Planning a party for the holidays can be exciting and messy all at once. If you're organising a gathering for a large family or an eclectic group of friends, making sure everyone is happy and entertained is tough, and trying to please every person can suck the fun out of the event really easily.

You can actually enjoy hosting an end-of-the-year shindig if you have a few guidelines in place to keep you focused and organised. Consider these six tips to make your next gathering the best it can be.

Choose positive guests

Figuring out who you'll be hosting can sometimes be the toughest part of the planning process because you want the night to go smoothly, and not all personalities mix.

All of us have that one friend or family member (or several) that may be difficult to be around, and we may sometimes feel obligated to include them despite our better judgment.

The easiest way to avoid unnecessary stress is to keep the list to positive guests only. Who are the friends who make you feel the best? Who are the cousins that are kind and have uplifting conversations, or are the life of the party? These are the kinds of people you want to invite.

Remember, if you're planning on hosting family but you have a close relative you would rather not include, consider your options closely.

You can choose to create separate plans with that relative so they don't feel disregarded, or you can leave hosting a family holiday gathering to another relative and stick to a gathering with close friends instead.

Whatever you decide, be adamant about keeping your event for guests who agree to be respectful and courteous.

Simple and creative invitations

Time to send the invites! Remember, these don't need to be incredibly elaborate if you don't want them to be. Take the time to consider what actually brings you joy and let that guide you in the kind of invitation you want to send.

From ordering to using creative templates, the possibilities for the invitations you can come up with are endless. You can order bulk invites from Amazon or use an e-card service. Graphic design tools like Canva are also great for finding templates and creating something you can print at home.

Are you crafty and enjoy physical cards? Head to a hobby store and make your own invites by hand. Are you tech-savvy? Consider making a fun e-vite and emailing it to your guest list. If you love to text and prefer to be straightforward, a simple group chat with the details of your event posted works just as well.

No matter your preference, always keep it simple to save both time and money and focus your energy on the more important parts of your party.

Collaborate on entertainment

Consider what your guests like to do together and what entertainment you enjoy. Instead of trying to figure it all out on your own, get everyone involved and share what they'd like to do.

Does your family love to dance? Send a message to each guest asking for two of their favourite songs; that way, everyone gets a chance to hear something they love and will get up and dance too.

Do they prefer silly party games? Find out the favourites among your friends and stock up on supplies, be it board games or activities.

It just takes a little preparation and collaboration to make the entertainment memorable.

Find a space outside of the home

Hosting a party in your home is tempting for many reasons. It's familiar, easy to rearrange the way you want, and best of all, it's free. But if you're feeling the pressure before the day even gets here, it might be time to think about using an outside venue.

If you're having alcohol at your event, hosting it in a venue gives you both protection and variety. It also means you'll have some help with clean up when it's all over.

You'll have a designated bartender pouring drinks and knowing when a guest has had enough to drink. Your guests will also be able to enjoy a much bigger cocktail menu than the few mixers and spirits in your kitchen. You also won't be chained to your home bar, pouring everyone's drinks yourself and unable to join in on the fun.

Use a venue that has experience hosting parties and provides the services you need to create the perfect atmosphere for your guests. If you're in the Dublin area, McGowan's is a great place to hire spaces for events, with plenty of delicious food and drink options available.

Take time to get ready

When you're wrapped up in all the details of party planning, it's easy to forget about how you, as the host, want to present yourself. Make sure you take the time to pick the clothes you want to wear and how and when you intend to get ready beforehand.

Steam your dress, press your suit, or get your hair sorted the night before. Give yourself plenty of time to relax and get ready so you can enjoy the night feeling confident and put together.

Plan to enjoy yourself

Finally, when the night is here, plan to enjoy yourself. That means designating a specific amount of time where you step away from your host duties and take it all in.

Is there a party game you want to jump in on? Maybe a few songs you want to jam out to with friends when they come on? Have you set aside a single hour out of the night where you won't be leaving the dancefloor?

Whatever you decide, make sure that you live in the moment and have fun.

Be sure to check out our other blog post on unique party ideas here!