dbabs--I love your idea so much I absolutely must steal it! And Paupershopper--I also think your potluck group is a great idea--I too have little seating, but would love to get together with friends. Where else would one person's question result in my getting 2 great ideas? You're all priceless!

Raclette might be one idea (although you would need the rig, which is inexpensive). Essentially your guests cook their own hors d'oeuvre which could be based on toast and raclette cheese (of course), small sausage, and cornichons. Raclette setups made a comeback a couple of years ago and then disappeared from sight once more. For total retro you could also offer pigs in a blanket.

Oh yah I forgot that this year I will be serving seafoodin shot glassed as well. Possibly a soup or sauce with shellfish of some sort.

Great ideas. We're set until January!

This makes me think of my mother's annual Jingle Bells party. Every year on Christmas day she has a big open house. Everyone stands around and eats and talks. The menu hasn't changed much from when she started in the 1960's so it's finger sandwiches (ham, roast beef, turkey and egg salad, all on meticulously trimmed soft white bread), cocktail meatballs (see my recipe for Aunt Julie's meatballs), cheese and crackers, spinach and artichoke dip, shrimp cocktail, home-baked cookies, etc. It might be fun to take some of those old-fashioned party recipes and update them.

Tacos! Soft, small taco shells so no crunching or breaking up of food in your mouth or on your floor while your guests stand and they can roll them up and eat them bites at a time. 1-2 meats, some veggie or other toppings for sides. Done! And Mexican drinks are always fun. Mediterranean food is also good for standing, dips like hummus, beans, baba ganoush, etc... pitas cut into triangles for easy dipping and the kabobs sound great, too! I would just make them small skewers so you don't necessarily have to use two hands to get the food off the stick.

Problem solved! Thanks for your suggestion.

Once a year I have a party that is a stand up dinner with several stations of surf and turf. The turf is on kababs that I stick into pumpkins and the seafood is usally finger food or on skewers or in individual spoons. I also put veggies on skewers and sauces in bowls that can be spooned onto the plate. This can be very elegant or informal. I hope this helps.