New Years Eve Party Ideas

One of the most important decisions when planning a New Year’s Eve party is to decide if alcohol will be served or not. If you are serving alcohol be sure to make arrangements for designated drivers or for guests to spend the night. Your New Year’s Eve party memories shouldn’t include your friends or family getting a DUI or being in an accident. Once that is out of the way, on to the fun parts of a New Year’s Eve party!

The best parties are

when everyone is relaxed and having fun. A potluck lets everyone share in the preparations. The host can provide a main dish and guests can provide additional main dishes, side dishes, and deserts. It reduces the stress of food preparation and allows for relaxed hostesses and hosts. It can be taken a step farther with B.Y.O.D. (bring your own drinks).

Decorations can be simple with a few streamers and signs or extravagant with a ceiling net filled with balloons to be released at midnight. A color theme can allow for purchasing of affordable items without worrying about the design matching. Bright primary colors or black and silver make good theme colors.

There are lots of party favor kits available. They can come with a few basics like a noisemakers and hats or complete with tiaras, top hats, streamers, cups, and more. Party favors can include baby items (pacifiers, bibs, bottles, etc) and old man items (beards, false teeth, laxative, etc.). A “time capsule” can be created and decorated before or during the party. Each guest can receive a “scroll” (paper rolled up and secured with a decorative child’s hair tie or ribbon) and a nice pen. On the scroll can be one or more of the following for the guests to fill out:

• Predictions for the upcoming year for friends or family

• Predictions the guest has for themselves

• Goals for upcoming year

• Resolutions for upcoming year

• Memorable moments of current year

• Valuable lessons of the year

The scrolls can be added to the time capsule can be sealed and brought out at the next New Year’s Eve party.

With or without alcohol, toasts can be included in the New Year’s celebration. Sparkling cider or juice can be used. Adding sparkling water or clear soda to juice can make a bubbly homemade drink to be used for toasts. Fruit can be soaked in the juice overnight to give it a unique flavor.

A New Year’s Eve party is a special time to relax and enjoy friends, if that happens, your party is a success.