Southshore Holiday Party Hacks
December 6, 2016
Whether you’re observing Christmas, Hanukkah, Kwanzaa or New Year’s Eve in a few weeks, throwing a holiday party in your new home at Southshore can drain your energy, your wallet, and your joy. But it doesn’t have to! We collected a few recipes and secrets from the pros to help ensure your holiday is a celebration to remember!
Cocktail Party Hacks
If you’re serving alcohol, TheKitchn.com offers up some great advice for “booze on a budget.” They also have some yummy holiday party appetizer ideas, from Sausage Balls and Cheddar Olives to Baked Veggie Wontons.
Delish has some easy and exotic recipes for a holiday punch. You’ll see everything from standard fare, like eggnog and coffee drinks, to Sparking Pear-Prosecco and Cranberry-Mint Holiday Punch. And don’t miss these 65 different holiday appetizers to keep your party-goers fueled.
Holiday Party AMBIANCE
Flickering candlelight is beautiful, but if small children or pets are part of the celebration, get some battery-powered votive or pillar candles for a warm glow without the worry. (Walmart has a set of six pillars for $16.97 and a votive 10-pack for $12.97.) Plus, that LED flicker in a fireplace gives you the look of warmth without heating up a room filled with guests.
You can also give your chandelier a simple holiday update by draping the arms with an evergreen garland and embellishing plain paper shades with an assortment of ribbon attached with hot glue.
Good Housekeeping has some holiday party themes to inspire your decorating panache and Rachael Ray offers up a bunch of clever and creative shortcuts for the average (non-crafty!) party-thrower!
Stress-Free Holiday Party
While we suspect stress-free means something different to Martha Stewart than it does to the rest of us, she’s put together some tips for a Christmas party that won’t wear you out.
HGTV has a dozen ideas to save your time, money and energy, plus some recipes to try and projects to DIY.
Alternative Trees
Courtesy: Real Simple
If you want more than one Christmas tree, but don’t have the energy (or the tree), Real Simple has a few out-of-the-ordinary DIY ideas that take less time to put up than the 3-D version, and no time to take down!
Dinner…If You Dare!
Courtesy HGTV
Most hostesses (the kind who want a stress-free meal and food they know will taste great) stick to tried-and-true recipes and buy as much of the necessary food already prepared. Even better is to have everybody bring an entrée or side! It’s nice to have a make-it-all mindset but with our busy modern lifestyles, it’s more important to enjoy your loved ones and guests!
If you trust the Food Network, and we generally do, impress your guests with one or more of these 42 “quick and easy” holiday recipes. Not sure about all those Cornish hens, but the flank steak looks like it might live up to its billing!
Make table decorations shine by working strands of twinkling mini-lights into garlands, topiaries and tabletop décor. (Walmart comes through again! A 150-count two-pack is $7.82.)
And if your party’s not till New Year’s eve, Real Simple has collected some retail ideas for your party decor. And for general party planning/throwing tips, Epicurious, Money Talk News and Pinterest all weigh in with great advice.
Party at Southshore!
The parties start this week in and around Southshore, our new home lake community in Aurora. To move into our festive master-planned community, stop in to view the stunning models at Village Homes, and the new designs by Richmond American Homes. Several quick move-ins are available, too! New ranch and two-story models are priced from the $400s.