Living in a small home when you have a small family is fun, but holding a Christmas party in this space when you have many friends is a bit of a challenge.
Here’s what to do.
- List all the people you want to invite and break them into groups. Example: childhood friends, church friends, cousins only, etc.
- Note the food each group enjoys, their kind of music, even movies or games.
- Make a schedule of what groups can come together and get a headcount. I schedule different groups at different times of the day. The older ones prefer to come for lunch or merienda on a Saturday. The younger ones enjoy staying late on a Friday evening. My church friends like to come after we attend the Church service.
- Plan what food to serve for each group. I cook for my older friends, but we do a potluck for the others. I try to make sure our food choices are combined well.
- In a small space it is best to opt for a “sit anywhere” set up. Exert extra effort to make the house and the buffet table look festive. I get nostalgic over red, gold, and green Christmas ornaments. Seeing them around my home never fails to cheer me up.
- Prepare a program; it’s good to have a mental guide of what to do. Don’t forget to include Christ in your Christmas program. Plan to include reading of the Christmas Story from a real Bible book. Identify a good reader and give him or her advance notice to do this task, or let each one take turns reading a verse, and saying a prayer of gratefulness to God afterwards. This doesn’t have to be long and when purposely delivered, the reading of the word could impact a person’s heart.
- Finally, on the day of the party, be sure to take a quick rest before your guests arrive. Don’t forget to dress up for the occasion. (I sometimes don’t, and I look terrible in the pictures.) Play a happy Christmas carol and be ready to welcome your guests.
Don’t let your small space hinder you from bonding and having fun with relatives and friends during Christmas. There is a way if you plan
in advance!
