By Martine Sicard

Everyone want to have a fabulous holiday but this year due to the recession all the funds may not be there, so be very careful to stay on budget  so you won’t have any regrets come January when the credit card bills come in the mail. So how do you through an economical holiday party without looking cheap? It’s all in the planning, follow these 5 steps and none of your guests will miss any of the frills.

1.      Simplify your invitation. Depending on how formal your party is, and how well you know your guests, you might consider e-mailing invitations with a free service like  evite.com, there program can manage invitations and RSVPs  for a small or large guest list. If you prefer a paper invitation, why not create a postcard invitation on your desktop?  They don’t need envelops and are cheaper to mail.

2.      Decorations. Keep it simple but elegant, invest in items that you can also after the party. Candles come in a variety of colors that can be matched with your décor and can be purchased at a low cost from dollar stores, fresh garlands and poinsettia can be purchased at the grocery store, they make great decorations and the smell of fresh pine is very inviting.

3.      The Food. Consider going with a food theme, “Christmas in Tuscany” where you can serve inexpensive pasta dishes or a “Mexican Family Fiesta”. Always make good use of frozen foods, spike them up with some fresh herbs and spices to make it yours. Go potluck this way everyone feels like they contributed something.

4.      Guest List. Instead of having a big shin ding this year, why not opt for a more intimate dinner party with a few closed friends.

5.      Timing. Make it a lunch or a Christmas breakfast, you’ll be serving much less food and you can concentrate more on quality, like a champagne breakfast for six. 

 Martine Sicard is a respected Lifestyle and Entertainment Expert. She is the editor for www.martinesicard.com and www.martinesblog.com. Ms.Sicard’s mission is to be a lifestyle resource to people in the areas of food, kids, entertaining, and home living all with the sensibilities of Martine Sicard. If you would like to schedule an interview or have any questions she can be reached at 772-626-5820 or martine@martinesicard.com.

More great holiday gift-giving articles and ideas can be found in  our new Holiday Gift-giving Guide at http://bit.ly/1Z6LSF

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