The holiday season is a time to get together with your loved ones, celebrate your relationships, and appreciate the support that you get from them. But when you plan to host a huge guest list in a small space, the resulting stress makes it difficult to picture it.

Besides feeling congested with large crowds, small spaces can also limit comfortable movement during parties. From seating issues to serving problems, you have to address a number of challenges before anyone can enjoy the holiday cheer.

But this doesn’t mean that hosting large parties in small spaces cannot be a success. To help you achieve this, here’s a quick guide for cozy holiday gatherings. 

Clear as much space as possible

If you’ve ever followed a guide to adding extra space to your property, you may already know the drill. Installing shelves, practicing stacked storage, and moving around some furniture at the last minute can create some additional space for your party. When you smartly plan for these changes, you can also keep them after the party and continue enjoying a more comfortable space in the future. 

Use wall and ceiling space to decorate

While holiday decor is wonderful, it can also take up a lot of space in small areas. When you are on a mission to save space for your party, you can focus on bringing out the holiday theme through options other than decor. For instance, by suggesting that your guests wear Christmas outfits and holiday clothes, you can have everyone join in the seasonal spirit right off the bat.

Save space in catering arrangements

While many catering arrangements involve setting up long tables next to each other, there are other ways to set everything up. In small spaces, every square foot of space counts. In addition to riser tables, you can also use a tiered serving tray to serve your party food. Besides keeping your guests well-fed, this also creates a pleasant aesthetic for your party.

Keep Most Party Decor on the Walls

Similar to tips for decorating your home on a budget, you can set up your small space for your holiday party without breaking the bank. One of the most effective tips here is to keep most of your party decor limited to the walls. But this doesn’t mean a bare-bones decor approach. You can still put up boughs of holly across your hallwhile also using a holiday garland or two over your fireplace and doors.

Encourage Your Guests to Mingle

While learning how to host a house party in the summer or winter, encouraging your guests to mingle with each other is one of the most effective skills to master. This not only creates a harmonious environment for your party while keeping the crowd busy, but as a result, you can have guests who do not complain aboutstanding around due to being busy in conversation. This saves you a lot of seating space.

Hire serving staff

Speaking of a standing arrangement, it can make a world of difference for your guests’ comfort when they are served food and drinks right where they are. This also saves you from being embarrassed by moving restrictions in your small space. Keeping this in mind, consider hiring serving staff for the evening to help you out. You can do so through a quick-hire platform or via a local business.

Test your plan before the party

Even when you pay attention to the last detail of your party, it’s difficult to tell how it will all come together until someone tries out the arrangements. By making a point to walk around the space, observe the catering setup, and assess the bar or drinks station, you can determine how easy it might be for your guests to feel at home. This saves you from any undue embarrassment during and after the party.

These tips are not difficult to follow, but they still make it easy for you to host a memorable holiday party in a small space. This way, you don’t have to fret about leaving a bad impression on your social circle right before turning a new leaf on the calendar.