Can you believe it’s already November? While Thanksgiving might be the official holiday kick-off date, the end of Halloween is the unofficial commencement for this busiest time of year. It’s the season when we start to prepare for beautiful tablescapes, joyful gatherings, and perfectly wrapped gifts. It’s the perfect time to begin thinking about hosting a holiday party. But making all the pretty details come together for a memorable event like that can feel quite stressful when you already have a full plate.

Wouldn’t it be amazing if you could just sprinkle pixie dust to set the stage for a charming evening of cheer without all the stress?  While we might not have Tinkerbell’s magical glitter to toss about, our personal concierge services (offered in Nashville and Tampa) might be the next best thing! We can provide expert advice on how to bring the best sparkle to seasonal celebrations without the worst of the pressure. Here are some tips for hosting stress-free gatherings. 

4 Tips from a Personal Concierge for Hosting Stress-Free Gatherings and Delighting Your Guests:

1. Decorate your House Early: Weeks before your party, kick off the holiday season with stringing lights, dressing trees, and designing a welcoming entrance. If decking the halls takes too much time or does not deliver you the joy of the season, a personal concierge can lighten your load by getting your home holiday-ready for you. Skip a Clark Griswold light-stringing fiasco and hire a Carver Concierge to dress up your home.

2. Plan a Menu: Preparing the menu may be the easiest way to create a stress-free gathering. Thanks to the pandemic, take-out is no longer just for family dinners on the run. Restaurants now offer many holiday dinner dishes to take away, so consider ordering out for the main course and beautifully crafted desserts. Spend your time making easy side dishes like salads or roasted vegetables to accompany those feature plates from your local eatery. Alternatively, arranging a chef to help create and make the menu is also a great way to lessen the overwhelm of hosting a delightful event.

3. Create a Plan: We always recommend avoiding frazzle on the day of your event by creating a detailed plan. Think through anything you can do a few days beforehand to reduce the work on the day of the event. Buy and chill drinks, clean your house, and round up extra dining chairs two or three days ahead of time. You can also set out dishware, flatware, and serving pieces days before the party. 

On the actual day of the event, make a detailed timeline for tasks that need to happen at a specific time. For instance, if your party starts at 7 p.m., your timeline could include filing glasses of water at 5:30 p.m., lighting candles at 6:00 p.m., cranking up tunes at 6:30 p.m., and placing starters out at 6:45 p.m. Having a schedule will enable you to focus on getting yourself ready in plenty of time before the start of the soiree. 

4. Prioritize Self-Care: While hosting a gathering can bring so much joy, it also requires significant time and energy. Before your party, plan your outfit and your time window to get ready. There’s nothing worse than greeting guests with a head full of wet hair or no makeup, because you didn’t stop early enough to get festive yourself. After your party is over, treat yourself with a reward for all the hard work you did to make your gathering happen. Plan a spa day, a girls’ night out with friends, or a night in to snuggle up in your pjs and watch your favorite holiday movie. Your guests will have made fond memories, and you will have kept some spirit for yourself to delight in the rest of the season.

We know you love a fun, stress-free gathering as much as we do. We also know you work hard all day and want to savor every free moment to enjoy the season with those you love. 

Go Ahead—Give Yourself the Gift of Time.

Prioritizing self-care for you might look like hiring a personal concierge to make these moments happen.  Whether we are planning a stress-free gathering for you, sending out holiday cards, personal shopping for corporate gifts, or coordinating your seasonal travel, Carver Concierge is here to help you relax and relish the holidays.