Organising a Diwali party for family and friends can be pretty intimidating especially if you don’t often host one. But party preparations can be seamless and easy! You may even turn them into bonding activities by involving the whole family.

Here are four ways to ace your hosting duties for Diwali before the celebrations begin:

1. Get your house effortlessly clean.

Take your usual household cleaning up a notch! We show you how to do a thorough but quick spring cleaning just in time for the party.

Before cleaning, first declutter visible spaces such as the living room and dining area where guests will usually hang out. Then gather the entire family and assign them an area of the house to clean.

Get rid of the dust and specks. Now that the place is dust-free, repurpose old t-shirts as rags to clean windows and stains in your kitchen.

Voila! Your guests will never guess that you did it in under an hour!

2. Beautify your home with colourful DIY candles.

Since the Festival of Lights celebrates the triumph of light over darkness, your party can’t go without lighting candles. Instead of buying new decor, make your own colourful candles with just leftover candle wax and broken crayons. Don’t forget to get your kids to join in this simple and fuss-free DIY project too!

Place both wax and crayons into a heat-safe measuring cup and melt them over a pan of water on medium heat. Add a few drops of your favourite essential oil to leave your home smelling great. Repeat the above steps for a different crayon colour of your choice—the more colours the merrier.

Lastly, secure a tabbed wick in the middle of your candle mould. Pour each layer of coloured wax in and make sure to let it dry before pouring the next.

3. Make and store your own henna.

Mehndi is the practice of drawing intricate patterns with henna onto one’s arms and hands to signify good luck and happiness during Diwali celebrations—a tradition adored by young and old. But store-bought henna might contain certain additives or chemicals which might be harsh on sensitive skin.

Go au naturel by making your own henna for the party! Combine henna powder, white sugar, essential oils and water into a mixing bowl. Use the precise speed settings on your Bosch Hand Blender to mix the ingredients together efficiently. Cover the paste with cling film and let it sit for 48 hours to let the dye release before piping it into henna cones.

Remember to store it in the refrigerator if you are using it in a few days, and in the freezer after four days.

4. Prepare an assortment of mithai.

No Diwali party is complete without mithai. Sharing sweets with your guests symbolises the victory of good over evil, but it’s also a way to spread happiness and joy!

One of the most popular and simple mithai to make is ladoo. Here’s a healthy twist on this binge-worthy sweet that your guests will love.

Roast your favourite assortment of dried nuts such as cashew, almond and pistachio in a pan over medium heat until warm. Then let your Bosch MultiTalent Food Processor coarsely grind your dried nuts. Thanks to the strong motor with two speed settings and pulse function, your nuts will be ground evenly, quickly and consistently.

Now chop up some red dates and figs, and cook them in a pan with ghee until you get a gooey consistency.

After it cools down, mix your dried nuts and fruit paste together. Get your trusty little helper to roll ladoos of desired sizes before storing them in the fridge. Now you’re all ready for the big celebration!

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