I’m thrilled to share some party planning tips with you. While this post was sponsored, all thoughts and opinions are my own.

Each year, we host a Christmas party for our friends and family. Since before Mathlete and I started dating, it was a tradition that I had and we both wanted to continue even after we became a couple. The parties pretty much stayed the same but now we had more people on the guest list. We’re in year 1 million of hosting our annual party and I get just as excited as I did when I had the first one. I’ve learned a little bit along the way though on how to hose a stress free holiday party.

I usually start preparing for our party in October because it is always on the second Saturday in December. I like to make sure I am fully prepared with menus, grocery lists and time tables before December 1st hits. Last year I learned the hard way that sometimes don’t go as planned and something like your oven breaking can really derail the party. Thankfully, the Sears Maintenance Plan exists. Think of as kind of like insurance for your events. If something breaks, you can call them and get the help you need for your appliances. I seriously wish I had known about it LAST year when I was making dozens of appetizers in my toaster oven.

The Sears technicians are great and really treat your home like their own. No show policy in your house {like mine…no problem. Need a shorter window than 8 hours…they are great with working with your schedule. Mine even called when he was on his way so I could meet him at the house instead of having to just sit around wasting time. 

The best part is that it doesn’t matter if you bought your appliances from Sears or not. All the appliances in our home were here when we moved in so I have NO idea where the owner bought them. It doesn’t matter because I can still use the Sears Home Appliances and Services Maintenance Plan. Sears installs 4.5 million appliances and 4 million parts a year—that’s a lot of expert experience! And when something like my own (a.k.a. our life line), I want experienced people working on it! Since they have been a leader in the home services industry for more than 50 years, they have to be doing something right.

There are so many perks and options with the Sears Home Appliances and Services Maintenance Plan. You start with technical assistance by phone for those easily solved issues. If that doesn’t work, one of their experienced service technicians will come to your home and get the job done. Any consumable parts that are needed are 25% off. If for some reason the appliance can’t be fixed, the replacement guarantees it will be replaced. Oh, and if something like a season item {think snow blower} can’t be fixed during their visit to your home, they provide an allowance for lawn care or snow removal. That rocks! Now, if only the Sears technicians could come serve drinks at a party…

Speaking of parties, let’s talk about some ways, besides making sure you have a Sears Home Appliances and Services Maintenance Plan, you can make your party stress free:

1) Plan ahead. I know that sounds obvious but I find that the earlier plan, the less stressed I am. I definitely wasn’t kidding when I said I start in October.

2) Make double duty items. For example, I make a gingered cranberry compote that gets baked in the oven with brie AND also serves as the perfect addition to our mini beef sliders. Finding just a few items like that cuts down on the time it takes to make your food.

3) Don’t be afraid to go semi-homemade. I used to get so wrapped up in making sure I made every single item on the table but I realized quickly that a) it totally stressed me out and b) no one really noticed the semi-homemade versus the truly homemade!

4) Go bite sized as much as possible with the food. You will cut down on the number of dishes to wash making your life so much easier. Prosciutto and Pear Bites look great on the food table and will disappear in minutes…no utensils required.

5) Offer a small selection of drinks but skip the full bar. I usually do a red wine, white wine, signature cocktail and beer for our drinks. It makes getting the drink table quick and easy.

6) When someone asks what they can bring, don’t say “nothing.” Guests really want to help so let them by asking them to bring a wine or something specific that is easy to transport but would take an item off of your preparation list. 

7) If you have a lot of kids in your circle of friends, hire babysitters or mother’s helpers. We started doing this a few years ago and it was a game changer. One of our sitters comes early and watches our kids during the two hours prior to the party so I can focus on set up. The others arrive just before the party and keep the kids entertained so the adults can enjoy the party.

What are your favorite party planning tips? Have you ever lost a major appliance just before a party? Be sure to visit the Sears Home Appliances and Services Maintenance Plan and tell me the biggest benefit for you would be!

This is a sponsored post written by me on behalf of Sears Home Appliances and Services.