As the party planner of choice for celebrities like Jennifer Aniston, Tom Cruise, and Oprah Winfrey, when it comes to hosting friends and family during the holiday season Colin Cowie has become an expert in creating the ultimate experience.

According to Colin, it’s easy to host the perfect foolproof holiday dinner party by following a few, simple rules:

• Don’t just decorate the tree. Start at the front door with the wreath and carry your theme from the tree to the fireplace and don’t forget to decorate the dining table. Create a festive centerpiece using garland and embellish it with ornaments and fresh flowers.

• Set the mood. Put together a playlist for the festivities. Keep in mind that not every song needs to be a holiday tune.

• Be resourceful. You don’t have to make everything from scratch. Based on your time and culinary expertise, consider visiting a gourmet grocery store and purchase some pre-prepared foods to compliment your menu.

• Prep in advance. Prepare as much food in advance so you can spend time with your guests, rather than in the kitchen.

• Set the mood with a scent. Spice toasted nuts are always reminiscent of the holidays. Colin suggests simply roast nuts in a pan with a bit of oil and then dusting with black pepper, cayenne or cumin for a special treat.

• Hide the mess. Pre-load the dishwasher with a Cascade All-in-1 ActionPac and load dishes as you use them. If you need to hand wash your dishes use a fast-acting dish soap like Dawn Powerlift, it gives you an overnight soak in five minutes so your guests will never see the dirty dishes.

Following Colin’s tips and always taking into consideration what your guests smell, touch, taste, feel and hear, will help to create the ultimate experience this holiday season.

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