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How should I prepare for a holiday party or buffet?

There are several food safety aspects that you should consider:

Foodborne Bacteria
Even though bacteria are everywhere, a few types are noted for disrupting parties. Unlike microorganisms that cause food to spoil, harmful or pathogenic bacteria cannot be smelled or tasted. The most effective approach to offset the effects of their actions in foods is based on safe food handling.

Wash
Always wash your hands before and after handling food. Keep your kitchen, dishes and utensils clean also. Always serve food on clean plates -- not those previously holding raw meat and poultry. Otherwise, bacteria that may have been present in raw meat juices can cross-contaminate the food to be served.

Cook Thoroughly
If you are cooking foods ahead of time for your party be sure to cook foods thoroughly to safe temperatures i.e. to at least 78°C at the coldest spot. Use Shallow Containers
Divide cooked foods into shallow containers to store in the refrigerator or freezer until serving. This encourages rapid, even cooling. Reheat hot foods to 80°C. Arrange and serve food on several small platters rather than on one large platter. Keep the rest of the food hot in the oven (set at 200 - 250 °C) or cold in the refrigerator until serving time. In this way foods will be held at a safe temperature for a longer period of time. REPLACE empty platters rather than adding fresh food to a dish that already had food in it. Many people's hands may have been taking food from the dish, which has also been sitting out at room temperature.

The Two-Hour Rule
Foods should not be held at room temperature for more than two hours. Keep track of how long foods have been sitting on the buffet table and discard anything that has been there two hours or more.

Keep Hot Foods HOT And Cold Foods COLD
Hot foods should be held at 65°C or warmer. On the buffet table you can keep hot foods hot with chafing dishes, slow cookers, and warming trays. Cold foods should be held at 5°C or colder. Keep foods cold by nesting dishes in bowls of ice. Otherwise, use small serving trays and replace them.