I'll probably look back on this blog title next year and cringe, but you know what? I'm living in the now and the cool kids use LIT to describe really awesome parties, plus our invites definitely said "Let's Get LIT!" 

As I mentioned earlier this week , we're still recovering from our 9th annual #kashlinxmas. My bff and I have been in the holiday party game for almost a decade (holy moly, we're old) and every year the pressure is on to throw a better party than the year before. You guys, WAIT UNTIL NEXT YEAR... we're going HUGE for 10. Anywho, after 9 years of holiday parties plus a few amazing birthday parties under my belt, I think it's safe to say I know how throw a party! 

This year, with the help of Papyrus' new holiday line, One Hope, and our friends at The Whaling Club we killed it! I guess we should also thank our significant others because without them how would photobooths get set-up, groceries get hauled, and floors get cleaned. So let's talk about party essentials. In no particular order, every good party needs four things: great decor, food, booze, and music. 

decor

This day and age it's all about the instagrammable moment and the more the merrier. We opted for a photobooth, DIY champagne balloon, and decorative food details.

How to create an easy photobooth:

1.  A cute backdrop. A simple tassel on your white or grey wall will suffice!
2.  Props! We grabbed these from Papyrus plus had a ton of leftover props from last year. Don't forget to get creative with already existing things like sunglasses and hats!
3.  The camera! In years past we've had professional photobooths and/or set up DSLR's on a tripod. This year we opted for instax cameras since I already owned them and have been stocking up on the film all year.
4.  Lighting. If you don't have a professional photobooth then I suggest renting a light from your local camera store. It was only $20 to rent a light for the weekend from Samy's camera!

I mean, can we talk about this DIY champagne situation? Kaelin and I were REALLY proud of it. You can find the champagne balloon and gold balloons at your local party store. Blow 'em up and with a little strategic placement tah-dah.

Decorative food details takes us right to the next party planning pillar....

food

If you're going to be serving drinks, even if it's late night, there needs to be SOMETHING to munch on. We typically opt for small bites from Trader Joes, cheese and charcuterie, and our go-to: bacon wrapped dates (fan favorite!).  With the help of Papyrus' new holiday line, we made everything a little more festive. I mean, look at how cute these puffy snowmen are:

Not to mention the little candy toothpicks! My favorite part of  Papyrus' new holiday lineis that each set works together. We paired the cocktail plates and napkins with the candy cane plates to create a super festive display! Speaking of festive, it's not a holiday party without the booze... 

BOOZE

For this year's holiday party cocktail Kaelin and I turned to The Whaling Club (they did my 30th) for a festive drinks that packs a punch. Say hello to the Nutcracker:

The Whaling Club Nutcracker recipe:

• Bourbon
• Amontillado Sherry
• Pink Lady Apple
• Lemon
• Walnut

As you can imagine, it was DELICIOUS! One of the many things I love about The Whaling Club is all of their ingredients are fresh, so the taste is phenomenal.  To top it off, we had to get bubbly from One Hope because LOOK at that bottle! Not to mention their bubbly is delicious. 

Put all those things together and you get a holiday party for the books (and Instagram). The music piece you ask? All you need is a great playlist and a good speaker and you'll have your guests breaking out into an EPIC mannequin challenge during your party!

Needless to say, we had a blast and had a very #thisis30 hangover on Sunday! Thinking next year I may invite a few of my loyal LA readers, what do you think? Psst... don't forget to follow

@Papyrus on Instagram for holiday inspiration and new product launches throughout the next few months. Cheers to the holidays! Wishing you guys a festive and fun next couple of weeks. 

photos: Marie Buck Photographary

sponsored by Papyrus

gifted: one hope wine + whaling club