Combine Your Christmas Party Planning With Your Christmas To-Do List and Start a Tradition

Thanksgiving has come and gone and Christmas is just around the corner. There's nothing like a festive holiday party to get into the Christmas spirit. But frankly, you're finding it hard to regroup and launch into Christmas party planning so soon.

There are so many things to do just to get ready for the holidays! The house and the Christmas tree need decorations and gift shopping and wrapping are on your list to do. There are Christmas cookies to bake, cards to send, and visits to the senior center to share your Christmas cheer with some who don't have family nearby. Who has time for Christmas party planning?

If you're thinking about the party you promised yourself you'd have this year, but like last year you're hesitating, consider turning your Christmas "chores" into a new Christmas tradition. Combine forces with your guests and turn chores into celebrations. Choose one chore this year and another one next year to start the tradition.

Here are some Christmas party planning suggestions... some are tried and true and others may be new:

Christmas Tree Trimming Parties- make a pact with 3-4 friends to help decorate each others' trees. One gathering can be a brunch, one can be an afternoon tea, one a cocktail party, and one a dinner. You could challenge yourself and try to do it all in one day (not recommended for the faint of heart or decorating.) I would suggest spreading it out over a few days and enjoy your friendship while decorating. Include other friends in the celebrations too. Many people don't put up a tree and would enjoy the fun of helping you.

Christmas Cookie Baking and recipe exchange- ask several friends who are great bakers to bring a double batch of their best Christmas cookie dough and plan to have a Cheese Garlic and Bacon Grits casserole and fresh fruit brunch while you bake off the dough and share the fresh baked cookies with each other. If you choose a day when there is a great movie, sporting event on TV, or just a good game of poker to start, you can include friends who don't want to bake in the guest list too.

Christmas centerpiece or tree ornament making party- order some fresh evergreens and gather lots of ornament making supplies. Ask your guests to raid their decoration making supplies and to bring a favorite container so they can take their centerpiece home. Let your guests get creative while you nourish them with tasty cheese, crackers, dried fruits, nuts, and a special wine or punch.

Christmas letter writing party- Christmas letters are controversial. Some love them and can't wait to hear the news of the year from family and friends. Others toss them in the trash trying to avoid the bragging or the misery they bring. What better way is there to prepare a great annual missive than to have your friends give you editorial advice before you send it off? Have everyone bring their laptop computers and draft their letter at your Christmas party. Read them out loud and critique. Let each other know if your letters are too sad, too bragging, too boring, or just right. Help each other add a little humor to your letters and enjoy some tasty hors d'oeurves in the process.

Here are a few other "chores" that have the potential to be a new Christmas party planning tradition.

Christmas gift wrapping party
Christmas dinner side dish recipe exchange -- make big batches of your favorite side dishes and share or just exchange the recipes
Pre - Christmas Eve church service dinner-make this a potluck to spread the work around
Senior center or retirement home visiting and caroling party-share your Christmas joy with those who most need and deserve it.

Just take a look at your Christmas to-do list and see what you can turn into a new Christmas party planning tradition. I think you'll be surprised and your friends will too.

Here are a couple of recipes that are easy, tried, and true that you might want to serve up too.

Easy Turtle Candies

1 bag Rolo candies
1 bag Snyder's of Hanover square shaped butter pretzels
1 bag of pecans halves, toasted

Preheat oven to 375 F. degrees.

Unwrap Rolo candies and set aside for later.
Line a cookie sheet with parchment paper.
Place the pretzels on the parchment paper in rows.
Place a Rolo candy on each pretzel.
Place in oven to soften Rolos, approximately 5 minutes. Check occasionally, don't let them melt.
Take the candies out of oven.
Push a toasted pecan half on top of each Rolo
Set in a cool area to harden.

Shrimp and Bacon Appetizers-- Makes about 50-60 appetizers

2 lbs. cleaned, peeled, and deveined, tail off, 26/30 raw shrimp
1 ½ lbs. sliced bacon
¾ cup real mayonnaise
¼ - 1/3 cup Dijon-style mustard
50 - 60 bamboo style toothpicks

Par-cook the bacon in the oven to remove some of the fat. Do this at 400 degrees for about 6-8 minutes. (Watch it however) The bacon will look wrinkled and still raw. Cut each piece of bacon into diagonal lengths that are long enough to wrap around a shrimp and be secured with a toothpick.
Wrap each shrimp with a strip of bacon and secure both ends of the bacon with a toothpick.
Combine the mayonnaise and Dijon mustard and mix thoroughly.
Place the wrapped shrimp in a flat container and pour the mayonnaise/mustard mixture over each one. Let marinate for about 1 hour.
Place the shrimp on a baking sheet and broil until the bacon is fully cooked. (8-12 minutes) Serve immediately. You may need to turn each shrimp during cooking if the shrimp are large of the bacon is thickly cut.

Garlic Cheese Bacon Grits

1 ½ cups uncooked grits - these are regular, not instant grits
5 cups water
1 tsp. salt
¾ cup butter or margarine
8 oz. jar or package of processed cheese spread
¼ tsp. garlic powder (optional)
1 cup milk
5 eggs, beaten
8-10 slices crisp cooked bacon, crumbled
1 cup shredded cheddar cheese

Pre-heat oven to 375 F. degrees

Stir the grits and salt into boiling water and cook, stirring frequently, until thick.
Add butter, cheese spread, and garlic to the grits and stir until melted.
Mix milk and eggs; add small amount of hot grits and stir into eggs to keep them from curdling when you combine them with the hot grits.
Add warm egg mixture to grits and stir all together until well blended.
Stir in crumbled bacon.
Pour into greased 13X9X2 baking dish.
Sprinkle with cheddar cheese.
Bake at 375 for 40 minutes.

Turning your Christmas to-do-list into a Christmas party saves time and money. It also makes Christmas an even more important time of sharing and caring.

HO HO HO!

E. Ann Hill is a successful party planning expert and hospitality professional with many years of personal and professional party and event planning experience. She has planned parties for a broad spectrum of guests and clients - from family and friends to national and international dignitaries. She loves to entertain and wants to share the easy and challenging lessons she has learned with eager novice and seasoned hosts. Her goal is to instill the #1 objective for entertaining - the host should enjoy planning the party and the party itself as much as his or her guests.

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