'Tis the Season - Fa la la la

Christmas automatically means celebration time for most of us and what better way to celebrate than to throw a party! Nothing sets the tone and tops off the festivities like music and entertainment. When the atmosphere is much more relaxed and you want to enjoy yourself you must make sure to have at least these three tips covered when planning your Christmas Party.

* Think about the general audience...

It is totally inconsiderate and upsetting to have grandma attend your celebration with no seating arrangements, an all alcoholic bar and with the latest pop culture music blazing from the speakers. Consider the ages of the persons attending your event and select the music and entertainment to suit. If you know that the majority of the attendees are more senior in age, make the music more relatable and the entertainment likewise. Maybe your party has a mixture of ages, then don't strictly play Ariana Grande, Drake and Rihanna if granny and her friends would appreciate a line dancing session with Brooke Benton and Andy Williams. Neither should you strictly play Adele and Sam Smith tunes if you have a Machel and Lil Rick audience.

* Consider the calibre of the event...

Music always sets the atmosphere and the tone of any party. If your party is the more sophisticated and high-brow elegant type of party, then bashment soca should NOT be the first choice. You may want to consider the more sedate classic, orchestra type music for the season such as in the genre of The Nutcracker. Some smooth jazz pieces of the era of Ella Fitzgerald and Billie Holiday may be a bit more appropriate. Certainly a live band or smaller combo can be hired to cover this space. Be sure to include a few toasts and some space for dancing.

Of course there are the more casual Christmas Party, and for example some of those which we have done have broken all of the "high brow" rules. The after dinner set was of course eased in with slow chipping soca and reggae love songs and as the party progressed the band increases the pace based on audience response. These more casual and sometimes themed events seem to be increasing in popularity.

* Where are you partying?

Are you holding the party in the right kind of space? What kind of restrictions are in place for your kind of fete? Can you go all night without a bother?

You must ensure that your venue has adequate seating arrangements if it is a "sit-down" type of shindig. If there will be dancing, then a ballroom or dance floor must be on site, not forgetting the live band, and how they can interact with the audience. No one wants to party and feel as if they are jammed together in a mince, especially when the music really kicks in. In the Caribbean, when a good calypso or soca song start - many persons need the space to really "tek off someting and pelt it way" or to party without hindrance.