The holiday season can be fun, but because it’s jam-packed with events, it can also be nerve-racking! No worries – we’ve got you covered this year with everything from budgets to holiday event catering. In no particular order, here are our top 20 tips for preparing for the 2022 holiday season!

1. Come Up With a Holiday Budget

During the holidays, people overspend as they travel to events. Plan how much money you want to spend this year. You won’t overspend and everyone will know what to expect.

Talk with family and friends about gifts. Come up with a maximum amount to spend on each person, do a Secret Santa exchange, or find other clever ways to keep costs low!

2. Prioritize the Most Important Events and Activities

The holiday season is busy – full of holiday parties and traditions. Ahead of time, sit down to discuss everyone’s favorite festivities, and prioritize those ones.

If you’ve got time for secondary activities, great! If not, you won’t feel like you’re missing out.

3. Mark Your Calendar: Time to Relax

This time of year is hectic, between all the family celebrations and parties you rush off to. Do yourself a favor and block out time to relax.

This way, you’ll unwind and stay healthier/less likely to catch a cold over the holidays. This is especially important for event planners, hosts, and business owners!

4. Shop Early and Stay On Budget

Getting the shopping done early is far less stressful than waiting until the last minute: there’s plenty of time to wrap each gift!

Stay on budget, too, or you may find yourself too concerned about finances to enjoy the holiday party.

5. Declutter to Make Room for New Things

Few things are less stressful than bringing new things into a cluttered house. What was a blessing two seconds ago feels like a curse: “Where will we put this?”

Do yourself a favor and get the decluttering done early (in both your home and your fridge) so you can enjoy everything you get.

6. Get Creative About Food Prep

Holiday sweets are on everyone’s list – but you don’t have to wait to make them! Make the dough now and freeze it, or bake and freeze goodies in advance.

Same for main dishes: do the prep work in advance by chopping veggies and freezing them. (If that sounds like too much work, you could always book a caterer!)

7. Help Someone Else Enjoy the Season

The winter season is a great time to give back to those less fortunate. Donate a toy to a drive or volunteer at a soup kitchen. Get the whole family involved and make it a part of your annual family celebrations!

If you’re a business owner, consider sponsoring an event. You’ll give back to your local community and gain visibility as a caring company.

8. Break the Mold by Doing Something New

Tradition is great – but sometimes we miss out on other amazing activities by overprioritizing them. Find something new to do with your family and friends this year and break the mold a bit!

After all, who says you have to have ham over the holidays? Why not Mexican food?

9. Be Patient With Your Family (and Yourself)

This season can be stressful. It can be also lonely or a time for grieving loved ones. Be patient if people aren’t as excited as you are. If you’re also going through this, be patient with yourself.

Still, do your best to enjoy this time. You can’t control everyone – all you can control is your response.

10. Practice Safety and Be Mindful of Hazards

The holiday season is infamous for safety hazards: car accidents, slips and falls from decorating, break-ins, and identity theft. Be extra careful, keep gifts out of sight, and check credit card statements to stay safe this year!

(Business owners  and event planners – the holidays are when more cybersecurity attacks happen, so stay vigilant.)

11. Save Money on Travel By Being Smart

Holiday travel can get pricey, between booking flights and hotels. Why not put some of your credit card points toward your travel plans to offset the cost? Another idea is to book your stay using a discount booking site like Expedia or Priceline. Happy traveling!

12. Shop at Secondhand Stores on Discount Days

Oh no – a holiday party to attend, but you have nothing to wear! Save by shopping at secondhand stores this year. Save even more on discount days. No one will know the difference!

It’s a great way to find gifts, too!

13. Make Holiday Crafts Using Found Items

Decorating for the holidays doesn’t have to be expensive. Make glitter-pine cones with your kids using pine cones from your yard, or repurpose old Christmas supplies to make something new. BOOM! Family activity AND decorating, done!

14. Foster Gratitude By Spending Quality Time

Whether with your team or your family, foster gratitude by reviewing the year and what you’re most thankful for. What did you do with family and friends? What critical events did your team help with?

Recount the year’s memories with the people you care about.

15. Sending Cards? Update Your Address Book

For many people, the tradition of sending Christmas cards is still very much alive. But going to the trouble to send a card, only to have it sent back, is a terrible feeling. Event planners, families, and business owners can minimize this by updating their address books now!

16. …Oh, and Take Family Photos Now

The holidays are stressful – so they’re not the best time to snap a photo of baby James in his holiday outfit. Take photos earlier and you’ll have an easier time.

If you take Christmas photos for your business, you could also do that early. (Unless you snap it at the annual holiday party.)

17. Decide What You’re Doing on Christmas

…So, what are your plans? Are you staying in and letting family come to you, or are you traveling over the holidays? It’s best to get this nailed down as soon as possible.

18. Get Your Christmas Lists in Order

Make sure you know what everyone wants – and that you have a quick list to give to people should they ask what you want.

19. Check the Guest Room and Schedule Maintenance

If you’re hosting holiday parties this year, you don’t want to run into issues. Restock the guest room and schedule home maintenance to make sure nothing is overlooked.

20. Think Ahead: Book Your Caterer Now!

To truly be kind to yourself, you should look into catering options this year. You know how busy the holidays are, and the worst thing you could do is put it off only to learn you’ve got major catering needs later on, but the caterers are all busy.

By budgeting for catering and booking it early, you’ll be freed up to spend quality time with people, instead of worrying about burning the pie. At K. Pacho, we have an extensive catering menu full of delicious eats. Book us now to cater your holiday party!

It’s hard to believe that the holiday season is here already. While it may be a stressful time for some, planning your winter party can be fun.

You want to make sure that you are providing favor ideas that are festive, thoughtful, and unique. Here are 25 great gift items for guests to enjoy at their respective parties.

Lip Balm Favors

You can create lip balm favors by filling small tins or bags with peppermint-flavored lip balm. To give them an added touch, you can print winter-themed designs on stickers; place them on the tins or bags.

Be Safe! Candy Cane Seatbelt Charm

To keep safe during the holiday season, you can print out your own candy cane seatbelt charms for guests to wear. You can also have them attached to cute key chains that are red or green.

Homemade Chocolate Figurines

In winter, it is the perfect opportunity to share the makings of delicious chocolate goodies. At your party, you can have a few molds of different shapes and sizes for guests to fill with chocolate.

Give a Blessing Angel Ornament

Lovely angel ornaments are great favors that guests can take home and hang on their trees. You can put a personalized message on the back of each one.

Make a Treat

You can fill molds with red and green colored chocolate to create your unique candy-inspired treat for guests. For added fun, you can add some sprinkles or nuts on top of the melted chocolate so that the final product resembles ornaments.

Cute Buttons

You can easily print out your own Christmas tree buttons on normal printer paper. To make them look festive, you can color the trees green with ink or marker.

Stick them on homemade cards to share with coworkers, friends, and family.

A Trivia Game Booklet

A fun game that can be played at your party is trivia. You can make a booklet of the questions ahead of time or write them on an index card during the event. For winner prizes, you could give each guest a small ornament as a prize.

A Place Card/Photo Holder

These place cards and photo holders can be made with foam board or cardboard painted green and decorated by gluing on googly eyes and felt pieces for the mouth and buttons. You can also add a cute hat to make them extra festive!

Miniature Gingerbread Houses

These wonderful miniature gingerbread houses are great winter party favors. After your guests have enjoyed their treats in these mini-houses, they can take them home to put on display until next year’s holiday season.

Mitten Place Cards

You can make winter-themed place cards with mittens by cutting out card stock in the shape of a mitten and punching two holes on each side. You can then tie a pretty ribbon or jute through the holes to make them easier to carry around.

Homemade Cinnamon Wreath Ornaments

These homemade cinnamon wreaths are easy to make and will add a lovely scent to your home come winter time. If you like, feel free to put up a small sign with the recipe.

Fresh Pine Branches

Depending on what is available in your area, you can purchase fresh pine branches from your local florist or grocery store. If you like, you can also make it festive by decorating each one with red ribbons and green ornaments.

A Cookie Favor

The cookie party favors can be a hit at your gathering with guests from children to adults because they will also love the festive cookies that you have prepared for them!

Christmas Party Favor in a Jar

These favors can be stored in a jar and reused for years to come. You can give them out at your family gatherings or parties with friends. You can make a sign that says “cheers” and put it next to the jars for added cuteness.

Homemade Peppermint Hand Scrub

This peppermint hand scrub is great for moisturizing hands and giving them a fresh scent. Don’t forget to let your guests know how much you appreciate their coming by putting up a cute label on the jars that say “thanks!”

Hot Chocolate Party Favor

Why not make some hot chocolate for your guests? This homemade hot chocolate is the perfect favor that can be stored in a mason jar. If you like, you can also put marshmallows on top of each cup for some added flavor.

Santa Claus Mini Cupcakes

These Santa Claus mini cupcakes look festive for winter events and will undoubtedly leave your guests with a memorable impression. You can decorate them yourself or ask a bakery to make them for you ahead of time. Just be sure to keep them in the refrigerator until it is time to serve!

Snowflake Chocolate Lollipops

These snowflake chocolate lollipops are adorable treats that you can give out at your party. You’ll be surprised with the amount of guest appreciation that you will receive when you hand this candy pops out.

Be Merry Mistletoe Ornament Tree

This is a fun ornament tree that has mistletoe hanging down. You can attach the mistletoe to the tree with double-sided tape or small holes that you will create for each of them.

Party Favor Label Coasters

With party favor label coasters, you won’t have to worry about losing your drink on a slippery table during your event. These are great for putting under your guest’s cups and will help to keep their drinks in place.

Sugar Scrub

The sugar scrub is a great way to moisturize your skin while also giving it a refreshing clean. Put it in a jar with a festive label, and you’ll have the perfect winter party favor that all of your guests will love.

Party Food Leftovers

Rather than throwing out your party food leftovers, you can put them in individual plastic bags and tie them with festive ribbons. These tasty treats will also last for several days if they are stored inside the fridge.

Spray-On Snow Spray

If you buy this spray-on snow, you can pretend that it is snowing inside your home for festive family celebrations. To add more fun, let each guest spray it on themselves and their surroundings.

Cookie Mix In A Jar

We all love to eat cookies during the holiday season, so why not have some on hand? This cookie mix in a jar is a great party favor because it comes with a cute snowman cookie cutter and a recipe for the cookies.

Pie Candle Favor

This pie candle holiday favor would be a perfect find for your guests, and they will love the festive look. Don’t forget to put up a label that says “thank you” next to each one.

Contact KPacho for Catering Delicious Food for Your Winter Party!

KPacho makes delicious food for your party! We have many dishes for you to choose from, so feel free to look at our menu if you are planning an upcoming event. You can focus on your party preps and leave your catering needs to us. Contact us to know more.