2014 is shaping up to be a great year for us here at Practically Perfect Planner. We’ve been so busy over the last few months with the Holidays, and we had an absolute blast celebrating with family and friends from all over. Christmas went off without a hitch, with the entire Meehan family over to our house for Christmas Eve…followed by a simple Santa Breakfast for Christmas morning.
The 3P Basics that carried us through Christmas without causing chaos were:
– Keeping that “Christmas Box” organized and handy. We were able to pull out dishes, decor, and finishing touches for every table, centerpiece, and even staging areas for food and drinks to be served.
– Having shopped the after-Christmas sales in the beginning of last year, we even had brand new items to showcase that cost us next to nothing, and were safely and easily stored for Christmas 2013.
-2014 Tip: Shopping at your favorite stores like Pier 1 and Michael’s can save you up to 75% off festive items for your Christmas Box.
– Setting the table a day in advance was a life saver! We didn’t have to worry about who was sitting where and could get all of our meal-prep done early.
– Making 90% of our food ahead of time saved us time and stress the day of, and allowed us more time to interact with our family.
– Having a well-stocked “Party Pantry”, which we shop for during sales…made serving up app’s and snacks for Christmas AND New Years a total breeze.
– Great items that will keep in the pantry like crackers, jellies, chip dip mix and olives can be bought when on sale and kept for a few weeks to stay fresh for your next party! (Our quick go-to appetizer is cream cheese with pepper jelly and rice crackers!)
– Freezer finger foods like Spanikopita and shrimp can be pulled out & thawed at moment’s notice to please all your guests with no stress.
– Keeping a small “New Years” box, can help make party decorating a snap! Hold onto your hats and save your noisemakers, ladies & gents! They’ll save you stress next year.
– Creating a grounded yet colorful focus point out of your kitchen counter allows you to have a beautiful centerpiece, as well as keep the table clear to serve food, and the bar open for drinks.
– Adding sparkling table scatter like small jewels, or even sequined confetti will have everyone feeling like a celebrity for any party.
Well, we hope you enjoyed your holidays…I know we had a truly awesome time at ours. Stay tuned this week for 3P’s ideas for everything from birthdays, to “Tea for Ten”! Happy 2014! Oh, and hey…how did YOU ring in the New Year?
Looking at your liquor cabinet made me feel home sick. It sure looks beautifully decorated!!
Our New Years was highlighted by watching our grandchildren ice skate with their little friends in -20 (It’s Canada) and the grown
ups inside having a Xmas Cheerfull drink with our daughter Stephanie, her husband Andre and their friends.
New Years Day, we planned NOT to cook, so we had healthy snacks and Thai Food that we ordered in and Watched Football all day LONG!!
Great way for us to start the New Year!!
HAPPY 2014 TO EVERYONE!!
Happy 2014 Tania! I LOVE the thai food idea! We had some Thai Food at our potluck the other night, and it was delicious. On the football front, we’re getting excited for Superbowl. Wish you were going to be here. 🙂