Hosting a Party? Keep These Safety and Security Tips in Mind
Believe it or not, the holiday season is right around the corner. If you love hosting parties during this festive time of year, it’s never too early to start planning your menu and your guest list. And because you’ll be having people over at your house, you should also be thinking about how to make sure your friends and family are safe when attending one of your gatherings. Here are a few ways to ensure your party is a safe one.
Have a Designated Driver
Holiday parties often involve alcohol, including your famous spiked egg nog that always gets rave reviews from your guests. As 21st Century Insurance notes, while you want everyone to have a great time at your party, you also want to be sure they are responsible with their holiday hooch. One of the simplest ways to ensure that everyone gets home safely is to have at least one designated driver available — whether that’s a friend or Uber. You can also set up your guest room and/or have plenty of extra blankets and pillows on hand for the couch in case a couple/few people end up spending the night to sleep it off. In addition to the adult beverages, be sure to offer lots of non-alcoholic drinks and serve food too, which may help prevent your guests from over-indulging on the cocktails.
Install a Home Security Camera System
Another tip to keep your holiday parties safe is to install a home security camera system that can keep an eye on the inside and outside of your home. For example, the wire-free security cameras from Lorex can be placed anywhere you wish in and around your property. While you know most of your friends quite well, you might not be acquainted with some of the “plus ones” who will accompany them to your home. By placing security cameras in certain rooms of the home — for instance, a home office that contains pricey electronics and/or your bedroom with a jewelry box filled with family heirlooms — you can rest assured that if a guest gets too nosy, seeing a security camera in the room may deter him or her from making off with your stuff.
Designate a Kid-Friendly Zone
If you are hosting a family holiday party and lots of kids will be attending, Shifting Roots suggests deciding ahead of time where the tots, tweens and teens can hang out. If you have a finished basement, perhaps your younger guests can gather there—have plenty of toys, games, movies and snacks prepared and ready to go. For hosts with larger homes, you might even have a room for younger kids and a separate space for the older ones.
Then, if you have children of your own, let them know if there are rooms that are off-limits to the guest kiddos — this can include your bedroom and/or the kitchen with its hot stove and oven. This will help to keep the kids happily occupied and safe during the party.
Don’t Advertise the Party on Social Media
To prevent unwanted guests from crashing your holiday party, avoid advertising it on social media. Plus, if certain friends see you are having a soiree and they were not included, it could lead to hurt feelings. If you do end up with someone who you don’t know at the door, calmly approach the person and ask how she heard about the party. If she responds that she was invited by one of your guests, by all means let her in. But if she says she saw the party was going on and wanted to come, remain calm and politely explain that it’s for invited guests only; hopefully this will encourage her to leave.
Have a Wonderful and Festive Holiday Season
Hosting holiday gatherings can be such a joyous part of the upcoming season. By planning safety and security tips ahead of time, just as you do the food, drinks and any party games, you can rest assured that you, your guests and your home will be as safe and secure as possible.
