In this season of celebrations, you may find yourself hosting friends and family for festive dinners, cocktail parties and brunches. What's the key to being a great host? Focusing on your guests' comfort as well as their enjoyment of the fabulous food spread and bar offerings. New York City-area party planner Daphnee Chery says that putting guests at ease and predicting their comfort needs is the way of good hosting for a successful party.

Putting guests at ease:

-- Offer to take guests' coats and handbags when they walk in and let them know where you're bringing their belongings. Guests say they don't like not knowing where their items are during the party and having to look in various rooms when they're ready to leave.

-- Have a room near the kitchen where you can place any hostess gifts that guests bring while perishables get stowed in a refrigerator. Set out a big bucket with water in it where you'll safely place floral bouquets until you can cut stems and put them in vases later.

-- Introduce guests to one another, mentioning things they may have in common. Then stick around because they might not be comfortable with small talk just yet. You'll put guests at ease if you're carrying the small talk load for a time.

-- "Encourage movement, says Chery. "The physical layout of the party can be an icebreaker by itself. Keeping guests circulating and regularly change up the group dynamics. One example of that is food placement in one area, then put drink station in a whole opposite area. You want to make it hard for people to place themselves in a single spot for the whole night."

-- Provide lots of comfy seating. Arrange couches, armchairs and ottomans in easy groupings for guests' sitting and chatting. Place one or more tables in the mix for holding glasses and plates.

-- Think about how guests will hold their glasses. "This is one area of anxiety that I have at parties," says Eliza Souza, party host in Delaware. "If I have a glass in my hand, how easy is it for me to scoop food onto my plate while balancing the plate, the glass, the scoop and a napkin?" Be sure to provide empty space on all surfaces, such as buffets, bars, stations, dessert tables and coffee tables so that guests can easily place down their drinks while they help themselves to menu items. If you happen to have 'empty space' in your mingling, it can be quite a kind moment to be near the buffet, offering to hold guests' drinks while they serve themselves or offering to walk with them back to their seat, carrying their drink for them.

-- Regularly circulate the party room, removing any piled-up spent dishes, glasses or napkins so that your empty spaces remain empty for everyone's ease.

-- Continue greeting and introducing guests to one another to keep a free-flowing level of comfort in the mingling. Recognize that some guests may be happy to just sit together in a quieter corner, smiling and not pushed into anxiety-inducing situations such as being pushed into conversations or participating in games.

-- Set up any party games in a separate area so that those who wish to play can easily do so and those who dislike party games can just enjoy their present company. Chery says, "Games are great way to encourage organic socialization without the pressure of maintaining long conversation."

-- Provide excellent lighting outside your home so that guests can make their way to the driveway or to their cars when the sun has gone down since the party began. For any elderly, pregnant or injured guests, help them out to their cars, carrying their boxed leftovers or party favors as a kind and considerate last impression of your party.

Predicting guests' needs

-- Send invitations early enough during the holiday season. Chery suggests sending invites at least two to three weeks prior to the family holiday that happens every year. They expect it and just need the details early enough to form their family plans around it. For a spontaneous party at your place or out at a restaurant, send invitations at least three to four weeks in advance, suggests Chery.

-- Prepare your menu to include some gluten-free, meat-free and other specialty dietary options, whether or not you know that guests (and guests of guests) need them. And print out little cards for your menu items informing guests of ingredients such as nuts, dairy, cheeses and other ingredients so that they can avoid any dishes that could irritate them. Having a few containers of gluten-free cupcakes or chips, for instance, can rescue guests who might not otherwise have a great array of menu options.

-- Keep music volume on the lower side. Unless your party is a dance party, turn down the bass and volume so that guests can still enjoy the lovely ambience your festive playlist provides while maintaining the ability to converse.

-- Pre-plan how you'll get more ice if needed. "I've borrowed friends' portable ice makers and kept it in the garage," says Souza. "I've had to run out to the store to keep ice stocked, and it's awful when the host is just gone for a block of time during the party." Simply put, stay present, stay engaged, stay mostly sober, and "think about what's made you leave parties in the past. Then solve those problems ahead of time."