MJPROFIT - Holiday Entertaining 101

Holiday Entertaining 101
by: News Canada

(NC)—The holiday season is the time of year filled with entertaining, parties and social gatherings. Whether planning a small, intimate gathering or a large family affair, it is often the host's attention to detail that impresses guests the most. Creating a festive atmosphere, planning ahead and preparing delicious dishes will ensure guests have a memorable experience. This holiday season, follow these simple tips, guaranteed to delight visitors and simplify holiday entertaining.

Create Atmosphere

• Limit the size of the gathering, consider several intimate parties rather than a large open house

• Add distinctive touches that guests will remember. Creative centre pieces, colourful drinks, special serving dishes and bright napkins will all assist in creating an inviting atmosphere

• Create ambience with candles and festive music or string indoor lights or ribbon around house plants and stairways

• Treat guests to small favours that they can take home as mementos of the evening (i.e. a small decorative candle or colourful ornament)

Be Prepared

• Consider hiring someone to assist with set-up and clean-up during the event. A neighbourhood teen or college student would be grateful for the extra income around the holidays

• Develop a check list and timeline of things to do before the event to ensure that party elements are well-organized

• Prepare food, beverages, décor the day before so you can spend more time with guests

• Set up an area where guests can fix their own drinks. Use a cooler with ice to keep beverages chilled and free up the refrigerator

Keep Food Simple and Beautiful

• Plan a combination of hot and cold foods to decrease preparation time

• Prepare popular, tasty appetizers that are visually pleasing such as Knorr's Classic Spinach Dip in a pumpernickel bread bowl

• Hors d'oeuvres provide guests with a sampling of numerous cuisines and offer variety. Pay special attention to offer meatless and non-dairy edibles for guests with religious, vegetarian and lactose-intolerant restrictions

- News Canada

About The Author

News Canada provides a wide selection of current, ready-to-use copyright free news stories and ideas for Television, Print, Radio, and the Web.
News Canada is a niche service in public relations, offering access to print, radio, television, and now the Internet media, with ready-to-use, editorial "fill" items. Monitoring and analysis are two more of our primary services. The service supplies access to the national media for marketers in the private, the public, and the not-for-profit sectors. Your corporate and product news, consumer tips and information are packaged in a variety of ready-to-use formats and are made available to every Canadian media organization including weekly and daily newspapers, cable and commercial television stations, radio stations, as well as the Web sites Canadians visit most often. Visit News Canada and learn more about the NC services.

This article was posted on November 17, 2003