for the fridge in plastic wrap, foil or plastic bags. Place food stored at room temperature in airtight containers. The day before the party, thaw the frozen foods in the refrigerator.
3 Rum punch, sangria, margarita are great because you can pre-mix a large amount and chill ahead of time. It beats having to mix and serve individual drinks. Keep non-alcoholic beverages on hand for those who don't indulge and for the designated drivers.
4 In addition, make sure you have on hand, beer and white wines, chilled champagne, non-alcoholic wines, lemons and limes, equipment like a corkscrew, a paring knife,
swizzle sticks and plenty of glasses.
5 For beverages, plan on each person having three to four drinks. A bottle of wine contains five to six glasses. A fifth of spirits serves 10 to 15 drinks. For a crowd of 15, you'll need (at least) a fifth of each type of hard liquor, five bottles each of red and white wine, two cases of beer, two cases of diet soda, and several litres of mixers, seven lemons, five limes and three bags of ice.
6 Keep it simple. Chicken wings are great. But you can also include cocktail patties, vegetables and dips, fruits, sliced meats (bologna, salami), cheese, bite-sized pieces of pizza. Include chips and nuts, as well as fruit juices and soda.
7 For food, provide three to four pieces of hors d'oeuvres like crab cakes and chicken pieces per guest.
8 Place bowlfuls of snacks on side tables throughout the party area.
9 Limit last-minute food preparation to tasks you can easily accomplish the day of the party.
10 As you slice cheese and cut up vegetables, arrange them on three or four different trays at the same time so as guests deplete one tray, you can remove it and quickly replace it with another tray. Finalise food preparation early in the day of the party.
11 Double up recipes for cheese, chicken, etc. However, it's not wise to make big batches of cakes, cheesecakes, bar cookies, pies and breads. Instead, prepare a single batch repeatedly until you figure you have enough.
12 Keep seating to a minimum. It's a good way to keep your guests circulating and mingling with the crowd.
13 Add ambience to your party with the right music, of course, strategically placed scented candles, bouquets of flowers, glass bowls of water with floating flower petals. Or you may want to create a theme - Hawaiian, ol' time Jamaican, etc.
