Planning on hosting a New Year’s Eve gathering this weekend? Good for you!
Today I’ll be sharing a few savvy entertaining ideas with you on how to get the most fun out of your party. If you’d like some basic New Year’s Entertaining Tips, check our my post from last year here: New Year’s Entertaining Tips from 2009
Let’s start with a theme. Are you just inviting people over, setting out some munchies and keeping it casual? Or do you want to add a bit of fun and organization by choosing a theme? Maybe you want a masked event with everyone removing their masks and revealing their identity at midnight. Maybe you are hosting a formal affair and would like everyone to dress up. Or maybe you are keeping it informal but would like everyone to come dressed in a particular color. Think about what it is you want to accomplish and go from there. Make it clear through your invitations what type of party it will be and what mode of dress is expected.
Use simple decorations. This is a great time to go all white or all cream. That way you can use just about anything you’ve got in the chosen color scheme and it won’t matter if individual pieces match or not. New Year’s is also a great time to add some sparkle and shine, so you could go for a white and silver or cream and gold party. White and blue are also a popular choice or if you want to be a real trendsetter, see if you can work in some purple or gray. A party that featured gray, cream and purple would be pretty spectacular!
You really can keep things simple while still having fun. Arrange noisemakers, beads, whatever party favors you want to pass out on trays or cake plates and use as centerpieces. That way the favors are close at hand while creating a fun touch to your party atmosphere.
For a really fun accent, make confetti out of copies of photographs. Make sure the photos include those who will be gathering in your home. Use a scrapbook paper punch or have the kids cut out confetti. Once I discovered the joys of bombarding my dad in confetti, I would spend hours on New Year’s Eve cutting up old papers into bits of confetti. It was not unheard of for us to have a gallon bucket of confetti that would be strategically hidden until the stroke of midnight when we would gang up on Dad and cover him in it. The only drawback was that someone had to spend an hour or so cleaning up all those tiny bits of paper the next morning and the job usually fell on the one who cut up the paper in the first place. So I would strongly advise using bigger pieces of confetti and having a designated clean up crew!
Keep food simple and easy to handle. Set a buffet of heavy appetizers and sweets. Have veggies, cheese and meat trays, crackers, sliced fruit, and a few warm appetizers. These taco cups are super easy to make and a real crowd-pleaser. Then have a few sweets like cookies or bite-sized portions that are easy for guests to eat. If children will be present, skip the booze and find some recipes for non-alcoholic drinks. Punch is festive and simple and serves a crowd. If it is chilly, make a big pot of mulled cider or have hot chocolate with all the trimmings available.
However you decide to entertain this weekend, please play it smart and be safe!
Happy New Year Entertaining!
Shanna
