Christmas party checklist

Two to four weeks before

• Agree the basics. Choose a date, place, arrival time and finish time. Set a spending limit in one currency and decide who is paying for what.
• Make a household guest list. Record how many adults and children are invited. Set a reply date that leaves time to organise food and space.
• Choose the kind of gathering. A sit-down meal, shared buffet or drinks-and-games evening needs a different room layout and running order. Keep the invitation specific.
• Allocate contributions. For a shared meal, give each item one named owner, a quantity and an arrival time. Include drinks, serving items and clearing up.

One week before

• Confirm the guest count. Keep unanswered invitations separate from declines. Follow up privately before finalising orders or purchases.
• Reconcile food and spending. Match the quantity you intend to buy with the budget quantity. For example, 24 portions at 8 currency units cost 192 before any separately stated delivery or extras.
• Keep an optional gift exchange simple. Agree who is participating, the spending limit and when gifts are exchanged. Do not assume every guest wants to join.
• Choose one finished activity. Prepare the actual questions, materials and instructions. Assign a helper to run it, and leave guests free to sit it out.

A reminder you can adapt

Hi [name], a quick check for our Christmas gathering on [day, month and date]. Please confirm who is coming by [reply date]. If you’re bringing [agreed item], could you confirm the quantity and arrival time? We’re looking forward to seeing you!

Adapt this for each household. Keep the general event plan separate from private guest details, and update the existing record when someone changes their answer.

A simple event-day running order

Give helpers a short copy of the running order with their job, time and contact person. Keep some unallocated time; a gathering should not feel like a timetable. Afterwards, record actual spending and one change that would make next time easier.