New Year's Party Ideas

p>People love bidding farewell to the old year and welcoming the new one at New Year''s Eve parties. This year, why not gather your friends and family and host your own party? With a little thought and planning, you and your loved ones can celebrate New Year''s Eve in style!

Here are some party ideas to make your New Year''s celebration a hit!

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Food is an integral part of any good party. For your New Year''s party, options abound. While some people will want to host a formal sit-down dinner, others prefer to offer a buffet or only appetizers.

In addition, while some people will want to cook all of the food for the party themselves, others will want to have the event catered. You decision to cook or cater is largely dependent on your budget and kitchen skills.

Another easy option for a New Year''s Eve party is to have a potluck where every guest brings a dish. Potluck parties are often fun and casual, allowing guests to sample a number of home-cooked items. To make your potluck even easier, use plastic utensils, paper plates and disposable napkins.

Most people serve alcoholic drinks at their New Year''s parties. However, the decision is entirely up to the host. If you do have alcohol, a good rule is to buy a wide variety of alcoholic beverages and to buy more than you think you will need — it is much better to have drinks left over for another party than to come up short.

In addition to alcoholic beverages, be sure to offer your guests non-alcoholic drinks, including water, soda and juices.

Keep Your New Year''s Party Safe

As the host of a party, you''ll want to do everything you can to ensure that everyone has a good but safe time. As the host, you should provide a designated driver for anyone who has had too much to drink. Or, you could allow them to spend the night at your home.

New Year''s Eve Party Games

Some people enjoy having party games at their New Year''s celebrations. Games can be a great way to break the ice and get everyone in the mood to party. If you will have children and adults at your New Year''s Eve bash, party games are also a good way to include people of all ages.

Some ideas for fun New Year''s Eve games include:

• Effigy Party: Guests at this party bring effigies of themselves made out of natural materials, such as wood, straw, etc. The effigies should depict the bad habits or things a person wants to change about himself in the coming year. For instance, a person who wants to quit smoking could make an effigy holding a cigarette.Ask each guest to present their effigy to the group and recite their New Year''s resolutions. Then, have everyone burn their effigies in a fireplace or outdoor fire pit.
• Murder Mystery Dinner Party: Murder Mystery Dinner parties are popular with people of all ages. Here, you stage your own murder mystery and let your guests follow clues to figure out who committed the murder.These New Year''s Eve parties will require a little extra work on your end, as you will need to pick one of your guests as the murderer, create clues, etc. Luckily, you can hire a company to help you stage your murder mystery party.
• Pajama Party: If you plan to serve alcoholic drinks at your party, asking guests to bring their pajamas and sleeping bags is a great way to avoid drunk driving. At these parties, it might be fun to play some traditional sleepover games, including Truth or Dare or Spin the Bottle.
• Wine-Tasting Party: If you and your friends enjoy trying out different wines, have everyone bring a bottle or two of their favorite wine. This is a great way to find a new favorite wine while also spending time with friends.

New Year''s Eve Party Favors

Everyone enjoys party favors. You can present party favors at the end of your party to keep guests thinking about your party all year long or at the beginning of the party to make the night more festive. Popular New Year''s Eve party favors include:

• beads
• confetti and balloons
• glow bracelets, necklaces, etc.
• noisemakers
• paper hats
• party poppers than contain small trinkets
• plastic champagne flutes to toast the New Year
• top hats and tiaras.

Resources

Acture Pty. Ltd. (n.d.). New Year''s Party Game Ideas. Retrieved September 29, 2007, from the tailormademysteries.com Web site: http://www.tailormademysteries.com/tmm/

partytips/newyearsparties.htm.

Becker, Justin (n.d.). How To: Throw a New Year''s Party. Retrieved September 29, 2007, from the askmen.com Web site: http://www.askmen.com/fashion/how_to/30_how_to.html.

Hylton, Michelle (2007). New Year''s Eve Party. Retrieved September 29, 2007, from the PartyShelf.com Web site: http://www.partyshelf.com/New_Years_Eve_Party.htm.

Sicard, Cheri (2007). Out With The Old in a Big Way: The New Year''s Eve Effigy Party. Retrieved September 29, 2007, from the fabulousfoods.com Web site: http://www.fabulousfoods.

com/holidays/newyears/effigyparty.html.