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Friday, November 28, 2008

Of Cocktails and Costumes: A Christmas Party Guide




Published in Edge Davao Business Weekly




Christmas is fast approaching, and whether you are a true partyphile, a partyphile wannabee, or just a willing host/ess; you would want to throw the best Christmas party, your friends, and family, have ever attended. This is a guide on how to throw the perfect Christmas party:

Tis the Season to Be Jolly, But Don’t Forget About that Beer Belly- Fearless forecast for 2009? Cocktails are back in, and beer is definitely out. Stay ahead of the fad and throw a cocktail party this season. After all, no body wants to gain a beer belly right around Noche Buena. All you need is some cocktail recipes (which are soooo easy to find online), a few good spirits and syrups, buckets of ice, festive glasses, and you are good to go! Inviting kids over? Prepare mocktails—non-alcoholic cocktails are the perfect way to let the kids in on some adult fun without suffering from what we grown-ups call “hangovers”.

Dress Up- Have a costume party! Who says costumes are reserved for Halloween? Make the Holidays more fun by requiring guests to don costumes. There are a lot of themes to choose from: Santa costumes, winter clothes, all-white parties, and you could even pull off a Hollywood themed Christmas party. It’s your party, your call!

Exclusively for Christmas- Reserve some cool bar for your friends. Nothing is more festive, and more hassle-free than throwing a party in some bar. Haven’t got that much of a budget? Look for some obscure, but cool bar around the metro and you’d be surprised at how far your Php10, 000.00 would go.

Booze Luck- Have a meager budget? Why don’t you and your friends have booze luck? It’s the boozed up version of “pot luck”, the only difference being, the guests come with different types and kinds of alcohol instead of the usual foods. Trust me: people are getting tired of your “special” spaghetti.

Munchies- There are a lot of creative things that you could serve in cocktail parties; just remember to prepare light but flavorful finger or skewer foods. Get festive and skewer up some Keso de Bola and Jamon de Bola pieces. You could also try cherry and chocolate skewers or little Chinese ham finger sandwiches. Take it to the next yuletide level by serving them up in Holiday themed trays. Don’t forget to get Christmas themed napkins and table cloths as well!

Christmas Air- Alright, everybody is tired of hearing those old classic Yuletide tunes they play in every mall, in every city, in every country. Twist it up a bit and play the new classics like Mariah Carey’s “All I Want For Christmas Is You”, Destiny’s Child’s “8 Days of Christmas”, Britney Spears’ “Santa Won’t You Bring Me”, N’Sync’s “Merry Christmas, Happy Holidays”, and Chrsitina Aguilera’s “Xmas Time”. These tracks are festive but a tad bit more modern than those of Nat King Cole’s.

Ball It Up- Need a new centerpiece? Try putting some red and green or white Chrsitmas balls in a fish bowl, add a velvet ribbon, and voila! An instant Christmas masterpiece! Want to earn a little more Santa points? Purchase some dry ice from any of our local ice plants and put some in a small glass filled with water in the middle of the fish bowl before filling it with Christmas balls. The white smoke cascading over the Christmas balls looks cool, interesting and definitely unique!

With all these tips, you are sure to throw the best and most interesting Christmas party, this side of the Phillies. But remember, creativity is the key, heed my suggestions but add your own flair to that party and make your Partyphile Papa proud!

Confession #25

I could always suggest new ideas for your parties, little partyphile, but whenever I throw my own soiree, I always keep in mind, that the most important ingredient to any party, is the crowd you invite. So forget office politics, little disagreements, or family feuds; invite those who really matter to you, because a party is never is never fun unless you enjoy it with the ones closest to you.

So go on my partyphile friend, throw the best party this season, and remember: the best people deserve the best parties!

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