Merry measures for easy entertaining
December 16, 2005 | 12:00am
If you’re the type that willfully ignores sensible Christmas advice like "plan ahead," take comfort in the fact that you’re not alone. If the lines in grocery stores, parking lots and shopping malls are any indication, only a lucky few escape the hustle and bustle of the holidays unscathed. Even if we live in a country that starts the holiday season notoriously early, somehow crunch time always comes much earlier than expected.
In between family obligations, office parties, punishing deadlines, last-minute shopping, glitzy events, and gift preparation, it’s easy to let the holidays slip away without ever feeling a spark of that elusive Christmas spirit. Sometimes, a low-key evening at home with a few close friends and/or family members is all you need to remind you of what the season is all about.
While hosting your own holiday celebration always requires a little extra effort on your part, it’s a great way to show your friends and family how much you care about them. You’ll come across tons of fancy ideas that involve complicated games and holiday-themed activities designed to pressure you to feel Christmas cheer. But unless you live in a Mark Twain novel, it’s unlikely your guests will view decorating your house, trimming your tree, and baking cookies for you as "fun party activities." The truth is, there’s nothing wrong with a holiday celebration that consists of little more than eating, drinking and gossiping (or "catching up," if that’s what you want to call it). No one’s expecting machines that produce fake snow, hired carolers and traveling trays of elaborate canapés that are almost too pretty to eat. That said, there are a few festive details you can keep in mind that will put your party a cut above the usual thrown-together lineup of stale chips, soda and TV.
Christmas scents add an extra dimension to your party. The sense of smell is mysterious; it can evoke memories of happy times that you didn’t even know you had. Holiday scents should greet your guests the minute they arrive. Unless you have a fresh evergreen tree or wreath, you might have to experiment to get the results you want. The scent of a real pine Christmas tree can be easily approximated with a house spray, Wintergreen incense (but put it out just before your guests arrive so only the scent lingers, as you don’t want them choking on fumes), or a clean woodsy candle. Just keep it subtle and make sure it doesn’t overwhelm the food you’re serving!
If you want a more personalized scent, fill a saucepan with about eight cups of water, bring it to a rolling boil and toss in cinnamon sticks, ginger, citrus rinds, lavender, drops of vanilla extract and other lovely Christmas-evoking aromatic spices. Let it simmer until the scent wafts across the party area so you can pretend you’ve been cooking all day. Try to test your mixture a day or two before the event so you’ll know if it’s overpowering or unpleasant.
Know when to accept that more is more. Every book on Filipino Christmas celebrations contains at least one mention of horror vacui, or "the fear of empty space." Once Christmas decorations are liberated from the storage areas that imprison them during the year, they tend to overwhelm every possible surface of a living space. Stiff, overstuffed pillows with Christmas embroidery render chairs and couches useless, poinsettias occupy every corner, and prickly faux pine garlands snake along staircase banisters. While you might want to resist the urge to overdo the decorations, keep in mind that the one place you shouldn’t hold back is the dinner table, especially during parties. Tables should overflow with tons of holiday goodies, such as candy canes or small trinkets your guests can take home. Even if your food isn’t particularly elaborate, make sure there’s lots of it and present it in a way that pays tribute to the traditional feasts of Christmases past.
Never underestimate the power of individually-wrapped candy. Few can resist the eye-catching shiny wrapping and the decadent twist of foil that houses luscious soft toffee or fine milk chocolate. Every piece is like a bite-sized Christmas present! (If you’re not convinced yet, consider the alternative: is there anything more gross than dipping your hand into a bowl of nuts or crackers that have already been pawed by 12 other hands?) Put the sweets in colorful candy dishes or bowls in all corners of the party area or scatter them around the dinner table like edible confetti. As the party progresses make sure to dispose of the wrappers regularly; you don’t want your guests to get wise and start counting how many pieces they ate.
Give your guests Christmas crackers (the cardboard tubes wrapped in a shiny or colorful twist of paper). When they’re piled on a table they resemble oversized sweets, so like holiday candy they double as decorations. It takes two people to pull a cracker apart, much like a wishbone. When the cracker splits, a small bang is produced and the person with the larger portion of the cracker can keep its contents, which may include goofy paper crowns for your guests to wear, fortunes, jokes and other sweet surprises. (Available at Rustan’s, Marks and Spencer and Debenhams.)
Be considerate to your guests, even the health-conscious ones on newfangled diets. Even if you’ve read all the articles that told them to lie and tell you, "I’ve enjoyed every bite, but I’m stuffed!" resist the temptation to say, "Get over yourself, it’s Christmas!" or worse, "Of course it’s sugar-free!" There’s a reason all those tips for dealing with pushy hosts exist, and the last thing you want to do is make yourself part of the problem. Provide healthy food options and nonalcoholic drinks, and don’t let those who refuse to partake kill your yuletide buzz.
With these tips in mind, even a loosely interpreted theme can suggest that meticulous planning and preparation went into your low-key, low-maintenance, low-pressure affair. Some suggestions for a relaxed holiday celebration:
The classic cheese and wine party: This is a good option if you adore company but find yourself less enthusiastic about cooking. Once you’ve mastered pouring and slicing you’re all set. If you’re not a connoisseur, don’t be afraid to ask experts for help when you choose the best bottles and cheeses for your party. Make sure your selections complement each other; in general, more mature cheese goes with more assertive wine. Your buffet spread should include sliced fruit, bread, crackers, olives, and meats. Presentation is key. Platters look much more impressive if they’re large and colorful. Consider investing in drink charms so guests can easily identify their drinks. This way, you’ll have fewer glasses to wash. Put out interesting coffee table books for your guests to examine, especially if the books are holiday-related with lots of colorful illustrations. Who knows, they might facilitate conversation.
Fondue fete: Nothing says Christmas like dipping things in a vat of melted chocolate or cheese. If you don’t have a specialty fondue pot, a low simmering pot on the stove will work. If you’re afraid of scalding the chocolate or if you’ve never used the stove, you can even microwave it and serve the melted goods in decorative individual bowls.
Christmas coffee or tea: This informal gathering can represent a short break after work or a long leisurely afternoon to be enjoyed to the fullest. Provide both hot and iced options for drinks with an assortment of Christmas spices like cinnamon and nutmeg, honey and syrups your guests can use to sweeten their beverages to their liking. Serve small sandwiches and delicious bite-sized desserts like almond crescents, sugar cookies, and petits fours.
Potluck: Though the name suggests trusting the choices of others and embracing all things random, a little organization goes a long way even for this famously low-maintenance festivity. When you ask all your guests to bring their favorite dishes, assign each a course (appetizers, salads, main dishes) or stick to a specific theme and have a dessert party for a wider variety of one course. Provide drinks and two to three "safe" dishes just in case. In the spirit of the season encourage your guests to share the sources for take-out dishes and the recipes for homemade dishes.
The before- or afterparty: If you haven’t sent invitations two to three weeks before your get-together (as advised by every party planning book on the planet), latching on to a bigger celebration is a convenient way to make sure your guests are available during the hectic part of December. If you don’t want to host a party that lasts all night, invite people over for appetizers and perhaps a drink or two before the group moves on to another festive occasion. This way you can all dress up, enjoy each other’s company in a more intimate (and less noisy) setting and have a few snacks before the main event. Whether you want to entertain a few close co-workers before the huge annual company Christmas party or the friends from high school you’ve actually kept in touch with before that big class reunion, a small social gathering of close friends will no doubt put you in a more festive mood that will increase your enjoyment of the next big celebration. If there are more than a few night owls on your guest list, commiserating after an event might work for you as well, surely you’ll have a lot to talk about.
In between family obligations, office parties, punishing deadlines, last-minute shopping, glitzy events, and gift preparation, it’s easy to let the holidays slip away without ever feeling a spark of that elusive Christmas spirit. Sometimes, a low-key evening at home with a few close friends and/or family members is all you need to remind you of what the season is all about.
While hosting your own holiday celebration always requires a little extra effort on your part, it’s a great way to show your friends and family how much you care about them. You’ll come across tons of fancy ideas that involve complicated games and holiday-themed activities designed to pressure you to feel Christmas cheer. But unless you live in a Mark Twain novel, it’s unlikely your guests will view decorating your house, trimming your tree, and baking cookies for you as "fun party activities." The truth is, there’s nothing wrong with a holiday celebration that consists of little more than eating, drinking and gossiping (or "catching up," if that’s what you want to call it). No one’s expecting machines that produce fake snow, hired carolers and traveling trays of elaborate canapés that are almost too pretty to eat. That said, there are a few festive details you can keep in mind that will put your party a cut above the usual thrown-together lineup of stale chips, soda and TV.
Christmas scents add an extra dimension to your party. The sense of smell is mysterious; it can evoke memories of happy times that you didn’t even know you had. Holiday scents should greet your guests the minute they arrive. Unless you have a fresh evergreen tree or wreath, you might have to experiment to get the results you want. The scent of a real pine Christmas tree can be easily approximated with a house spray, Wintergreen incense (but put it out just before your guests arrive so only the scent lingers, as you don’t want them choking on fumes), or a clean woodsy candle. Just keep it subtle and make sure it doesn’t overwhelm the food you’re serving!
If you want a more personalized scent, fill a saucepan with about eight cups of water, bring it to a rolling boil and toss in cinnamon sticks, ginger, citrus rinds, lavender, drops of vanilla extract and other lovely Christmas-evoking aromatic spices. Let it simmer until the scent wafts across the party area so you can pretend you’ve been cooking all day. Try to test your mixture a day or two before the event so you’ll know if it’s overpowering or unpleasant.
Know when to accept that more is more. Every book on Filipino Christmas celebrations contains at least one mention of horror vacui, or "the fear of empty space." Once Christmas decorations are liberated from the storage areas that imprison them during the year, they tend to overwhelm every possible surface of a living space. Stiff, overstuffed pillows with Christmas embroidery render chairs and couches useless, poinsettias occupy every corner, and prickly faux pine garlands snake along staircase banisters. While you might want to resist the urge to overdo the decorations, keep in mind that the one place you shouldn’t hold back is the dinner table, especially during parties. Tables should overflow with tons of holiday goodies, such as candy canes or small trinkets your guests can take home. Even if your food isn’t particularly elaborate, make sure there’s lots of it and present it in a way that pays tribute to the traditional feasts of Christmases past.
Never underestimate the power of individually-wrapped candy. Few can resist the eye-catching shiny wrapping and the decadent twist of foil that houses luscious soft toffee or fine milk chocolate. Every piece is like a bite-sized Christmas present! (If you’re not convinced yet, consider the alternative: is there anything more gross than dipping your hand into a bowl of nuts or crackers that have already been pawed by 12 other hands?) Put the sweets in colorful candy dishes or bowls in all corners of the party area or scatter them around the dinner table like edible confetti. As the party progresses make sure to dispose of the wrappers regularly; you don’t want your guests to get wise and start counting how many pieces they ate.
Give your guests Christmas crackers (the cardboard tubes wrapped in a shiny or colorful twist of paper). When they’re piled on a table they resemble oversized sweets, so like holiday candy they double as decorations. It takes two people to pull a cracker apart, much like a wishbone. When the cracker splits, a small bang is produced and the person with the larger portion of the cracker can keep its contents, which may include goofy paper crowns for your guests to wear, fortunes, jokes and other sweet surprises. (Available at Rustan’s, Marks and Spencer and Debenhams.)
Be considerate to your guests, even the health-conscious ones on newfangled diets. Even if you’ve read all the articles that told them to lie and tell you, "I’ve enjoyed every bite, but I’m stuffed!" resist the temptation to say, "Get over yourself, it’s Christmas!" or worse, "Of course it’s sugar-free!" There’s a reason all those tips for dealing with pushy hosts exist, and the last thing you want to do is make yourself part of the problem. Provide healthy food options and nonalcoholic drinks, and don’t let those who refuse to partake kill your yuletide buzz.
With these tips in mind, even a loosely interpreted theme can suggest that meticulous planning and preparation went into your low-key, low-maintenance, low-pressure affair. Some suggestions for a relaxed holiday celebration:
The classic cheese and wine party: This is a good option if you adore company but find yourself less enthusiastic about cooking. Once you’ve mastered pouring and slicing you’re all set. If you’re not a connoisseur, don’t be afraid to ask experts for help when you choose the best bottles and cheeses for your party. Make sure your selections complement each other; in general, more mature cheese goes with more assertive wine. Your buffet spread should include sliced fruit, bread, crackers, olives, and meats. Presentation is key. Platters look much more impressive if they’re large and colorful. Consider investing in drink charms so guests can easily identify their drinks. This way, you’ll have fewer glasses to wash. Put out interesting coffee table books for your guests to examine, especially if the books are holiday-related with lots of colorful illustrations. Who knows, they might facilitate conversation.
Fondue fete: Nothing says Christmas like dipping things in a vat of melted chocolate or cheese. If you don’t have a specialty fondue pot, a low simmering pot on the stove will work. If you’re afraid of scalding the chocolate or if you’ve never used the stove, you can even microwave it and serve the melted goods in decorative individual bowls.
Christmas coffee or tea: This informal gathering can represent a short break after work or a long leisurely afternoon to be enjoyed to the fullest. Provide both hot and iced options for drinks with an assortment of Christmas spices like cinnamon and nutmeg, honey and syrups your guests can use to sweeten their beverages to their liking. Serve small sandwiches and delicious bite-sized desserts like almond crescents, sugar cookies, and petits fours.
Potluck: Though the name suggests trusting the choices of others and embracing all things random, a little organization goes a long way even for this famously low-maintenance festivity. When you ask all your guests to bring their favorite dishes, assign each a course (appetizers, salads, main dishes) or stick to a specific theme and have a dessert party for a wider variety of one course. Provide drinks and two to three "safe" dishes just in case. In the spirit of the season encourage your guests to share the sources for take-out dishes and the recipes for homemade dishes.
The before- or afterparty: If you haven’t sent invitations two to three weeks before your get-together (as advised by every party planning book on the planet), latching on to a bigger celebration is a convenient way to make sure your guests are available during the hectic part of December. If you don’t want to host a party that lasts all night, invite people over for appetizers and perhaps a drink or two before the group moves on to another festive occasion. This way you can all dress up, enjoy each other’s company in a more intimate (and less noisy) setting and have a few snacks before the main event. Whether you want to entertain a few close co-workers before the huge annual company Christmas party or the friends from high school you’ve actually kept in touch with before that big class reunion, a small social gathering of close friends will no doubt put you in a more festive mood that will increase your enjoyment of the next big celebration. If there are more than a few night owls on your guest list, commiserating after an event might work for you as well, surely you’ll have a lot to talk about.
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