How to Throw a Kick-Ass Holiday Bash

Your holiday party doesn't suck — it's just a little, well, safe. You invite the same characters, have the same conversations, make the same drinks, dance to the same songs. This year, raise the stakes by throwing the bash your friends will talk about until you’re forced to do it even better in 2017. For advice, we turned to some of the nation’s best chefs, event planners, sommeliers, and mixologists — people who know what can make a good night truly great.