If you’ve moved into senior living, then it’s not hard to make friends with your new neighbors. If you’ve made new friends, then why not have a dinner party to celebrate with everyone? To ensure that your party is a success, just follow these tips. Ocean Hills is the ultimate venue for dinner parties in assisted living in Oceanside, CA.
Music: Get Everyone Involved
No party is complete without music! And assisted living in Oceanside, CA is nothing short of stylish. Regardless of what food you plan to serve or the dress code that’s being enforced, you’ll want some fitting music to help set the scene. If there’s a private dining room, you can bring your own music or have the staff play the genre that you like. You can also get your fellow senior living residents involved in the party planning process by asking them for their music recommendations.
Drinks: Wine and Non-Alcoholic Beverages
While the chefs will handle the food, what about the drinks? The choice of beverage is important as well. The right kind of drink can enhance the meal experience further for you and your party guests. A bottle of wine that compliments the meal can always work, but you should also keep non-alcoholic beverages on hand for guests who do not prefer alcohol.
Appetizers: Keep Them Simple and Easy
As a senior, you probably have hosted your fair share of dinners for friends and family alike, and you likely have at least one secret family recipe as well. Even though you surely love to impress your guests with what you’ve cooked up for them, you still might need some other appetizer ideas to keep everyone occupied while you prepare the main event. To buy yourself some time, you need some simple and easy appetizer ideas to keep everyone occupied. These appetizers should contain only a few ingredients and take only minimal cleanup afterward. In addition, they should be able to be made ahead of time before the party.
Of these tasty appetizers, some of them don’t even need traditional ingredients. Many of them turn out to be half of this and half of that and are made of combinations of ingredients that might surprise you, but these simple recipes have stood the test of time for partygoers. And with no more than three (yes, three) ingredients, cleanup is almost non-existent. Just sit back and bask in the compliments that you’ll surely receive – but don’t share your secret! You may also want to save one of these recipes in your own repertoire.
Do keep in mind, however, that not all of these recipes are good for the heart. They are meant for special occasions.
Dining: Do It Family-Style
In senior living, it’s common for fellow residents to grow quickly from friends to family. So why not bring some family-style dining to your dinner party? Rather than having everyone choose their own meals as they do at buffets, have the chefs cook up an enticing selection of different foods that are served on larger plates. That way everyone can pass the plates around and sample all of the yummy foods and treats.
Games
While you might want to spend all your time with your closest friends at the party, it’s essential to help make everyone feel involved in the festivities. An easy solution is to include some fun games for your dinner party guests. You have a lot of leeway in game choices; you can go with the classic games like charades and cards, or you can go for more modern board games that you think your guests will enjoy.
Planning Ahead
If you plan ahead, your dinner party will be much easier to pull off. The key steps are making accurate lists and giving yourself plenty of time in advance to minimize chaos and the inevitable hitches that will arise.
Getting outside help can be very useful if you’re a busy person, but even if you can’t hire a catering staff for your party, consider the things that you don’t have to do yourself. Things like picking up a dessert, hiring a cleaning service before or after the party, getting wine, flowers or other party supplies delivered, etc. Above all else, keep things simple for yourself. Even if that means just serving a sourdough truffle pizza with wine, the most important aspect of the dinner party is the company that you keep. Of course, the tablescape is also important. Here are our timeline tips for your dinner party for assisted living in Oceanside, CA:
Two Weeks Prior
- Make a guest list. Ensure that you have enough food and plates for the whole group.
- Send out your invites.
- Determine what kind of party theme you’d like to have. Also, think about the type of décor you’d like and create a list for that too.
One Week Prior
- Write down confirmations from partygoers and make a note about their dietary requirements and restrictions.
- Plan your menu while keeping min mind what ingredients are in season and whether you can prepare certain meals a day before the party.
- Consider how you’ll want your dishes to appear when you serve them and come prepared with any special garnishes, plates, or tools that you may need.
- Don’t forget to bring the décor (everything except flowers) that you need for the party.
Two Days Prior
- Collect all ingredients for the meals.
- Buy the wine and also other beverages for those who don’t prefer alcohol. Check to see if you’ve got a decent corkscrew.
- Fill up those ice trays. Keeping a backup ice bag from the convenience store is also a good idea if you plan on serving cocktails.
- Create a playlist (ideally more than one).
One Day Prior
- Get as much food ready as possible.
- Clean up the rooms that need it most, such as the dining room, bathroom, and living room. Make sure that the trash and dishwasher are empty before your big day.
- Collect the flowers and place them in vases.