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The winter holidays are a festive season and the holiday party is a popular way to celebrate with family, friends and co-workers. While everyone enjoys showing up at holiday parties, planning and hosting one is a big responsibility. Because a holiday party is a once a year event, everyone expects it to be relaxing and fun. So, how do you ensure your holiday party meets those expectations? Follow the tips and suggestions in this guide to make your holiday party a memorable one.

Make a Budget

Before you do anything, crunch the numbers and come up with a budget for your holiday party. This helps you stay within a certain monetary range as you make spending choices. Also, a solid budget can help you save money by considering the cost of items on your party list before you spend a dime. Keep in mind that spending lavishly doesn’t equate to a successful party. Spending wisely and making good choices is the way to approach your budget for this event.

Create a Guest List and Send Invites Early

Start your party planning in earnest by putting together a guest list. This list includes names and contact information. Email is faster, but it’s important to make sure the subject line mentions holiday party, so people open it. Or, you can stick with the classic mailed party invitation pairing a paper invitation with a matching envelope. Asking invitees to RSVP can help you figure out attendance numbers well in advance. Avoid conflicts by sending invites out two to four weeks ahead of the party date.

Choose a Date and Time

Setting a party date requires some thoughtful consideration of the busy season. Fridays are the most popular date for workplace holiday parties, and this makes sense because employees can relax, knowing there’s no work the next day. Alternative days are Wednesdays and Thursdays. Start times tend to be around 2 p.m. or 3 p.m., but parties can start earlier or later, depending on the workplace. Weekends are ideal for parties hosted at someone’s home. Home parties can begin in the afternoon or early evening. Ideally, the day and time should work for most people on the guest list.

Choose a Suitable Space or Venue

Once you’ve settled on a date and time, and you have a rough idea of the number of attendees, go ahead and secure an event space. This is easy if you plan on hosting the party in your home. You already know if you can use your living room, dining room, garage or other space for your party. However, if the party is for work or an organization, you can choose to host it on-site or at an outside venue. Either way, do whatever is necessary to reserve your desired space as quickly as possible. Remember, others are also planning parties, and spaces get booked rather quickly.

If you plan to use an event venue or restaurant as your party space, consider booking the space more than a month in advance. Also, have backup spaces in mind, just in case your first choice is unavailable. The last thing you want is to have to settle for a less than desirable location because there’s no other good choices.

Delegate Tasks

There’s no rule that says one person must do everything related to throwing a holiday party. In fact, this may be too stressful for just one person. Instead, divvy up responsibilities among two, three or more people to make planning go quicker and smoother. This can be something like person A takes care of securing a location and getting decorations. Person B does food and entertainment, while person C oversees party set up and cleaning tasks.

Make a Food Plan

There are two ways to go when it comes to food for parties. You can be formal or casual. Formal settings usually involve a sit-down dinner with dining tables adorned with classy tablecloths, dishes, utensils and holiday centerpieces. Casual affairs feature buffet style food choices, which lean heavily on easy-to-handle foods and snacks. Whether you desire a formal or casual setting, you can go one step further by deciding how food is presented.

Build your own food bar. This popular trend involves setting up tables (food bars) featuring foods that align with a certain culinary theme. Guests are given numerous choices and they can build their plates by selecting whatever foods they wish, just like a buffet. Food bar ideas include fruit or vegetable salads, desserts such as donuts, cookies or cheesecake, nachos, hot dogs and sandwiches.

Classic catering. Hire a local caterer to provide food for the party. Contact various caterers and ask about their holiday menus. Some caterers may also offer food bar options.

Pot luck. Send party invitees a list of food items and ask them to volunteer to bring items on the list. Require them to tell whoever’s in charge of food planning what they intend to bring, so planners can ensure there’s enough food variety.

Leftovers. Food costs money, and one way to ensure it doesn’t go to waste is to supply guests with Chinese take-out boxes for leftovers.

Holiday Party Decor

It’s not a holiday party without festive decorations. Envision how you want the space to look and find decorations that help you create an uplifting atmosphere. This may include indoor and/or outdoor decorations.

Decorative lighting. LED lighting brightens any room or outdoor home or building. You can hang strings of twinkling lights near the ceiling or install holiday character lights outdoors as a fun way to greet guests.

Creative displays. Create festive displays using holiday table top characters or use life-size Santas, elves, gifts and candy canes to wow guests. Large displays are great for group pictures and selfies.

The magic of Christmas really comes alive when you turn your ideas for a holiday wonderland into reality. With a bit of ingenuity and access to life-size, jumbo and giant holiday décor pieces and sets, you can create a holiday masterpiece that causes people to stop and gaze upon your holiday display with delight and wonder. To help spark your creative imagination, here are some ideas for creating your own larger than life displays.

Inspiring Nativity Scene

Nativity scenes are common during the holiday season, and if you’re seeking to create an authentic nativity display, consider making one that stands out in a special way. Go big with a well-constructed manger made from real wood as your backdrop. Kick things up a notch with a gleaming Star of Bethlehem to remind viewers how those wise men found their way to the manger. After selecting the backdrop pieces, choose your desired life size biblical characters to fill out the scene. The three main characters are baby Jesus, Mary and Joseph, and you can also find life-size renditions of the wise men, angels, shepherds, the drummer boy and barn animals such as donkeys, sheep, cows and camels.

Arrange these character pieces anyway you wish. For added realism, scatter some decorative bale straw around the interior of the manger piece. If the nativity display is outdoors, lighting them with outdoor spot lights ensures everyone strolling by can easily see this endearing biblical scene.

Showcase Santa and Helpers

Santa Clause is a larger than life figure in many holiday stories, so why not make him a big focal point for your wonderland display? Santa Clause Village is a popular theme for life-size displays, and it’s sure to grab the attention of kids and adults who get a kick out of seeing a realistic Santa figure.

There are various ways to showcase jolly ol’ Santa. He can stand upright with hands on hips, or he may wear an amused look on his face while holding a bag of toys. You can choose a Santa who cheerily waves to everyone who comes to your location. Or, you can choose a sitting Santa who is ready to steer his reindeer to houses all over the world. Of course, Santa always has his helper elves nearby, and you can find adorable elf figures that work hard to make the holidays a happy time. Santa also needs his sleigh and trusty flying reindeer to help him deliver his gifts to far away homes. The neat thing is that Santa is instantly recognizable, which makes him a winning subject for any holiday wonderland theme.

Quaint Vintage Storytelling Scenes

Another idea is to recreate a quaint Victorian era village filled with old-fashioned charm. Movies about Scrooge, the grumpy man who hated Christmas until he discovered he loved it, can provide inspiration for showcase displays. For instance, you can build your scene around a group of vintage Christmas caroler statues singing near a lamp post. From there, you can add other characters such as merry snowmen wearing colorful hats and scarves. Further enhance your village with Christmas tree and light displays, and perhaps, a beautiful angel who graces the village with her angelic presence.

Impressive Candy and Gifts

Your vision for wonderland may take a whimsical turn, using fun life-size statues that appeal to kids and adults. While various treats are associated with the holidays, candy canes are iconic and instantly recognized as a Christmas treat tradition. How about posting two giant candy canes at the entrance to wonderland? These red and white cane-shaped statues look good enough to eat.

Along with candy canes, you can find large-size gift boxes wrapped neatly with bows, and these can be placed near a Christmas tree, elves or Santa himself. Gift box decorations come in single pieces and sets, allowing you to mix and match different colors and sizes.

Nutcracker King and Soldiers

Many people enjoy watching the story of the Nutcracker come to life during the holidays. Imagine the looks your display will get when onlookers spot a life-size Nutcracker King and Nutcracker soldiers (or toy soldiers) under his command. Their sharp uniforms are reminiscent of those seen in ballet and movie productions of this timeless fantasy tale. These classic figures fit nicely in numerous wonderland themes, including Victorian and upbeat themes featuring candy, gifts and toys.

Have Fun with Lights

So much can be done with decorative Christmas lights these days, and there are several ways to use them to enhance your wonderland theme. Because anything goes, you can use one or several lighted displays featuring white, warm white or colorful LED lights.

Santa. Make Santa Clause visible at night with lighted Santa Clause display sets. This may be a single image of a jolly Santa holding his bag of toys or a lighted display that shows Santa and his reindeer heading into the night to make their annual deliveries.

Stars. Lighted stars are often associated with large nativity displays, and a brilliant Star of Bethlehem helps re-create the wonder of the original Christmas story. Stars also make wonderful visual accents for traditional Christmas tree wonderland themes.

Trains. There’s something mesmerizing about trains and adding a fun lighted train to your display captivates the young and young at heart.

Signs. Give everyone viewing your wonderland display a positive seasonal message that is visible day and night with a lighted sign. Lighted signs are easy to see from the sidewalk or road, helping you spread warm wishes 24 hours a day.

Include Animals for Added Realism and Whimsy

Make your North Pole wonderland something uniquely special with the addition of life-size display animals. Animals that are associated with wintry climates include penguins, grey and white husky dogs, Nordic reindeer and polar bears. These animals add realism to any holiday scene you wish to bring to life. Alternatively, whimsical animal decorations can be charmingly fun when used with lighthearted themes.

 

Baptism by fire

Historic St. Anne’s Church in Waterbury, CT. suffered two fires in the 1970s. Gorgeous stained glass windows were lost. Smoke damage was extensive. Spectacular, colorful life-sized statues were beyond recognition.

The devastation continued when the church learned that insurance money would cover only a fraction of the costs. Enter Scott Whipple: local artist, painter, builder, restorer and philanthropist.

“I was overwhelmed… intimidated,” he said, at the thought of restoring any of St. Anne’s life-sized statues. Scott had never worked on anything so large.

But he jumped right in, starting with a smaller statue of St. Francis of Assisi and working his way up. Baptism by fire.

Everyone – clergy and parishioners – loved his work so he kept on going.

His favorite part about the process? Giving people back their cherished memories of church, one statue at a time. Despite his immense talent, Scott remains humble. “I’m still learning all the tricks of restoration. I’m learning as I go.”

 

“Nothing I could fix”

Fast-forward a few years and a few miles to his current project: The Blessed Sacrament Parish, also in Waterbury, CT.

His focus: the church’s Christmas scene.

“I had heard that nativity set that they set up every year was really tiny with mismatched pieces,” he says. He knew he couldn’t fix the figures with his own two hands it so he took a different route with his generosity.

Scott chipped in for a brand new nativity scene. After researching online he chose the 11-piece, 27-inch Joseph Studio set from ChristmasNight Inc. The collection was more than a pleasant surprise. He described its arrival “as one of those rare instances when you take something out of the box and say, ‘It’s even better than the photograph!'”

He then bought lumber and began building a manger. With a handyman’s skill he set up interior lighting. Wanting the beautiful display to be eye-level, he restored an old altar table from St. Anne’s so the figures could sit on the table itself rather than on the floor.

The idea is that people won’t simply look at the scene of the birth of Christ, but rather step right into it. The viewers will actually stand under the stable’s roof.

“You become part of it,” Scott says.

Hard to think of a better way of celebrating Christmas than by becoming part of it.

 

Lights, Camel, Action!

See photos of Scott’s work below…

From time to time we will share with you the process that we use to create our new and, in many cases, unique, decorative and religious figures. They all start in the mind , eyes and hands of Claire our very talented designer. The resulting images and dimensions are communicated to our factories electronically as is progress on each project. We also visit the factories at least twice a year to tweak and approve the designs. We also constantly work on improving our packaging so the product is delivered to you in perfect condition.

We have some pictures which will illustrate some example. Please note, we will not be offering the giraffe statue.

For many people, Christmas just isn’t the same without a charming Nativity scene. Life size Nativity sets can brighten up any front lawn. They also remind us of what Christmas is truly about—commemorating the birth of Jesus Christ.

The Nativity scene is intended to remind us of the manger in which Christ was born. It typically includes a wooden stable, Mary, Joseph and baby Jesus, three kings, the shepherds and their animals and an angel. Nativity scenes are to be reminiscent of the miracle that took place a long time ago in Bethlehem, where Jesus was born and laid in a manger on Christmas day.

Made of the most durable fiberglass, outdoor Nativity scenes are a special way to share holiday joy with family, friends and neighbors. So, regardless of which set you choose, don’t be surprised if your lawn becomes the neighborhood sensation. After all, who isn’t fascinated by the story of Christmas reproduced in life size figurines?

Here are four tips for making your Nativity scene appear larger-than-life:

1. All about location – Making your nativity scene appear larger than normal depends a lot on the location. Find an area that best fits all of your characters without squishing them too closely together. Begin by placing the stable in the middle with the characters scattered equally around it. Next, consider your surroundings. Place your Nativity scene around one lone tree or as beautiful runway leading to your front door.
2. Proper lighting – When selecting the lighting for your nativity scene try to use large flashlights with square handles—they are easier to work with. Place the lights so that baby Jesus, Mary and Joseph are the focus of the scene. For a more dramatic look, use an outdoor floodlight or spotlight to illuminate the display more profoundly. This will help to expand the radius of your Nativity scene.
3. Embellish the scenery – Give your Nativity set life by placing real poinsettias or potted winter plants around the stable and characters. For a more natural look, include pinecones and hay as décor. To create a divine appearance, place the angel on a crate or oversized box draped in fabric. The extra height will give the Nativity scene an embellished appearance.
4. Add a touch of nostalgia – For a whimsical touch, hang strands of twinkle lights at the back of the display. This lighting affect will emphasize the scene’s overall beauty, giving it a magical ambience. You can also place another square handled flashlight below baby Jesus to illuminate his crib, emphasizing the miracle of Christmas.

Outdoor Nativity sets make great lawn arrangements for the holiday season. They help to better illustrate the story of the night that Jesus came to earth in order to create an eternal life for all mankind. By following these simple tips, your Nativity scene will not only be larger-than-life, but also the best decoration in the whole neighborhood.

Originally Santa’s Sleigh had eight reindeer – Dasher, Dancer, Prancer, Vixen, Comet Cupid, Donner and Blitzen.  This was according to the 1823 poem by Clement C. Moore “a Visit from St. Nicholas” or “The Night before Christmas”.  Then Rudolph (the red-nosed reindeer) was added.  Rudolph comes from a story originally written by Robert L. May about a foggy Christmas Eve, when Santa lost his way and Rudolph helped find the way with his red lighted nose.

Here is our own version of a modern Santa, Sleigh and Reindeer Story:

There are so many good Children around the world today, that there is no way Santa and his nine Reindeer can reach them all on Christmas eve. So Santa Claus sent the elves to university to learn how to build aircraft. When the elves returned to the North Pole the first thing they did was build an amazing aircraft factory beside the Toy Factory. Here they developed a huge hypersonic jet, which they called Santajet X-12-25 which flies faster than the speed of sound. This jet can hold 500 reindeer, 55 Sleighs and Santas. And there’s provision for a extra deck in case there are more good children in further years who will want Santa to deliver them gifts on Christmas Eve.

While the elves were building the Santajet X-12-25, Santa travelled around the world interviewing men to become junior Santas. He recruited 60 junior Santas. They spent several years training with Santa and now 55 of them are ready to become full-fledged Santas.

Santa also started a reindeer breeding program. And now there is Dasher 1, Dasher 2, Dancer 1, Dancer 2 , Dancer 3 and so on – 500 reindeer in all to pull 55 sleds next Christmas. And all of this was happening while a team of Elves built 55 new Sleighs.

Next Christmas there will be 55 Santa Sleigh teams travelling in the Santajet X-12-25.  Each Santa Sleigh and Reindeer team will disembark the Santajet in a different part of the world and deliver gifts to all of the children, who have been good, in that region on Christmas Eve.

So be prepared, Children, for a modern Santa delivery process. You will have to send your Christmas toy list to a special email address at the North Pole. All children who are good this year will receive the email address via email to theirs or their family’s computer. If you’re a kid without a computer in your family you can go to the library and use a computer there. If you’ve been a naughty kid, it may not be too late to be good – but you’ll have to work very had at it.

Note: This is fiction, everything in this story is from the imagination of our writers and not to be taken literally. It is not meant to change anything about all the Santa Sleigh and Reindeer stories that came before our story.