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Step 1
First, send out an invite. Of course your friends want to hang out with you! But do they want to spend their Saturday night with glue guns and popsicle sticks? Yes! Use the invite to start the excitement, even if it's not shared just yet.
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Step 2
Lure them with food--a lot of it. So many people our age are so involved with career, relationships and life that they don't get a chance to have a good home-cooked meal. Capitalize on that. Year after year, people come to our apartment eager to see what we've made. We generally go for a comfort food theme, making everyone feel like they're right at home.
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Step 3
Lure them with drinks. I hate to say it, but the promise of alcohol is a huge draw for a lot of people my age. We usually ask that everyone bring a bottle of something, and with 40-50 people, you end up with plenty of drink for the evening, and some more to take the edge off of cleaning up the next day.
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Step 4
Make it easy. There are always some people who are of the mindset that parties aren't for thinking. With those people in mind, we make sure to get on the internet and print out easy, quick designs for ornaments, as well as buy cardboard and Styrofoam balls that can simply be painted or covered in fabric.
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Step 5
Make it competitive for others. We always have a contest as part of this crafty tree-trimming. The best ornament, selected by popular vote, wins something small but worth having. One year it was an adorable wine cozy. It's interesting to see how many people are motivated by competition or the possibility of a prize. Last year, a few people came to the party with full-fledged plans for how to beat out the competition.
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Step 6
Be creative. It's important to have a wide assortment of craft supplies so you can cater to a lot of different creative tastes. My roommate's a teacher, so it's easy for us. But you can be creative--old scraps of cloth, cotton balls, water bottles, clothespins and pipe cleaner. You'd be surprised what people can make out of nothing.
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Step 7
Leave them with something to remember the evening by. We try to pick a theme for party favors--usually they're a little something to help our guests get over a night full of food and drink. Last year it was ginger tea, a mini bottle of water and two ibuprofen, all wrapped in the arms of a little plastic Santa. I'll just say that a lot of people really needed the first three, and who doesn't want a hug from Santa?
