Tips For Hosting the Perfect Holiday Party in Your Apartment

It’s hard to believe that the holidays are right around the corner. This year, because of the health pandemic, many people are staying close to home and celebrating in smaller groups. If you’re planning to host a get-together for you and your roommates or a few close friends and family, now is the time to start thinking about the details and getting prepared. In today’s blog from Stonegate Living Apartments in Broomfield, we want to help make your holiday party a success by offering some simple tips to make planning easy. Keep reading to learn more, and if you’re searching for an apartment in Broomfield, contact us to schedule a virtual tour.

Make Room

Although your apartment may be the perfect size for you and anyone else who lives there, once you start adding guests and their plus-ones, things can get a little cramped pretty quickly. The day before your guests arrive, start removing some of the unnecessary knick-knacks and clutter and consider rearranging your furniture so people can easily move about.  

Next, set up your dining space to make sure you have enough room (and enough chairs) for everyone to sit comfortably. If you’re really tight on space, you can consider creating a self-serve buffet in the kitchen where guests can serve themselves and then just mingle about. 

Have a Designated Area For Coats

If you’re entertaining guests that are coming from outside of your apartment community, then chances are they’ll be wearing a coat. You’ll want to have a designated space for people to put their coats because big puffy jackets and heavy winter coats can take up a lot of space. Keep it simple and just designate the bed in your bedroom as a catchall for coats, hats, and purses. That way, they’ll be out of sight and can be easily retrieved whenever your guests are ready to go. 

Set Up a Drink Station — Away From the Kitchen

When you’re under the gun to prepare a big meal (or even several small dishes) for some hungry guests, the last thing you want is to have someone walking through the kitchen every 30 seconds to grab a drink. To avoid this from happening, we suggest setting up a drink station, away from the kitchen, if possible. 

A small buffet table or hutch is the perfect place to set out a bucket with ice for cold drinks. Don’t forget a bottle opener if you are serving bottled wine or beer, and keep a towel handy because accidents and spills are bound to happen. 

Keep Decorations Simple

If you’re like most people, you love the fun and festive lights and decorations that abound this time of year. However, we suggest that you take a conservative approach when decorating your apartment. A huge tree or a large display of holiday figurines leaves less room for your guests and increases the chance that something will get knocked over or broken. Keep holiday decorations simple — a nice centerpiece for your table and some lights around the window are enough to set the mood. 

Prep As Much As Possible Beforehand

Even a large home with ample kitchen space can feel cluttered when you’re trying to prepare 10 different dishes all at once. Not only does waiting to prepare everything at the last minute make things more stressful for you, but it also makes you a slave to the kitchen and keeps you away from your guests. That’s why it’s so important to prepare as much as possible beforehand. Most desserts like cookies and pies can be made days in advance, and even things like mashed potatoes and gravy can be made the day before and then rewarmed. 

Don’t forget to do your prepping outside of the kitchen as well. You shouldn’t still be setting your table as your guests arrive. Plus, the last thing you want to do is spend time scrambling around your kitchen looking for the right number of forks or glasses. Utensils, dishes, and napkins should all be out of the cupboard and in place well before your guests arrive. 

Want to make things even easier? Consider having a potluck dinner and ask each of your guests to bring a dish to pass. You’ll not only get to try something new, but it will also take much of the pressure off of you so you don’t feel like you have to do all of the work!.  

Happy Holidays From All of Us at Stonegate Living Apartments in Broomfield!

This year has been a challenging and stressful one for most of us, which is why we would like to wish you and your family a safe and happy holiday season. And, if you or someone you know happens to be planning a move to the Denver or Boulder area in the near future, we invite you to take a look at our pet-friendly apartments in Broomfield.  

Stonegate Living