Its time to kick off the upcoming New Year with a party! Celebrate all youve accomplished in the past year--and all you will accomplish in the coming year. Obviously, you can throw a party just about anywhere. But in the interest of safe and sane fun, why not throw one at home? You can let people whove had one too many crash on the couch, plus you dont have to drive anywhere yourself. Its a win, win, win. To get started, here are a few ideas to get you into party planning mode. Rope in a friend to help and let the festivities begin!
Appetizers
No party can truly thrive without a round of delicious appetizers. Choose a mix of light appetizers and appetizers that are a little heavier.For heartier snacking, try a cheese and cracker or flatbread tray, or set out some softer bread, like these yummy clover leaf rolls. You can offer butter to top them with or even better, allow some cream cheese to soften and top it with a delicious pepper jelly to use as a spread.
Food
In most cases, New Years Eve parties tend to start later than most. That means your guests may not have already had dinner. However, if you are doing a dinner party or offering food to your late-night guests, why not try a great casserole coupled with a couple of different self-serve salads? Then youll have the best of both worlds: a filling main dish, and a variety of lighter fare for those guests who arent that hungry. The great thing about casseroles is that they reheat well and usually can sit out for a while and still taste amazing. This chicken taco casserole is excellent.
Drinks
One great way to ease the financial burden of hosting a New Years Eve party is to make it BYOB. You can request that everyone contribute their favorite cocktail and have a nice mix of tasty and intriguing drinks that everyone can try. If you prefer playing bartender yourself, why not try a great-tasting party punch? You can use fruit like pears and apples, mixed with alcohol such as vodka or rum. There are so many different recipes out there, your hardest job will be narrowing down what flavors and types of alcohol you want. Just dont forget champagne for the midnight toast. It wouldnt be New Years Eve without that!
Music
In todays world, you dont have to look far to find great mood music. You can create a festive holiday playlist on apps like Pandora or Spotify and let the good tunes roll. You can also pick from a variety of mood music and mixes that have already been created for you if youre feeling lazy. Of course, you can always go old-school too and karaoke the night away. Also, we propose that no party is complete without a fast and furious dance-off, so make time and space for that to happen. Just be sure to choose tunes you know all of your friends wont be able to resist. You know the songs were talking about!
Decor
New Years Eve decorating doesnt have to be elaborate. Just extend the life of your Christmas decorating, and youre nearly done! Christmas lights, your Christmas tree and all of those pretty, sparkly ornaments make a great backdrop for a New Years Eve party. If you want to get really crazy, you can string up things like paper snowflakes from your ceiling and hang mistletoe in strategic spots to encourage a little holiday canoodling. Candles also make for great holiday atmosphere and you can set them to blazing all over the house. Add a little glitter dust and sparkly ornamentation to your tables, and youve got the makings of a beautiful party environment. A New Years Eve party is a great way to kick off the new year and spend a little quality time with friends and loved ones. It doesnt have to be elaborate or expensive, but it does have to be fun. And with these tips to get you started, throwing the ultimate New Years Eve party is almost, dare we say . . . easy? Now enlist your buds and get to planning that party!