With all the hectic activities going on throughout the holiday season, aget-together is the one thing everyone wants to have, but the last thingthey want to put together. It is possible, however, to have a greatparty with minimal hassle.

A fun and easy idea for a gathering is to have a Christmas cookieexchange. Send out invitations at least two weeks in advance to giveyour guests time to figure out what cookies they are going to make andenough time to make them.

Make sure each guest makes a different kindof cookie and brings one dozen for the exchange, and an extra dozen toserve the day of the party. This way, all you will have to provide isthe drinks. Each guest will leave with a dozen different cookies on afestive plate.

To make it even less stressful, you can e-mail invitations to yourguests.

Candles and some festive confetti are all you need to decorate thecookie table and create a relaxing atmosphere. The same premise workswell for a gift-wrapping party.

Guests can bring all the gifts they need to wrap and one roll of theirfavorite wrapping paper. With the many guests, there will be alldifferent types of wrapping paper to share and choose from, which makesit a lot more fun than having everything under your tree wrapped in thesame paper.

As the hostess, you can provide scissors, tape, bows,ribbons and gift tags, which you can buy in bulk for a reasonable price.

Refreshments and cookies are a nice addition, but nothing too timeconsuming to make. This is a great way to have fun and get gift ideasfor next year by seeing what your guests bought.

Another good get-together is a Holiday Brunch. Assign a different dishto everyone you invite. Once again, drinks would be one of the few itemsyou have to provide. Put on your favorite holiday music, add candles andstrategically place mistletoe all over to complete the mood.

If youinvite any children, you can set up an area for them with crayons,markers, glitter, glue and paper for them to make holiday cards. Or youcould have them put together a performance of Christmas carols or skitsto be presented after the meal. The more occupied they are, the lessstress on you and your guests.

The main thing to remember when having a gathering of any kind is tomake a complete checklist of everything that needs to be done. This willprevent you from forgetting anything, and you will feel good as youcheck off items one by one until you have successfully finished puttingtogether your party.

Best of all, you won’t break a sweat — or yourwallet — to pull it off!