Hosting a Great New Year's Eve Party
Essential Tips for Welcoming the New Year with a Fantastic Party
Dec 29, 2008
Children and adults alike love a New Year’s party, but the thought of all that preparation: the cooking, the invitations, the ideas for party games or entertainment, can easily defeat us before we've started. With a little advance planning, organizing a New Year’s party need not be such a difficult task. And with all the right ingredients, you will have a party everyone will remember.
Planning a New Year’s Party
If you are planning a party, however small, it is obviously not enough just to send out invitations and expect things to happen of their own accord when the guests arrive. Equally, the hosts that fuss around their party guests, constantly asking if they are enjoying themselves, will soon succeed in dampening the atmosphere. The secret is to prepare well beforehand, so that the event seems to have a life of its own when the time comes. In any case, it is wise to start making your plans and sending out invitations before Christmas, if you want everyone to be there.
A Party with a Twist for the New Year
To guarantee an event that is out of the ordinary, why not choose a New Year party theme? You can try a party styled as a royal banquet, a winter theme or an international or multi-cultural theme, or you may prefer to choose your own. Once you have your theme, choosing decorations, food and entertainment will come more easily. You could ask your guests to come dressed in costumes to suit the theme. It's surprising how many people who protest they haven't got anything suitable arrive in ingenious home-made fancy dress. And having entered into the fun, people seem to mix better when wearing something more flamboyant than their everyday clothes.
Welcoming Your New Year’s Party Guests
Whether your guests are in fancy dress or not, make sure they receive a warm welcome. Hang a wreath or balloons on the door, and be around to welcome each guest personally. When everyone has arrived it's good to have some sort of ice-breaker event planned, especially if people don't know each other. A game that mixes people is useful, or one where they must move around the house finding answers to questions.
When you are planning party games for New Year, bear in mind the people who are coming, and include some sitting-down games as well as more active ones. If children are present, games with movement and excitement are usually a hit, but it's wise to include one or two where you can get your breath back!
Presentation of Your New Year’s Party
Take some care over the presentation. A buffet that looks inviting and delicious is one that is guaranteed to get eaten. Using disposable plates, cutlery and napkins saves on breakages, and looks effective if you choose two colors that tone well. Additional touches such as lighted candles, holly or dried flowers and bowls of sweets will complete the effect.
After the Party
A familiar complaint from party hosts is that there is so much food left over at the end. If you have spent all day cooking it's especially disheartening. To avoid this danger, go for lots of small dishes that people can pick at, rather than huge joints of meat and heavy sweets. Finally, when everyone has had their fill of cake and one or two are showing signs of tiring, it’s time to fill everybody's glass and wish them all a peaceful and happy New Year.
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