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Stop planning your holiday party, buying gifts, and putting up decorations if you're complaining about how busy you are or just don't like doing it. Gift the gift of time to yourself and the gift of money and creativity to an expert.
It's party season! Are you Woot Woot! Or Wah, Wah? I'm writing this post because of a conversation I had with one of my clients. He's the president of a multi-million dollar company and has 23 employees. He's very fully tasked with running a company, being a dad and husband, and taking care of his own health.
When he mentioned that he also planned his company holiday party, I had to do a double-take.
Why is a president planning his party?
He's not the first, nor will he be the last, of people in these positions who take on the party planning, meeting logistics, or any other type of task that doesn't serve them. Some people are experts at this. That live for planning parties, hopping in the car to go to Party City, and making sure that there are matching napkins and enough forks.
I am not one of these people. I like to host, but if you expect decorations, you will be sorely disappointed. Often people think I'm a details gal and will have everything just perfect. Oh, to the contrary. You will have food and enough of it, but there won't be five dips or six desserts. It will be simple.
You'll have plates, napkins, and utensils, but they may not be color-matched. What you will have is fun 🙂
Hiring a Personal Party Assistant
Hiring a personal assistant service is such a gift to you and your time, allowing you to just relax and enjoy the party. It's also a gift to the person you have hired. If my sister-in-law could just plan parties, make cheeseball snowmen, and buy balloons, I think she would be in heaven.
My recommendation is to hop over to Task Rabbit, which serves most major cities and look up party-planning or personal assistant. In my home city of Raleigh-Durham-Chapel Hill-Wake Forest area, I recommend Consider it Done. You can hire one of their team members to plan your party, buy the favors, package them up to look spectacular, shop for gifts, set it up, work the event, and tear it down. If you call them, tell Sherri you heard it first from Marcey Rader!
Side note, I have used Sherri's personal assistant service to come to my house and prep and prepare all of my meal kits several times. She also helped me set up my home office and do laundry during particularly over-scheduled times of the year. GOLDEN. We're not fancy, but it's worth it to have the peace of mind and not need to call in a marriage counselor.
If you live in a major city, I'm sure you have something similar. If you live in a small area, there has to be someone, even a student, that loves doing this.
Not having a party?
Don't need to plan an event? Hire someone to help with your decorations, wrapping your gifts, or cleaning up at the end of the year. I wrap gifts like a kindergartener if I wrap them at all, so having someone that can do it makes me look like a rock star and gives someone else a job doing something they love that they can't do all year round.
If you need recommendations for two gifting companies I can vouch for, my friend Melinda McKee has a custom gift design studio specializing in artisanal corporate gift boxes for businesses and events. The boxes she ships them in are so beautiful they look like a gift! Absolutely stunning. Check it out at mementoandmuse.com
My friend Kade Kimber is the designer for Oak City Gifts. They etch, engrave, sublimate, embroider, wrap, and deliver! I dig their cutting boards, engraved insulated tumblers, and personalized candles as gifts for the team www.oakcitygifts.com.
Tell them both I sent you!
So stop planning that party, wrapping that gift, or running that errand and hire someone that loves doing it. It's a gift to both of you.
Need more ideas on what a personal assistant can do for you? Check out these other articles:
