Party time

Good organisation is key to preparing for and clearing up after entertaining at Christmas time. Carol O’Callaghan reports

ENTERTAINING is great fun, even the preparations are exciting: it’s the clearing up afterwards that’s off-putting. So whether you’re having guests for a sit-down Christmas dinner, a buffet on St Stephen’s Day, or a drinks and nibbles affair during Christmas week, good organisation is key to a smooth-running event and to keep hostesses’ hair from standing on end with stress.

Decide on numbers to invite, first of all, selecting as many as you can cope with and no more.