Whether you’re planning a small Christmas party or your company’s holiday mixer, here are 5 ideas to get you started from the professional event planning team at Pure Joy, Santa Barbara’s premiere catering service.

1.  Give your event the ultimate theme: Santa Barbara’s Strong Spanish Colonial Style Roots

Choose a unique theme. It doesn’t have to be all about Santa Claus and his elves. Santa Barbara is known for it’s deep Spanish Roots. Showcasing our city as a part of your theme this year can make for a beautiful festive event from the flavors in your menu to the venue and décor.

2.  A spacious new venue -  The Hangar

Check out our newest addition to Santa Barbara Venues - Corporate Listing. This year be different and unique. Instead of renting a room in a hotel and trying to juggle space with other holiday parties, try our site for super creative ideas.

3. Choose a delicious seasonal cocktail -  Chimayo Cocktails - serve Chilled or Steaming

You can make these ahead of time and refrigerate. The apple cider used in this authentic, but little-known Mexican cocktail, makes it perfect. This recipe serves eight. If you want to make it less potent, use less tequila and more apple cider (to taste). To serve it hot, leave out the ice cubes, double the amount of apple cider and heat to nearly boiling in a saucepan, pour into cups and garnish with apple wedges.

24 Ice Cubes 10 oz. Cuervo Gold Tequila 2 tbsp Creme de Cassis 1 cup Apple Cider 4 tbsp Lemon Juice 8 Apple Wedges for garnish

4.  “Cease” the holiday with this perfect Pro Recipe for Caesar Salad.

Believe it or not, Caesar Salad was originally invented in Mexico! Legend has it, it’s origin was a restaurant in Tijuana. Check out Pure Joy’s take on this traditional dish with the link above.

5.  Bring your event to life and jam on it!

Having a professional DJ and Emcee brings life and character to your event. They bring people together when they’re supposed to party, quiet them down during serious moments, and keep the event running in a timely fashion so you don’t have to worry about having enough time to squeeze in your whole plan. Whether you are craving the Macarena with the CEO or want to make sure that YMCA never gets played, make sure you choose a DJ that is professional and has their own equipment.