It is always important to make a guest list and follow it for many reasons!

1. You never want to forget anyone important to you, because you might not remember, they will! So if you write it down, you will be able to see if there is anyone you have forgotten.
2. You want to see how many people are coming, so you can prepare the house and the food. You must always make sure there is more than enough food because you never know how much people will eat. There must also be room for everyone around the table. When you have a list, you can then refer to it to see if you will need multiple tables, or if you are just going to let everyone sit freely around the house. The number of people is probably the most important fact when planning the party.
3. Along with the number of people, you need to see how many of them will be bringing young children. If there are many young children, you need to make sure you have an area where they can go, away from the adults, and play with one another. There must be food that they will eat, and a table for all the kids because we all know children and their tendencies when it comes to spilling!
4. Make sure to notice the different people that are coming, so if a lot of your older relatives are coming, you want to make sure not to serve dinner too late and that the children can be home and in bed at a decent time. But if after all of them leave, and all your friends are still over, you want to make sure you still have some drinks and a few things to munch on.
5. Always make sure you invite the people you love and the one's you want to spend the holidays with!