Holiday season is upon us, which means party-hopping is likely in the cards. But don’t fret, sometimes, having the party come to you makes the season more stressful. Not only do you get to stay in the comfort of your own home—a huge plus in our book—but you can really show off your hosting chops with carefully decorated objects that add a chic touch to even the coziest of gatherings. This holiday season use our money saving tips to help you plan the most chic, most inexpensive, and most talked about party of the year.

1. Manage your guest list. Don’t be the person that invited too many or too few guests to your event. Invite the people you want. TIP: If you are planning a holiday party in your home, make sure your guest know not to bring additional friends without your approval. Planning will allow you to prep accordingly and set a manageable budget.
2. Add a bit of outside freshness. Flowers/herbs are a perfect way to add a pop of the outdoors to your event. TIP: Buy flowers that are in season, it will cut down costs and save you money.
3. Serve meals with similar ingredients. Marinades, seasonings, and dressings can get quite costly. Instead of that dijon herb roasted rack of lamb, try your luck with some slow cooked braised short ribs and wine sauce. See recipes here.  TIP: Lemons, fresh herbs, salt, pepper, butter and wine goes a long way.   
4. Keep your hor d’oeuvres simple. NOT chips and nuts kind of simple but a simple cheese & charcuterie spread like this one from celebrations at home blog. TIP: A good hor d’oeuvre prepares your guests for what will come next. They are not to fill up on, just to wet the palette before the main course. Too many appetizers will cause guests not to eat the main course, which either makes people want to carry food home or leave half eaten food behind to be discarded. As we know, there are starving children, so we don’t want to waste food.
5. Red, white & specialty drink. Always have options for your guests to drink and always have enough. This may be the area to splurge a bit. TIP: Buy boxed wine, four bottles in one box is guaranteed to get your guest right. Get one red wine, one white wine, one dark and one light liquor–then let the party begin.

This year (like many others) I will be enjoying good food, good drinks, and good friends at one of my gatherings. A night of laughter and new memories is what really makes being the hostess so much fun. And after a night of good food and drinking, we hostesses get to walk upstairs to our soft comfy beds.     

Well Blackberries, I can’t give all the goods away, but good luck planning and happy holidays!

XOXO

Love Orange aka The Black Martha Stewart