Pick a party: Think about how many guests you're inviting and select the type of party that will work best. A studio apartment might fit a sit-down meal for six, a buffet for eight or 10, cocktails for 25 or an open house for 40.

Get pushy: Rearrange furniture to save space. Shove a dining table to the wall for a buffet, remove a coffee table to open up a living room, turn a bed into extra seating, bring out folding chairs for a sit-down dinner. Create makeshift places to put down drinks by stacking coffee table books or covering a crate.

Set the mood: Soft lighting from candles or little lights strung across the ceiling put home -- and guests -- in a glow. For a Christmas party, skip the tree (even small ones take up space). Instead, hang lights, put greens over your windows or mantels or use colored ribbons, recommends events planner Annie Lou Bayly.

Keep it simple: For large gatherings, serve finger food that doesn't require utensils or plates and can be served at room temperature. Forget fancy mixed drinks, says Bayly: "People have just as much fun having a glass of wine as some 80-ingredient drink that requires a blender, a strainer and shakers."

Happy endings: Don't knock paper plates and plastic cups and utensils. "I don't have that many dishes," says Angie White. "And if I did, I wouldn't have the space to put them anywhere." And you can't beat the clean up.

Stefanie Berry Stark