Adult Christmas drinks: the table, mugs and decorations with a wink
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by Verpakkingdeals.nl
6 min reading time
Whoever is organizing the Christmas party will notice by late November that seasonal items are out of stock. So, start putting together the table setting, lighting, decorations, and small gifts for a group of adults now.
At the end of August, there's no Christmas party on the calendar yet, but the date is already being set. Those who organize the party in a group of friends, club, or team usually find out by the end of November that all the good stuff is gone: seasonal items are ordered once a year, and what's gone is gone until next year. This piece is about the Christmas party for adults—not a children's Christmas party, but the evening when a group of ten to twenty people gather, and the table can be more than just a bowl of nuts. With a wink, but with items that will survive the evening.
Start with the moment, not the items
A Christmas party is different from a Christmas dinner. At a party, people stand, walk around, put their glass down somewhere, and pick up the wrong one again. This affects what you buy: you need more glasses than guests, you want small portions instead of large platters, and your decorations must be able to withstand a nudge.
Ask yourself three things before ordering anything. How long will it last? A two-hour party requires less than an evening that's still going at eleven. Will everyone be standing or sitting? Standing means more glasses, less cutlery. And: can it be crazy? In one group, a joke on the table is perfect; in another, not. If you decide this beforehand, you won't buy anything that remains untouched all evening.
The table: glasses, mugs, and what's on it
For a party, mixed drinkware works better than just one type. Small glasses for a toast, mugs for something warm when people come in from outside, and a few striking pieces that get the conversation going.
Count on about one and a half glasses per guest for a party of a few hours, and on two if there are multiple types of drinks. Prepare a bin or tray for empty glasses; that will save you half an hour of searching behind the sofa the next morning.
Light does more than decoration
If you buy one thing for ambiance, buy light. A room with four small light sources at table height feels different from the same room with one ceiling light. Candles are the cheapest way to do that, provided you have a safe surface.
Don't place candles where people put their glasses, and keep one spot clear for lighters and matches, so you don't have to rummage through the drawer halfway through the evening.
Decoration with a wink — and what you keep
Seasonal decoration has an annoying characteristic: you use it for three weeks and store it for eleven months. Therefore, it's better to buy a few noticeable things than ten that no one sees. And choose material that will survive a year in a box.
Afterwards, store everything in one box with a label, and throw away anything that's broken or dirty instead of moving it to next year. Then unpacking next year will be a matter of ten minutes.
Small gifts and the box around them
Many parties include a small gift: a thank you for the host, a prize in a game, or a secret Santa gift with a maximum of a few euros. Small and well-presented works better than large and sloppy.
A three-euro box for a five-euro gift elevates the whole thing. For secret Santa, agree on one amount and stick to it: the difference between five and fifteen euros is exactly where it gets awkward.
When do you order what?
Seasonal items are an annual stock, not a continuous one. Roughly: order decorations and drinkware in October or early November, gifts by mid-November at the latest, and consumables like tea lights can be replenished until just before. If you wait until the first week of December, you'll be choosing from what's left rather than what you wanted.
For the party itself: the day before, set everything up on one table, including the lighter, a bin, and a box for empty packaging. That takes fifteen minutes and saves you running back and forth all evening.
Are you organizing a party for a group and want to know what quantities you need, or does an order need to arrive by a specific date? Email us at info@verpakkingdeals.nl with the number of guests and the date, and we'll help you with quantities and delivery time.
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