by Kelsey Mckernan

Created on: December 10, 2008   Last Updated: December 15, 2008

Tis the season to be jolly! Christmas parties are a huge part of the holiday season. Whether your attending one or thowing one, christmas parties are a great way to celebrate the holidays. Once you've decided to throw the party, you need to start planning fairly early in advance. I myself know this very well because since I was young, I have helped my parents throw our annual christmas party. No matter what kind of a holiday party you end up throwing, try not to forget the real reason we celebrate the holidays. For those of you having a little difficulty planning your holiday get-to-gether, here are a few tips to help you throw a very memorable holiday party this season.

Guest List

The guest list is an essential indication of what kind of party you are throwing. There is a big difference whether you are having a small, intimate gathering with strictly family, or a huge holiday bash with a ton of your friends. If throwing a family party try keeping things simple yet seasonal. Usually with family parties, you have to consider all types of guests that may attend whether they are young children, or elderly adults, try having fun activities planned for all types of guests. For example if you have a lot of young children attending plan accordingly with possible holiday games or activities to keep them occupied during the evening. If you have elderly attendants, keep in mind they may not feel up to doing as much activity as the younger guests, so it's good to keep things mild and low key for them so they don't feel out of place.

Food and Drink

The food and drinks are there to keep your guests happy and the mood cheery, so you need to make sure you have a nice variety of both to please your guests. For my previous parties, I've had a wide array of snacks, sidedishes, dips, cookies and good things to munch on. Most people don't usually serve main dishes and its best to stick to side snacks and things of that nature. Dips like spiniach artichoke with pumpernickel bread or buffalo chicken dip with ritz crackers have been 2 crowd pleasers for past parties. Also, easy to make snacks like chocolate drizzled chex mix with powdered sugar. Not only is it delicious, it's really easy to prepare and won't kill your party budget. Cookies and cakes are always classic favorites as well. Whether you decide upon serving home-made sugar cookies or store bought, holiday cookies are always a good choice. Another favorite snack to serve of mine is a shrimp ring with some cocktail sauce. It's

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