Swap Party - Steps 5, 6 & 7

The Third Post Following The Swap Party - Steps 1 & 2  and Steps 3 & 4

Step 5: Decorations & Set Up

Okay, so the guests are invited and menu is finalized.  As I'm thinking about those things, I also think about the logistics of the party.  My house is tiny (I call it a "postage stamp")... so I have to be creative with how we squeeze folks in. 

For the swap party, I needed to use almost the entire house to fit all 18 guests and all their swap stuff!  I actually made a map of each food & drink item, the serviceware needed, and where it would be located so I could make it all fit!  Check out my slick map:

Decor: With Christmas right around the corner, my house is decked out with red and gold.  I only used about half of my decorations this year because we just seem to have SO many.  I parsed it back and only pulled out my favs - which has made my small house look less cluttered.  I put small touches of holiday decor in each room, with the focal point being the tree in the living room (fake) and garland over the large window in the dining room (real).  And of course, fresh flowers fill in the rest!

Step 6: Par-TAY!

The party flowed really well and went as follows:

6:30 - Guests arrive (and they were ON time!); eat and drink

7:30 - Swapping starts (see below)

8:15 - Swap raffles

8:30 - Group game

9:30 - Guests depart

The swap itself was easy!  There are a bunch of ways to do it but to be most simple here's how it worked:

1. Each person brought up to 5 swap items
2. I wrote their name on a post-it note for each item they brough (5 items = 5 post-its)
3. They could put the post-it notes on any item they wanted
4. If the swap item was undisputed, the winner took it home
5. For those items that had multiple stuck post-its, we brought them all together at the end and I held mini-raffles.  Everyone wanted to watch, so I had different guests pull the winners for each "race".
6. For anything not selected, folks were free to mull through and take things as they wished (a little after-market trading).  Then, anything truly left over was donated.

After the swap, I wanted folks to have a way to get to know one another and stay longer!  So Andrew and I had fun coming up with our very own version of Holiday Clue!  We split up into teams of 2, and I passed out game cards that included:

• Suspects: Santa Clause, Prancer, Abominable Snowman, Hermey (The Misfit Elf), Scrooge, Mrs. Clause, Kevin McAlister
• Weapons: Candy Cane Shank, Poisioned Hot Cocoa, Nutcracker, Broken Glass Ornament, Yule Log, String of Lights, Snow Shovel
• Rooms: Living Room, Dining Room, Kitchen, Bathroom, Bedroom, Regal Begal (Basement Bar), Laundry Room

Check out the gameboard and pieces:

In Step 3, my #2 core belief in party planning is to consider the party phases.  For this one, I wanted to do something for everyone who had stayed up to this point in the night.  We had about 10 people left, the game was over and folks were looking to munch (you know that time of the night, right?).  So I whipped up some stove-top popcorn.  But wait for it... I then topped it with WHITE TRUFFLE OIL and salt.  OMG, to die for.  My friends devoured it and I liked that it was a little special treat for the late-group!

Finally, I love to leave folks smiling and knowing I appreciate them as they leave... I handed out to-go treat bags to eat on their drive home!  Andrew and I had a blast making the yummy gifts to tie in with the party - Peppermint Chocolate Pretzel Sticks.  I just wrapped them in celophane bags with a "thank you" tag, and had them waiting in a basket by the front door.  They were a hit!

Step 7: Survival (The Recap)

This party was super fun (all my fav ladies were in MY house)!  I scored some sweet swap stuff.  I got to plan, prep and host a party.  I did it on a budget and made it feel like it wasn't.  And I think my guests had fun too!  All in all, a successful event!!

Things to do differently - I would start my day-of prep work sooner.  I had to work until about 4 and didn't even start getting ready until then, so I was moving at super speed to try to catch up.  I never like to be unprepared when the first guest arrives and this time I was.  Also, I probably could have done one fewer dish and still had enough food (but that wouldn't have been fun, would it?!).

Finally, I sent a Thank You email to all of my friends who joined the party to make sure they know we are on for next year!