No matter which style of entertaining you enjoy this season, your home is the place where you embrace family and friends. By Sandra Berry. Los Cabos Magazine Issue #18 Fall 2008
Whether it’s fancy or frill-free, there’s a party going on somewhere in Los Cabos during the holiday season. Maybe it is your turn to host one! From cocktails on the terrace to a formal sit-down dinner, the residents of Los Cabos love to entertain.
The weather in Los Cabos during the “season” is usually just right for outdoor entertaining. After all, we have nine months of perfect weather—no rain, sunny days, cool evenings – and the holiday season is smack dab in the middle of them. Host a cocktail party in the garden or on the terrace. It might be a martini soiree, a wine pairing with cheese and fruit, or a fine tequila tasting with lively conversation, assorted hors d’oeuvres, and light jazz music in the background. Of course, for entertainment there’s something special about live Mariachi music with the musicians dressed in their fancy gaucho costumes. Look over your outdoor living space and picture your guests around.
It may become obvious that it’s time for an upgrade. This should become a priority before you make any final plans. And when party time arrives, it’s the ideal time to show off a new furniture collection. Some great designs and selections can be found at Patio Design Center and other Cabo showrooms.
The holidays are also a perfect time to invite guests for a “Postre Party”, a “Sweet Success”, a “Cavalcade of Calories”! After all, visions of sugarplums dance around during the season. An imaginative buffet of desserts, accompanied by a selection of coffees and cordials, creates a unique and merry time. Making a party like this even more memorable is to have an expert in the art of preparing those delicious Mexican coffees on hand. You can also offer recommended wines to taste along with your dessert selections. A professional’s advice on the wines to complement the sweets, cheeses and fruits may be helpful. It’s always a pleasure at fine restaurants around town, such as at Sunset da Mona Lisa, to have a dessert menu that lists wines to pair with your sweet medley. Design and display your own table cards to describe the buffet selections you have put together. Sometimes you can be amazed by the harmony of the tastes! There are those hosts who enjoy doing all the food preparation, but they are rare and are probably related to Martha Stewart. The French Riviera Restaurant and Bakery supplies many of the upscale Los Cabos restaurants and resorts with fine pastries and desserts, so the bakery is a great source to help you plan and cater your evening. Decorations for such an affair abound at such places as the Marina Mercado and the Mercado de Artesanias. Begin your festivities with soft Mexican bolero music playing in the background, and later, salsa music would be fun.
On a grander scale, invitations may be in order. Depending on the event, hosts can send e-invitations on the Internet, find more personal invitations from various sources, or perhaps show off their artistic talents by creating home made versions. Invitations can set the tone for the event or carry out a theme. Many times the invitation can determine how one should dress; some make it easier and simply include what’s appropriate for the event. If the invitation is of a more formal nature, then so should be the dress. But, Los Cabos is a resort area and it is difficult to dictate a dress code. Women love to dress up, while the men are more reluctant to get out of their “country club casual” clothes.
For a more elaborate or sophisticated affair, perhaps for New Year’s Eve, the hosts may want to orchestrate a catered formal sit-down dinner replete with the family silver, white table cloths, and soft candles for ambience. There are a number of excellent caterers in Cabo that provide butlers, cooks, bartenders, waiters, and post-dinner clean up. Whether for a large group or a more intimate gathering of friends, hiring an in-house staff allows the hosts to enjoy the party instead of being tied to the kitchen. Denni’s Catering offers “soup to nuts” teams, as does Brown’s Private Services, and other such companies. Soft classical music or smooth jazz in the background would work very well here. Then, before the New Year arrives, guide your guests out to the terrace for champagne toasts and all-around kisses at the stroke of midnight as the Cabo skies ring in the occasion with fireworks galore.
Just as the outdoors living space was considered, now turn to your interior space. Nothing like new furniture or décor to get the party-planning juices flowing! If you’re in the market for a stunning buffet piece for that dessert soiree, or a dining set for the formal dinner, check out the “treasures” at Treasures Furniture or La Palma Muebles. Just seeing all those great pieces will spark your “must have” mind-set as you picture yourself and your guests at your holiday party. Whether indoors or out, lighting can take a simple party to a dazzling affair. Wrapping rope lights around palm trees or lighting candles in paper sacks filled with sand for a luminaria effect are a couple of ideas that work wonders. Candelabra, pool lighting or floating candles are other ways to create an ethereal setting. Pick a night when there is a full moon and you’ve got built-in romance. And don’t forget the flowers. Poinsettias, native to México and in a variety of hues, are the perfect choice.
Some guests would not dare attend any party without bringing a hostess gift. It’s not obligatory, yet it is a thoughtful way to show your appreciation for the invite. Consider your host’s interests, such as aged balsamic vinegar for the gourmet cook or a nice sipping tequila to add to the connoisseur’s collection. Soothing lotions, bath salts, or a lovely basket of luxury toiletries from the Desert Spa at Villa del Arco, Baja Body Deli, Face and More, and other fine spas in Los Cabos, would be a welcome gift for any hostess during the hectic holidays. If you’re looking to give yourself a gift, Spas and Bath of Baja has some great Jacuzzi options. Just thinking about relaxing in your spa is an aaah moment!
Pass out holiday music sheets and hit the first note. Soon, everyone will be in fine voice and spirit, maybe reminiscing and sharing sweet stories about holidays past. And, when in México, do as the Mexicans do. During the season, join in a posada, a traditional arm-in-arm stroll through the plaza or along the malecón, where you meet old friends, make some new ones, and exchange greetings during this special holiday season.
