With the holiday season upon us and the wrapping-up of final projects and assignments completed, the occasion calls for a celebration this Winter Break. Planning a good party can be hard. It’s easy to get overwhelmed in the party planning process and not know where to start, but the task of hosting an awesome holiday celebration is simpler that it seems.

To throw a great holiday get-together, first you need the right décor. If a holiday party isn’t decorated in a festive way, then it just turns into a gathering with Christmas ham. In order to create the perfect atmosphere, you need to put up lights, string snowflakes, hang wreaths — throw holiday onto the walls if you want. Should you hang mistletoe? That depends on the type of party you want to have. Once you’ve transformed your space into a festive realm, you’ll be one step closer to achieving holiday party nirvana.

After decorating your space, you’ve got to deal with the next bump in the road: food. If there is none, it won’t be very fun. We all lie to ourselves and say that we’re going to parties for the social interaction, but let’s get real. We’re going for the food. Food is one of the most important aspects of a party, and a scrumptious menu is sure to make your party a hit. There should be a ton of sweet treats, such as cookies, candy canes, holiday cakes and whatever other desserts you can buy, or even better, make. Since you’ll be entertaining other teens, you can almost never go wrong with serving pizza. However, why not take the opportunity to be creative? You could serve a jolly drink like hot chocolate, apple cider or eggnog in colorful, festive cups. In addition, potlucks are an option that takes the food-gathering work out of your hands.

Another essential element of a party is the music. Sticking with the holiday theme, you should definitely make a playlist of the hottest songs, *cough cough* Singer Marriah Carrey’s “All I Want For Christmas is You”. Organizing an enjoyable playlist will get everyone into the spirited mood that the theme calls for. It’s always fun when a big group of your friends breaks out singing a classic holiday tune, too.

Once you have these party basics out of the way, you can relax a bit and start thinking about how to entertain your guests. There are so many fun activities you can host at a holiday party. One idea is to have an ugly holiday sweater contest. You could even go as far as to have a catwalk and have party members judge each other’s outfits. Organizing a gift exchange is another option; no one dislikes receiving presents. Piling onto the couch and binge-watching holiday movies could be a winner as well. There are endless ways to entertain guests.

Nonetheless, the best part about holiday parties is the fun times you have with your closest friends. Décor, food, music and entertainment play key roles in making your party inviting, but at the end of the day, as long as you and your friends have a good time, there is no wrong way to throw a holiday party.