Yesterday, my daughter, Amanda, graduated from high school. My husband and I are so proud. It was a beautiful ceremony. There were lots of happy tears, motivating speeches, joy, and laughter. It was the perfect day.
The celebration will be continuing over the next two months at various homes and venues as our family will be attending a whole bunch of friend graduation parties.
We're also hosting a party at our home for Amanda this summer.
I know all too well, from previous grad parties we've attended throughout the years, that the party host occasionally goes way overboard...to the point of exhaustion after the party is over.
I've also "done more than was necessary" at past events I've hosted. I wouldn't say it was ever to the point of exhaustion, but I've made notes after every party I've hosted in the past to help remind me of the TO DOs that were absolutely necessary, and those that were not.
Here are 5 strategies to avoid making a busy day even busier.
1) Commit to making "one thing" or "nothing." I love to cook, which is why it's hard for me to give up cooking at events like these. But cooking isn't the only task. There are lots of other TO DOs to be done.
So, I've ordered trays of food (a main dish and a bunch of sides) from a favorite Italian store in Milwaukee, including all of the dessert as well.
In doing so, I only will be making a few trays of baked ziti, which I can cook the night before and reheat for the event.
If you host a party and don't want to cook at all, don't feel like you have to. Have it catered or buy premade food from the grocery store.
2) Don't make your TO DO list even longer. Any time you're hosting a party, as you know, there are many TO DOs to be done. But only do the TO DOs that truly have to be done. Don't add unnecessary tasks to your list...especially on the day of the event. For instance, do you really need to mop
the floor? The answer is likely "no."
3) Divide and conquer. If you can split up your task list among your family members, even better.
My husband will help with food and balloon pickups, as well as set up the outdoor tables and coolers. My daughter will handle the decorations and the music set up. A friend is stopping by to help set up the tables and chairs.
Don't try to be a superhero and do everything yourself.
If you live alone, get help from whoever is attending the party. Host a pot luck so you don't have to make everything yourself. Or cook when your guests get there. Give everyone a task.
4) Use paper products. I'm a very eco-friendly person the majority of the time, but I cut myself some slack at parties. Use paper products, preferably those that can be recycled.
It's the difference between cleaning for hours after a party, or cleaning up in 30 minutes or less.
5) Simplicity will save your sanity. Sometimes these days, things seem like they have to be bigger than life. Magazines and Pinterest boast amazing photos of homemade food, handmade decorations, freshly cut floral displays, and the like.
My mom and dad threw many parties when my sister and I were younger, and they were always simple. Burgers on the grill, homemade potato salad, fresh fruit, and store-bought cake and coffee for dessert.
No hand-crafted decorations. No spending hours making photo displays. No money spent on "photo booths", etc. No time invested trying to figure out what game everyone might want to play.
And yet...everyone always had a great time.
Certainly do one fun "unexpected extra" if you so desire, but the more you commit to, the more stress you're putting on yourself, not to mention the time and energy that will be required to pull it off.
Keep it simple. Make it mostly about mindfully "being with" those who attend your celebration.
