Hosting a party can bring about a great deal of stress. You may find this true for any kind of party, but it seems to be particularly true for a party thrown around the holidays. For some reason, the holidays are a time when parties aspire to be a little grander; they need to have tastier food, more elegant alcohol, and those who are hosting it need to wear red and call each other by names like “Dearest.”
While a holiday party is something you will likely want to throw well (hoping to impress your friends, your relatives, and your next door neighbor whose front lawn animatronics nativity scene makes your decorations look inferior), you will also want to save some room on your credit cards for all your holiday shopping.
This may seem to pose a bit of a problem, as if you are forced to make the choice of throwing a great party or buying presents for your children, children who — as they contact social services and attempt to get on Oprah — probably won’t be too forgiving if the holiday season finds you empty handed.
Throwing a great party doesn’t have to drain your bank account. There are ways to have a party that is both festive and frugal. Because alcohol is generally one of the priciest party expenses, buying wisely is the first step in throwing a party that will leave both your social circle and your children still talking to you.
Have a Variety
Some people are under the impression that hosting a party involves purchasing the most expensive wine they can find, wine that would impress even the most seasoned connoisseur. However, when it comes down to it, the price of wine is not nearly as important as the variety.
Holiday parties typically consist of a large spread of food. From the pâté to the cheese balls, the months of November and December are like a giant buffet. Because of this, it’s important to cover your bases and purchase wine that is adaptable, wine that all types of food consider easy to get along with. The simplest way to do this is to cover all your bases by purchasing both red wine and white wine.
Article comments
1 - Box Wine Guy
I agree that box wines have been looked down on as party fare, and often rightly so. This year, though, I'm going to offer guests a selection of Free Range Wines in some less common varietals. It should be fun to get people's reactions - we've always done bottle wine in the past.
2 - Jack
May I disagree? Unless it's a party for mainly people you don't like, serving White Zinfandel or some other cheap swill is not cool. A much better and still inexpensive sweet choice are the 1 Liter bottles of German wine brought in by Terry Thiese & Co. (Rieslings and Sylvaners.)