Host a Last Minute New Year's Eve Party
During the post-holiday craze, not many people have time to throw together the masquerade-themed, dressed-to-the-nines kind of New Year's Eve party they would like--or do they? Here are some tips, as showcased on "Live with Regis and Kelly," on host a last-minute New Year's Eve party that will have your guests partying like it's 1999 and beyond. Does this Spark an idea?
Instructions
1. Plan the decor. This party is all about action, so make your decor part of the fun. Use a fantastic fabric or wallpaper as a table cloth, then attach glitter letters to the edge or have guests attach their own right on top with their New Year's resolutions.
Not sure what to do with all the holiday photos you have taken and received? Make a modern photo frame wall. Attach silver wrapping or wallpaper to a wall, then place a variety of matting boards on top. Ask guests to bring a photo, then frame the photos of your family and friends. You can even throw a random character into the mix here and there (for example, the Grinch, a celebrity, your local postal worker). This is a great way to decorate and get the crowd involved, all while using the leftover photo cards you didn't send out.
Personalize the place settings on your New Year's Eve table by including one or all of these interactive elements:
• Storytelling name cards
• New Year's Eve resolution cards
• Plate liners
• New Year's Eve-themed centerpiece
2. Develop the food and beverage menu. The New Year is the perfect time to get anything off your chest you've been holding onto, including that secret guilty pleasure. Instead of stressing over the food, set up a guilty pleasures buffet equipped with the works:
• Chinese takeout
• Pigs in a blanket (Regis's favorite)
• Trashy cheeses (yeah, we're talkin' to you, cheese in a can!)
• Twinkies, Ho Hos and Ding Dongs
• Funyuns
Start a new tradition by taking the New Orleans king cake to a whole new level. Bake a lucky New Year's Eve cake with a "lucky" trinket inside. It can be anything from a Baby New Year token to a horseshoe. When the cake is cut and passed around, the person with the trinket in their slice will have fortune smiling down on them with lots of good luck bestowed on them that year.
3. Think about what activities you could include. Get your costume on. Get the wallflowers dancing on the bar by having a wardrobe station set up with tons of costume entities (for example, boas, hats, ties or sunglasses) for them to try on and rock.
For the kiddies: Pre-party, stuff a New Year's Eve disco ball pinata with all the goods needed to make some noise when the clock strikes midnight.
Encourage a little friendly competition by setting up a "Find-a-Gem" drinking game (can be non-alcoholic, too) for all your sober drivers and/or underage partygoers out there.
Wondering what the New Year has in store for you? Set up a fortuneteller-making station. Who knows, a new beau or a career change (you may end up working as a Rockette or taming lions in the circus) may be in your future.
Tags: Host Last, Host Last Minute, Last Minute, Last Minute Year, Minute Year, Minute Year Party, will have