Monday, December 16, 2013

Day 16: Tips for planning a non-stressful party

Yesterday my flatmate and I held our 3rd annual Open House Adventsparty. We do it every year on one of the advent weekends. We basically open our doors and everybody is invited. I have to add that our apartment is not gigantic, nor is our kitchen - to be exact we live in a 72 sqm apartment. And at some point yesterday we probably had between 25-30 people in the apartment. It was crazy, awesome, fun, and when I went to bed my heart was overflowing with joy. To have the opportunity to open my house to people to just bless them is such a gift. To me just sitting there seeing all these totally different people having a good time and completely relaxing is the best gift ever.
And the whole "planning" and "executing" part of the party was super relaxed. In fact 30 minutes before the party started the two of us already toasted to a great evening with some homemade eggnog. Everything was in place and ready to go.

You might ask how in the world we would fit in yet another party into Christmas season and sometimes I ask myself that too but then I remember how much I love it and how great it is and I forget the fact that my calender is filling up because honestly during Christmas season what's most important to me is spending it with people and enjoying it.

Anyways, I am trying to come to the point: I thought it would be great to give you a few tips how you can pull-off a non-stressful party any season of the year.


1. Don't over strain yourself - this does not mean you shouldn't give you best and put all the effort in what you've got. It is more to say don't get caught up in trying to throw a pinterest-perfect party. We can spend hours on pinterest getting so much inspiration and ideas and that is a good thing. It helps me a lot to stay creative and find new ideas. At the same time it sometimes paints an unrealistic picture because the perfect parties we see there are planned by specialists and with a lot of money on hand (ok not all of them, but you're getting my point). I suggest, that you use what you have and make the most out of it. A party does cost a bit of money but be creative with what you already have or with what nature has to offer when it comes to decorations.

2. People over planning - A party needs planning but always prioritize people. They are after all the ones you are throwing the party for. They are the ones coming into the atmosphere you have set. Don't lose yourself in the planning but keep reminding yourself of why you plan the party and for who. If it is a smaller setting and you have time in your calender go all out and cook for them or have a cheese platter or snacks or whatever works best for you. But if it is a big party (like ours was yesterday) ask people to contribute, have tons of snacks rather than a sit down meal. There is no shame in asking people to contribute (especially in the German culture I live in).

3. Just chill - And in order to do that and toast with eggnog 30 minutes before the party starts you need to put a little bit of effort into planning your day. For Melina and I that meant taking the 2-3 hours before to put on some awesome music, be focused and do what needed to be done, work quickly, dance a little in between and sing out loud. I guess a lot of it is deciding not to get stressed and plan in more time that you might need.

I really hope this was helpful for you. I am a strong defender of putting people first when it comes to party planning. If I lose sight of that what good will my party really be.

Happy Monday everyone.

xoxo

Ramona

2 comments:

  1. Replies
    1. That would've been soooo wonderful. It was a German party for sure. Just sitting, eating talking and some dart-playing :-)

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