Hosting a holiday party at your home can be a fun experience but can also be very stressful. Here is a checklist of tasks that can make it organized and beautiful!

A Few Weeks Before:

• Make an invite list. Remember that for a typical party, the attendance rate is 70 to 80 percent of those invited. Plan accordingly based on the space you have in your home.
• Pick a theme. This way you can focus on decorations, menu and music to help bring the theme together.
• Send invites. This can be done in a variety of ways. Traditional print invites or handwritten ones are always good but even phone and email invites are acceptable. Social media is another avenue as well, and Facebook is great for creating events, updating information and tracking the guest list.
• Plan the menu. Put together the menu and decide if it can be prepared at your home or if a caterer is necessary. Will it be a quick assemble or all day cooking event? What about recipes? Make sure to have all of this finalized so you know how much time you need to prepare.
• Find some help. Decide what kind of help you will need in terms of serving, bartending, cleanup, etc. You could consider hiring a few college students to help. Remember, it's your party too!

Two Weeks Before

• Decide on linens and tableware. Make sure you either order enough or make sure they are cleaned and ready if you are using your own. Check for scratches, tears, etc.
• Get the music ready. Come up with a playlist or download one. The Internet is a great tool for helping with putting one together.
• Do a first round of grocery shopping and cooking, if not catered. If any of the items can be prepared and then frozen get those prepared and out of the way.

One Week Before

• Clean the house. Give your place a thorough cleaning or even hire an outside party to do so. This way, the day of the party, you can major minor adjustments.
• Arrange the furniture to maximize space and also determine if you need to bring in additional seating. Now is also a good time to put away items that can be easily broken.
• Determine cookware and serving dishes and see if any additional, inexpensive purchases are necessary.
• Stock the bar. Plan on three bottles of wine for every four people and three to four cocktails per guest for a two to three hour party.
• Arrange for alternate transportation for those who may have too much to drink and notify the guests that it will be available.

Three Days Before

• Let the neighbors know that you will be having a party and your arrangements regarding noise, parking, etc.
• Begin decorating! Now is the time to determine if any last minute items are needed.
• Check the bathroom medicine cabinet and remove any items that could cause embarrassment.
• Determine where coats, purses and car keys can be placed.
• Make sure that there are items for any clean up such as spilled drinks, napkins, wipes, club soda, etc.
• Finish grocery shopping and make out a schedule for cooking or when the caterer is to arrive and begin preparing.

The Day Before

• Set the table and put out any centerpieces such as flowers, etc.
• Give your house a once-over. Wipe down tables and chairs.

Day of Party

• Finish any last minute cooking.
• Place chairs around and leave room for guests to mingle comfortably.
• Set out food about an hour before that won't spoil for snacks and appetizers. Remember that cheese needs to be kept cold as much as possible.
• Greet your guests as they arrive and point out where food, drinks and most importantly, the restroom is located.
• Have a great holiday time!