Small parties can be fun, elegant, creative

Now is the perfect time to begin holiday party planning — for 2003. Good dates for this year have long been reserved, whether at sites or in guests’ calendars, and it will take more than a little bit of luck to bring off a successful 2002 Christmas, Hanukah, New Year’s or Winter Solstice celebration.

Traditionally popular sites such as the Boulderado have had December dates, especially weekends, booked for a long time, note Beverly Silva and Mauireann Von Slomski, wedding and social coordinators for the hotel in Boulder.

Many hosts, they say, call the day after an event to reserve space for a buffet, plated dinner, or cocktail reception for the following year, and reservations for the ?highly coveted? 2002 Teddy Bear Tea have not been available since early September, said Von Slomski. Two Saturday night December 2003 events are, incidentally, already booked.

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If, however, unforeseen holiday entertaining possibilities present themselves — or if approaching deadlines impart a delicious thrill — there are still possibilities for hosting a party, although technically invitations should have been mailed weeks ago (six weeks before an event is considered ?correct?).

Many restaurants add holiday perks to their customary offerings, providing a nice alternative. As examples, The Greenbriar, an inn in Boulder, has private and semi-private rooms for as few as 10 or as many as 350 and a offers a full-time event planner and two sommeliers to make parties elegant, while the Olive Garden Italian Restaurant in Boulder will be adding special desserts and a limited supply of select wines in December to its already abundant menu.

For future entertaining, though, party consultants agree that planning is crucial ? and should be part of the fun. Successful parties depend on attention to the myriad of details that entail a blithering series of choices. It may help to think of party planning as a flowchart.

First, decide whether you’ll be entertaining more than 35 guests. If you are, it’s appropriate to think about hiring a party planner; few professional planners think it makes economic sense to hire them for fewer than this number.

If fewer than 35 guests are anticipated, the next decision involves the site, i.e. whether your home, a restaurant or other facility will offer the best setting. If entertaining at home is appealing, among the questions to ask yourself are: Is your house big enough to comfortably accommodate the number of guests you’d like to invite, will certain rooms need to be blocked off, will your children be part of the party or will you need a babysitter, is there sufficient parking space (it’s gracious to let neighbors know the date and time of your party), do you have pets that will be OK with guests and/or might cause allergic reactions, and will people be able to find your house?

On the other hand, one of the best parts of parties for many is turning the work over to the pros. Silva says that ?entertaining at the Boulderado is like entertaining in your own, very rich, living room except that you don’t have to clean.? The peace of mind afforded by having professionals do the work may be worth the expense even if your home is designed for entertaining and meets all the above criteria.

Once the site has been determined, set a date and time (beginning and ending). Because most hosts need to rent some supplies or equipment, or to hire entertainment, at-home parties need almost as much lead time as those held elsewhere.

While it’s necessary to plan in advance to assure reservations for busy times of the year like Valentine’s Day at restaurants and hotels, the same rule applies for rental agencies: reserve early. Most rental agencies have a lot of standard serving and glassware, but a limited selection of less-requested items, such as chandeliers — so if you have specific requests, get them in early.

Also, if you’re planning to hire a cleaning service, don’t wait until six weeks before an event to place your order. A cleanup date should be set as soon as the event date is known.

The next step is to decide if a caterer would help you enjoy yourself as much as your guests do, or if taking care of all the details is something you enjoy. If the former, said Juls Gunderson of A Spice of Life Catering, select one that ?is able to provide impeccable, professional and friendly service, while assisting with all the details, great and small.?

Food, which of course should be magnificent, should be only one facet of a caterer’s services. Others include providing equipment, servers and other staff, and party-planning advice.

Next, decide on a theme. While some may, indeed, be hackneyed, creating a unique theme gives you, and your guests, unlimited opportunity for imagination and can provide continuity from the invitation, to the décor, to the menu, to costumes.

Some idea-starting points: Celebration of personal or professional achievements, locations (exotic ones like safaris or local ones like dude ranches), political tie-ins and/or controversies, hobbies, sports, star-gazing or unusual astronomical happenings, animal shows ? want more? Check out the party planning section (793.2) of your library. Themes can be as varied as one’s imagination or as focused as a calendar date.

Now is the time to compose your guest list and define the age group. If children (yours or guests’) will be present, the dynamics, activities and timing will be different than for an all-adults gathering. Who will be attending can be an outgrowth of a theme (singles, cookie decorating, service project), constricted by a defined parameter (a family gathering), or people who need no better excuse to get together than a party.

Next select or create thematic invitations. Invitations provide the setting for what is to follow; make sure they are clear, are tied in to the theme of the party, and whet appetites (literally and figuratively). Anticipation can be as much fun as the event itself! Elizabeth Colt of Denver’s ElanStyle emphasizes that ?just as for Realtors it’s location, location, location, for party planners it’s invitation, invitation, invitation.?

Food and drink decisions flow from the theme. Once they’ve been made, if you’re doing the food preparation yourself, caterers suggest the following minimal guidelines for amounts: Three to four hors d’oeuvres per person if a meal will follow, eight to 12 pieces per person in addition to cheese platters and/or breads and dips if it’s an hors d’oeuvres only fete, and meals, which again should be tied into the theme, should provide at least an appetizer, entrée and dessert. But remember, these are minimums — party celebrations define ?overdoing it?!

Parties offer a great opportunity to bring together whatever mix you wish of friends, family, associates or strangers, with good food and drinks, but the memorably good ones don’t just happen. Planning is vital for both hosts and guests to enjoy themselves but, like ballet dancing or juggling, good parties should appear effortless. ?Having a list and checking it twice? works for hosts as well as Santa. Prepare well and have fun!