How to Host a Party in a Small House

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I love hosting parties. Truth be told though, I haven’t done it very much over the past few years – and I miss it. I’ve mentioned on here before that I want to host more get together’s at my house, and yet to this date I haven’t done it yet.

I was reflecting back and wondering as to why I hadn’t yet. Why haven’t I just had a few friends and family over more often? Part of the reasons were out of my control – other people’s schedules, relatives living far away, etc. But other excuses are my own fault. The biggest reason being that we have a small house.

Hosting a party in a small house can definitely be more challenging because not only are you planning all of the other party to-do’s, but you are also wondering how to rearrange things and where to put people.

You are not alone.

I have a 1250 square foot home. A few years ago we had a Christmas party for 30 people there. Was is cozy? Yes. We had to get creative with seating, but I still look back at that party as one of my favorite holiday gatherings.

There are a lot of details that go into planning a party, from a theme, food and drinks, seating, activities, as well as keeping kids occupied if it’s going to be a family event.

How to Host a Party in a Small Home:

When planning a party in a small area, first think of how many guests you will invite. Unless they are very close, generally 1/3  – 1/2 of those you invite will not be able to attend, so I normally invite more than I think I can safely accommodate, knowing that they most likely will not all come – and if they do, we make it work!

Next, figure out food. Since you are limited for space, you can get creative. If it’s going to be a sit down dinner, perhaps relocate your furniture to another location such as the garage and create a family style table. If  you are just serving appetizers; rent or borrow some small cocktail tables for guests to stand at. If you are hosting a buffet dinner, you don’t even necessarily need enough table space for everyone, just seating. This option works well for me, but don’t be surprised if you need to have the carpet cleaned afterwards. 😉

If you are going to serve a buffet styled dinner, make sure that the area you will have food in has the most accessible room – ideally open on both sides for people to serve themselves. Also, if possible have a separate area set up for desserts. It will spread out the guests. I think you should always serve dessert, but it doesn’t have to be complicated. A great thing to do is scoop out DREYER’S Ice Cream into small dishes before the party and then place them on a serving platter and keep them in the freezer until the party. Then you can simply set the ice cream out onto the dessert table all ready for guests to enjoy. Use a couple of different flavors like DREYER’S Slow Churned® Caramel Delight Light Ice Cream or even simply DREYER’S Slow Churned® Vanilla Light Ice Cream to make the dessert station more visually appealing. You can stock up on your favorite DREYER’S Ice Cream flavors at your local Walmart (located in the freezer section).

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If the party is in the summer and you have outdoor space available – use it! You can easily transform a porch, deck, or backyard, into additional party space. If you have a garage you can clean it up, decorate it, add a couple of heaters and use it in the winter for more room as well.

For seating, unless it’s a sit down dinner don’t worry about having the exact number of chairs for guests. Some people will generally always be chatting and standing up. Count up the couches, table chairs, benches, etc. that you have and borrow some extra chairs from a friend, or if you have to rent a few for the evening. Make sure that they are all off to the sides so that it doesn’t interfere with the open space that you do have available.

A few other details that are very important when hosting a party in a small home are:

• Have plenty of napkins available
• Keep a couple of garbage cans around for easy accessibility
• Create a menu board so guests can know what is being served
• Turn on some background music, light up the area with soft lights, and buy some dinner conversation cards
• Think about having take home boxes so you’re not stuck with a refrigerator full of leftovers.

Just because your home is small doesn’t mean you shouldn’t enjoy it! You can stock up on all of your party supplies at your local Walmart.

Also, keep an eye out for a local demo at a Walmart near you – here’s a link to all of the locations!

~Melissa