M & Co. Papery

This Christmas season was one of the best I have had. We did so many fun things and spent a lot of time with family and friends. Our Christmas party was a blast! We have found that the best night to have our party is the Saturday before Christmas. At that point there is never any conflicts with work parties, everyone is done shopping and ready to relax!

We never count, but I know there was at least 50 people at the party. And, even though I did a much better job of photo taking this year, I still did not do well enough! The pictures do not show how many people were there, how great the food looked, and how many people rocked the karaoke!

You can always find a reason to have a party. Especially with the New Year here! Pick a date, choose some friends, buy some invitations, (at M & Co.) and get a party going! Make it a tradition!

Here are a few party tips that we have learned to help you on your way:

1. Choose a date that does not conflict with any major holiday or sporting event
2. Plan your menu far in advance! We usually have our menu planned by October at the latest. That’s a little crazy, but we love food.
3. When choosing a menu, think of things that can be made in advance. You don’t want to be cooking when guests show up!
4. The week of the party we get our grocery list written up. Since our list is always pages long, and we can’t get everything from one store, I type up our list on the computer, noting the grocery store I can find it at, and sort my data! Voila! I have a very organized list to go from!
5. Make a schedule. I also make a list on the computer of everything that we need to accomplish the week of the party and sort it by the day we need to do it. Trust me on this, it works!
6. Hire someone or enlist a friend to help you with the hosting duties that night. I learned this the hard way when one year my sister whispered in my ear that we were out of toilet paper in one of the bathrooms! Hello, I was doing 20 million things! I never thought of toilet paper! (now I stack multiple rolls on top of the toilet so everyone knows just where it is)

I can go on and on, but these are a few that came to my mind just now. Of course I am already thinking of Valentines Day and wanting to have another party! Good thing my husband loves entertaining as much as I do!

-M.

(My Family)