Last Sunday, I caught a wild hair and decided on a whim to host my husband’s Army Recruiting Company Christmas Party which was scheduled for that upcoming Friday. I don’t really know what came over me, so we will just chalk up my generosity to the fact that they literally had four days to throw a Christmas Party with no venue, food ideas, or anyone to organize the party.

So how does one throw a mandatory Army Christmas party for 75+ people on a budget of $300 in four days without completely losing it? Simple! Host a drop in!

Although we had the benefit of having one of the local restaurants, Pat and Oscars donate the large food, Ribs, Caesar Salad, Pasta, and their signature breadsticks, and another organization donated gifts for the kids, there were still Hors Douevres to be made, decorations and set up.

We decided to do simple finger foods, Deviled Eggs, Shrimp Crostini, Chicken Quesadillas with Pico de Gallo, and Watergate Salad. We had supervisors bring desserts. One supervisor brought Lumpia which barely made it through the door. And one of the attendees donated bottles of his homemade wine, which was a big hit. In addition, we also provided beer and sodas.

The invite was sent through email and by word of mouth. Attendees were told to drop in, anytime between the hours of 6pm and 9pm. There was no obligation for anyone to stay for any set amount of time but the boss had to at least lay eyes on them.

Decorations were minimal, with a black, white, and silver color scheme, a mini candy station on a small table at the front door,

large buffet food in the kitchen, and an Hors Dourves station in the livingroom along with Christmas tree and gifts.
In addition, homemade black, white and silver ornaments were used as decorations on the pot rack in the kitchen and then given to each family as they left the party.

Although it was a drop in, most of the people stayed the duration of the party. There was soft music playing in the background, candles for ambiance and everyone gathered around and socialized and seemed to have a great time.

Even the kids seemed to enjoy themselves, especially when they had the opportunity to pick any gift they wanted from the tree.

It is not really difficult to plan a party in a pinch. The key is to sit down and take the time to plan out what you want. A good rule of thumb is to visualize what you actually want the party to look like and what goals you want to accomplish and work backward from there. It was our desire to wish everyone a Merry Christmas and give them a token to take home and put on their tree. But our ultimate goal was to make everyone feel comfortable and relaxed in our home and provide an atmosphere for folks to socialize freely. I think we accomplished our goal. And just think what we could have accomplished if we had more time and money?

I truly can’t wait to plan my next event.