I am extremely happy this fall.  You may remember that last fall, my husband was newly out of the Navy and unemployed.  As it would turn out, that period of little to no work lasted for 5 months.  It was the most stressful time of our lives.  This fall is a completely different story.  I still pinch myself sometimes to be reminded that it is real – that life is this good.  To celebrate, we have decided to have a Halloween party.  We love to host parties and entertain friends and family.  Here are a list of the steps we’ve taken to prepare for our gathering.

• Make a plan. The logistics must be discussed, calendars looked at, budgets scanned.  The right time, date, and atmosphere must be available to make this a fun and stress-free party.
• Create a guest list. Decide how many people you think is an appropriate number to handle.
• Send invitations. We used Evite.com.  If the majority of your guests have or use email, then this is a great way to go.  It is paperless.  It is attractive.  It is easy.  And it keeps track of your attendees for you.  It is brilliant!
• Decide on food/beverages. We scanned Halloween magazines, cookbooks, and websites looking for the perfect fare for our afternoon party.  Once we decided, we then created a menu and a grocery list of necessities.
• Discuss decorating/decorations. Our party is going to be primarily outdoors (we hope) and fairly casual.  We have taken those factors into consideration when choosing our budget for any new decorations.
• Provide entertainment.  Because our party will be for families, there will the need to entertain children and adults alike.  We have researched some games from PartyGameIdeas.com that will be fun for the children to play and the adults to watch and enjoy.
• Prepare party favors.  Though trick-or-treaters will be loading up on treats of all kinds just hours after our guests have left the party, we want to send them off with something to remember the fun time we anticipate having.  Plus, we need prizes for our games.
• Purchase supplies. We must have plates, napkins, cups, and silverware.  Ingredients must be bought and ready for preparation.  And any additional necessities must be accounted for.
• Prepare your home. Oh, how I wish I could ignore this one.  All of the other steps are so much fun for me.  This one is a drag, but I do love the good, clean feeling I get when I clean for guests.

Are you having a party of any kind during the holidays?  Are you hosting at home or another location?  What is your favorite tip for party preparation?