Enniscorthy Guardian

Tips to make your party perfect...

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USUALLY the best Christmas parties are those that skilfully merge a number of key fundamenta­ls that range from good atmosphere, food, music and decorum. Getting this mix right will ensure everyone has a great time and the evening passes off in spectacula­r fashion. Here’s a short (if slightly churlish) guide to the five most important tips when it comes to staging your party.

Atmosphere: If it’s one thing a Christmas party needs more than anything else, it’s to know that it’s actually Christmas time. This might sound pretty straight forward but getting the atmosphere right can be the difference between a proper Christmas party and a regular Saturday night down the pub. Most establishm­ents that cater for Christmas parties are now putting up the tinsel earlier each year to help make parties more special. So why not check out in advance the best decorated establishm­ents in your town, village or city?

Food: Whether it is chips, sausage rolls or a five star gala dinner, knowing what kind of food is on offer beforehand can really help. Having a meal will naturally slow the pace of the evening’s drinking down (or at least it should) and can have many positive benefits as the night progresses. Whereas finger food, or a lighter assortment of food, is usually insufficie­nt in terms of bolstering your reserves ahead of a night’s drinking. Be mindful of the range of food available at your party and drink accordingl­y. Fact.

Music: It really doesn’t matter how much you love Christmas, hearing Cliff Richard’s ‘Mistletoe and Wine’ for the 87th time on a night out just isn’t recommende­d. Don’t get me wrong, Christmas songs make an important contributi­on to any Christmas party but just be mindful of the lethargy that usually sets in around 12am when the songs of Christmas past continue to play again and again and again.

Selfies: This is a pretty new problem that has started to invade every aspect of life in recent years and will usually cause much ire for people at Christmas parties. The age of the ‘Selfie’ has well and truly arrived and has managed to banish spontaneit­y forever. But that’s no reason why you still shouldn’t be able to enjoy a Christmas party in relative obscurity with colleagues and friends. Selfie culprits, for the most part, are well intentione­d folk, but snapping a zillion photos of a Christmas party with folks in all manner of uncompromi­sing states of appearance is, perhaps, I guess, okay. But posting them immediatel­y online certainly is not. So go easy with the iPhone.

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