Holiday party planner 2016

4B

2016 Party Planner

| November 16, 2016

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Save time on holiday entertaining With each holiday season comes joy, laughter and celebrations with family and friends. However, all that revelry takes time. Fortunately, there are ways to keep the planning and preparation for holiday entertaining from infringing on your enjoyment of all the holidays have to offer.

This year, make it easier to minimize your time spent preparing and maximize your time entertaining guests with these simple tips.

Clean efficiently. Get all hands on deck so you aren’t trying to clean the entire house alone. Whether you assign each person a task such as dusting or vacuuming that they do through the entire house, or each person tackles a room from

top to bottom, the extra hands will make the work time shorter. Before your big cleaning day, be sure to take inventory of your cleaning supplies and ensure you have everything you need on hand.

Menu shortcuts. A successful holiday host knows how to simplify meal preparation without sacrificing taste. Idahoan Signature Russets Mashed Potatoes – which can be made in only five minutes – are packaged mashed potatoes worthy of being served during a holiday dinner. With a nice, smooth taste and just a hint of butter and cream, they taste as good as if you peeled, boiled and mashed them yourself.

Prep in advance. Rather than

rushing around the morning of the get-together, take care of as much of the party setup as you can the night before. For example, you can set the table, put up decorations and adjust furniture for easier movement and conversation before the big day arrives. Pay attention to the details, too. Don’t wait until your first guest arrives to make space in the coat closet or figure out where the ladies can store their purses.

Keep decorations simple. It’s easy to get carried away in the holiday spirit, but less really can be more when it comes to decorating. Focus on your entryway so guests arrive to a festive setting, but round out the decor with small touches that make a big impact, such as table

centerpieces, mantle ornaments and seasonal bouquets or stacks of empty boxes wrapped in pretty paper scattered about the home.

Another trick for trimming: elevate your look and make it pop by limiting your decorating theme to just one or two colors.

Create a staging area. As the party unfolds, you’ll undoubtedly need to access an array of items that you’d rather not leave sitting out. Designate a nearby area (such as the laundry room) where you can stash things like extra trash bags, stain remover for spills and other necessities.

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2016 Party Planner

November 16, 2016 |

5B

Tackling a touchdown tailgate As fall settles in, the air gets crisper and the kids head back to school, many Americans eagerly anticipate one thing: football season.

Whether you’re a die-hard gridiron fan or prefer to enjoy the food and festivities from the sidelines, everyone can agree that a successful tailgate is key to any memorable game day gettogether. According to a recent Bank of America survey, 34 percent of Americans plan to attend a professional or college football game or tailgate this fall, and 20 percent plan to host a tailgate or viewing party themselves.

While many love planning out meals, decorations and activities for friends and family, the costs can easily add up and make hosting feel like an underdog game. So how can fans plan a tailgate that stays on budget and impresses any crowd – home or away?

Home design and DIY experts Ben and Erin Napier teamed with Bank of America to provide these cost-savvy tips for pulling off a memorable tailgate that fits the bill for every fan on game day.

Get in the Competitive Spirit Whether you’re grilling outside the stadium or spending halftime hanging out in your backyard, Ben recommends laying out a variety of games for guests to enjoy.

“We take college football season very seriously,” Ben said. “For some friendly, competi-

tive fun before kickoff and during halftime, create a larger-than-life wood-block game.”

Follow these simple steps: 1. Sand down wooden four-by-fours.

2. Cut into 48 pieces, each eighteen 18 inches long.

3. Stack pieces into a tower.

4. Take turns pulling pieces to see who knocks the tower over first.

For added flair and personalization, Erin suggests painting the wooden blocks your team colors.

Bring the Stadium to Your Living Room If you missed out on tickets or your home team is on the road, you can still make your home feel like a day at the stadium.

“During tailgates at home, we try to make our friends feel like they’re actually at the game and having as much fun as possible,” Ben said.

Decorating your home with the team’s colors – such as creating DIY wall art with framed jerseys – is a simple, cost-efficient way to capture the tailgate essence.

Ben suggests setting up a big screen TV on the deck or outdoor living area with speakers to mimic the feeling of watching a game outside in the stands. For inexpensive, comfy

seating that will help welcome guests and add another pop of team spirit, try purchasing throw pillows in your team’s colors from a wholesale club or superstore, but make sure to weatherproof them first using fabric protection spray.

“We also like to play recordings of our college band before kickoff if we can’t be at the pep rally in person,” Erin said.

Create a Tailgating Space that Stands Out One of the best parts of tailgating at the stadium is being surrounded by fellow fans. Try sprucing up your car or tent to create an inviting space that showcases your team pride.

Ben recommends investing in a large, custom-designed vinyl or fabric banner for your tent. Not only can they be affordable to produce and last for many seasons, but they stand out in a crowd.

“Because the banner’s durable, you can use it every year,” Ben said. “Its unique design makes it easy to find after we walk around the tailgate to meet fellow fans.”

Even when your tailgate screams “Go Team,” it’s important to make everybody – even the opposing team’s fans – feel welcome.

“Experiencing a big game may be a once in a lifetime experience for them,” Erin said. “Football fans should be all about hospitality, even toward the rival team’s visitors.”

Develop a Game Plan Before Cooking When preparing meals for a large group, planning ahead and using simple recipes are key.

“We like to plan our meals ahead so that by the time our friends arrive and the game starts, we’re pretty much done in the kitchen,” Ben Napier said.

A simple, versatile marinade helps keep flavors fresh throughout the football season while avoiding additional costs.

“For our tailgates, we prefer to stick to the classics,” Ben said. “When we aren’t grilling hot dogs or burgers, we make a big pot of chili in our slow cooker – letting it simmer for a few hours before serving when the game starts. If we’re tailgating at the stadium, we’ll even throw the chili together in a cast iron pot straight on the grill.”

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