When we look ahead to Christmas, it is often with a sense that we want this one to be the best yet. We plan everything out, we send, accept and reject invitations, and we shop. Then we prepare, we welcome and we say goodbye. Eventually we tidy, and then we look back. With a critical eye we might say that the season was a bit of a disappointment, but mostly we will fondly remember the best of it, and resolve to make sure that the next one lives up to it. This is the challenge that is involved in hosting a Christmas party, and it is a challenge that makes the best of many of us.
The best Christmas party obviously depends upon your target audience. In that target audience may be a bunch of adults, a majority of kids, or any other eclectic mix of different age groups. If it is a party for adults, then the requirements clearly will be somewhat different from a kids' party - but the fact remains that a happy holiday party will involve something for everyone - and on a budget this can stretch the host to their limits.
The best approach is to consult with a number of people who will be coming to the party. You want to please the greatest number of people that you can, and whether this means buying more drinks than you had planned, hiring a caterer, or anything else, it helps to know what the prevailing feel is.
Surveying The Damage - The Post-Christmas Landscape
It is not difficult to see why some people question whether they should bother with Christmas in a given year. The magic of Christmas is undeniable for most of us, but it is a magic that works mostly on our perceptions, and does not effect the reality of things when we most need it to. The holiday season makes some demands on us, and although we are happy to meet them, they still need to be addressed when the time comes. Most of us worry about our wallet or our waistline more than anything.
The Christmas period does have a financial impact on almost all of us. Having spent the year being careful with money, making sure that we have enough to get through the week or the month, we arrive in mid-December and it seems like someone has dropped a nuclear bomb into our bank account. Money goes all over the place, and is hard to keep track of. When we sit back after the holiday season is over, we wonder how we are going to pay for everything.
Our waistline can also be a concern, because if there is one thing that sums up Christmas more than the gifts, it is the culinary indulgence. Large platefuls, second helpings and leftovers. Party food, party drink and precious little exercise mean that, all of a sudden, we have gained a few pounds. It is no wonder that most people's New Year resolution is to go to the gym more. But the truth is that, with forward planning, we can make it all go a bit more smoothly. It just takes determination.
Is Christmas Just A Time For Children?
The older we get, the more Christmas can seem like a holiday which is simply designed to get the maximum amount of money out of our wallets, even as we enjoy the festivities. There will always be some people willing to make a cynical quick buck or two, and this does not help matters. However, the holiday period does certainly have its compensations, and many would say that these multiply when we have children. Children can add a lot to the Christmas experience, rejuvenating the holiday in the eyes of those of us who had felt like giving up the whole jamboree.
For children, Christmas is a time of wonder. It would be churlish to say that this is all because of the presents, but it would also be stretching the bounds of credibility to suggest that the idea of gifts did not play a major part in it. Children are quite materialistic - they will want good gifts, as they have to return to school after the holidays and join in the competition over who got what. But at the same time, the ideal message of Christmas - one of friendship and goodwill - is something that children can spread more thoroughly than anyone.
As adults, there are certain harsh realities which do not go away just because it is Christmas. However, there is a way in which the holiday can make us face these realities with a steely determination that they won't get the best of us. It may be our children who get the most out of Christmas - but we can get a lot out of it too.
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