Christmas is the time of year for families and friends to get together, exchange gifts and reflect on the past year. It’s likely that your bar, restaurant or shop will be hosting Christmas parties this season. Christmas parties in particular tend to follow certain standards when it comes to decorations, menus and activities. Below we’ve listed out some must-haves to make sure you’re ready to host the perfect Christmas party.

Flexibility for Decorations

If your place is hosting a Christmas party, there’s a good chance guests will be expecting a holiday atmosphere when they walk in. Though the party organizers will likely bring their own decorations, they may rely on you to provide dining-related supplies. It’s important to have products on hand that can fit with the Christmas theme. White banquet rolls allow party planners to set up centerpieces or holiday trinkets on tabletops.

Entertainment

Most groups will have activities planned for their parties, such as Secret Santa and giveaways. In these cases, it’s important to understand the space needed to make sure everyone can participate with little hassle. You can provide plain black and white takeout bags to help guests carry their gifts and prizes.

Nothing really brings out the Christmas spirit in people like music. Be sure to speak with the organizers what kind of music, if any, they’d like to play during the party. If you’re asked to provide music, be sure to have a playlist prepared beforehand.

Holiday Drinks

If you’re a bar or restaurant that serves alcohol, you should have the ingredients necessary for traditional holiday drinks. Despite the variety of holiday-themed cocktails out there, most of them include similar ingredients like chocolate, cinnamon, eggnog and peppermint schnapps.

For alcoholic and nonalcoholic drinks alike, guests should have straws and stirrers to enjoy their drinks how they choose. While plastic stirrers are always an option, those made from bamboo are an option if the decorators are looking for higher-quality products.

Cocktail napkins should fit the theme of the holiday party and ours come in a variety of colors, including green, red and white. Our plain white coasters are great for keeping bars and tabletops free of watermarks and scuffs while still fitting with the holiday colors.

Holiday Meals

While many holidays parties will focus on drinks and snacks, there may be a need to provide proper arrangements for full-course meals. If this is the case, be sure to have red and white dinner napkins with matching bands available. Placemats and doilies can also add an extra touch of elegance to any dinner setting. Perhaps you’re asked to provide supplies for a buffet-style meal. In these instances, you’ll need to have chafing fuel and steam pan liners to keep food warm. Foodshells, skewers and picks are great ways to organize food and keep the buffet line moving.

Holiday-themed desserts can be easily served with boats and cones. For hot beverages like coffee and hot chocolate, be sure to provide Stix-To-Go plugs so guest can take some holiday cheer with them.

Be Prepared

Like any event, Christmas parties require a lot of preparation from you as the host and the planners. Depending on the type of event, you may be asked to provide simple accessories or full dinner service. Proper preparation is essential to a successful Christmas party. Our list of supplies is just what you need to pull off a successful event and spread some holiday cheer.

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