How to get ready for Diwali

Diwali is a festival of lights, love & family togetherness. While historically, it signifies the battle of good against the evil, I now see it as a day to rejoice & celebrate all the battles you have faced and overcome in your day-to-day life. It is a day to remember that even though the good is faced with lots of challenges, it always emerges triumphant! (I am beyond tempted to insert a very famous Rajinikanth quote here, but I will not :D). So, get-together with your loved ones and celebrate your victories and while you are it, you might as well do it in style!

Diwali, for me brings back memories of new dresses, gorging on the feast cooked up by my mom and grandmother, lighting diyas & the struggle to keep them all lighted through the entire evening! I have never been a big fan of firecrackers, stopped bursting them way back in 6^th grade because of the child labor problems & pollution it caused. Hasn’t anyone come up with a noise free, harmful smoke free crackers yet? Decor back then was simple, thorans were hung in every doorway, elaborate rangolis were made the night before by the main entrance, the whole house will be filled with the fragrance of sambrani and incense sticks combined with that of the delicious meal being cooked in the kitchen! After all the pooja was done, my mother will send me with a plate, overflowing with delicacies with a banana leaf placed gingerly on the top to all my neighbor’s house. Likewise, we would also receive goodies from them as well! This was also the time to flaunt and show off my new shiny Diwali dress to all my friends & neighbors! After the sweets are distributed & received, we would all sit down for the feast!

By evening, relatives would start trickling in and the party will be in full swing! Ahh! The sweet old days. It was truly about family, friends & food! Nothing exorbitant, but full of fun. Keeping up with that, in this post I am writing about some ways to spruce up your home and make your Diwali party simple & hassle free.

If you are hosting, the key of course is staying organized. I make lists, lists of things to cook, shopping list broken down by the dish, list of things to fix or clean around the house, list of things to do before the party, on the day of the party etc. There is something calming about striking things off the list 😀 Plus it is easy for others in the family to see what they have to do. Rather than you having to go around shouting commands at people. Such a mood killer.

Day(s) before:

• Clean your home.
• Set out the decor, diyas, dining table settings. Bring out your finest brass items, clean them & polish them! If you do not have or want any elaborate decor, pillar candles in varying height, colorful diyas & flowers will do the trick. I reserve the flowers for the end and put them out just before guests are expected.
• Set the table. If you are having a sit-down dinner, get the table setting done. If you are having it buffet style or a potluck, set the table accordingly. Make sure you have place for all the dishes.
• Make sure you have essential things like toilet paper, soap, towels all stocked up in the restrooms.
• If you are expecting a bunch of kids in the party, do put away breakable or valuable things out of reach or out of the way.
• Put out a few activities for kids. I generally put out few coloring supplies (hide the paints!), construction paper, toys like legos etc. so the kids entertain themselves and not bother us or end up in front of TV or iPad.
• Make sure you have all the party supplies like drinks, ice, serveware, utensils squared out.
• Get some of the cooking prep done.   
• Plan & get your gifts ready. Handmade candles, fragrant handmade soap bars, colorful diyas, sweets and even plants in cute planters would make lovely gifts.
• Remember to delegate, it is a festival for you to enjoy as well and not just be boggled down with all the work. Get the entire family involved! Lists have proven to be helpful here.

Often times, a lot of effort goes into the preparation of the food, but at the last minute, it all just ends up on kitchen island. But I assure you that with only a little bit of planning you could create a beautiful & festive table spread with what you already have at home. I am showing two ways to set up the dining table. First is buffet style & second is a sit down style. In both styles, the table cloth used is actually a curtain and the runners are my dupattas. If you already don’t have any tablecloth or runners on hand, there is absolutely no need to get new ones. Use what you already have. Days before the party, have them washed & pressed and do a basic setting based on the number of dishes on the menu. This way you already have all the serveware washed & ready, so you wouldn’t have to just plop a cooker on the table at the last minute.

Crowd-sourcing: I cannot stress enough about this. Any party you have, do not rush out and get new things just because you want to have new things. No, you do not need new tablecloths, you do not need that new cake stand. I read somewhere (it was a meme actually), “the best eco-friendly thing that you can buy is the one that you did not buy”. Which makes total sense, right? You do not need to have a brand-new setup each time. It is not the new things that make your table setting the talk of the town. It is how creative you get and use the old things in a totally new way that will wow your guests.

For things like cake stands, drink dispenses, serving dishes, tiered stands and such, the first thing is to ask around in your groups. If my friend has a cake stand, there is no need for me to get one, I will simply borrow it from her. Likewise, if I have serving dishes, she need not get one and can borrow from me whenever she needs it. I have plates & bowls for a 10 people party. Previously if the party was larger than that, I used disposable plates and cutlery. But since last party, I have been very conscious of the waste generated at events and am planning to even borrow plates & bowls from friends if needed.

On the day

• Get the food ready.
• Get dressed in your festive best!
• Finish up the décor – setting the flowers, lighting the diyas &candles.
• Something I like to do for all traditional events – I set out a tray with fresh jasmine flower strings for all my ladies & girls. This is sure to add a nice welcoming touch. Don’t forget to put some pins on the side!
• Light some incense sticks in a few places like entryway & living room.
• Turn on the music, relax & enjoy with your friends & family.

We, as a society, have turned festivals & occasions as a way to show off the things we have, stressing to out do each other with grander celebrations, expensive outfits, bigger spread of food. This Diwali, let us all let go of the competition, let our individuality & creativity shine and let’s all make this a true feel good Diwali! I hope this post helped you with some inspiration deck up your home this Diwali!