Archive for the ‘NewYearsEvePartyPlanning’ Category

Planning a Stress Free New Years Eve Party

Sunday, July 5th, 2009

If you are in the process of planning a New Years Eve party, you likely want to make the event as stress free as possible. While there is always some stress involved in planning any event, there are a number of steps you can take in reducing the amount of stress involved while you are planning your New Years Eve party. This article will focus on providing tips for keeping the stress level to a minimum when planning a New Years Eve party. There may still be a few areas which cause concern or stress but if you follow these tips, the event will likely be more enjoyable for you and the guests.

Consider making the dress for the event casual instead of formal to create a more stress free environment. This simple stress can be very effective for reducing the stress level. First of all, if the affair is casual, the host will have to spend less time getting dressed for the party. This is important because the host often becomes quite stressed out on the day of the party because she is trying to take care of last minute details while she is also worried about getting dressed for the party. It also helps to reduce the stress level because guests expect more elegant food for a formal party than they do for a casual party so there is less stress to prepare and serve an elaborate meal at the party.

Regardless of the type of food you decide to serve, preparing the food for a New Years Eve party can be a significant cause of stress. Hiring a caterer is the most efficient way to minimize this stress. When hiring a caterer the host may have a great deal of work during the planning phases in selecting a caterer, tasting the food and selecting dishes for the menu, but once this is done the host only has to worry about coordinating the delivery and service of the food. This leaves the hostess free to focus on other elements of the party and prevents her from spending a great deal of time in the kitchen on the evening of the party.

While hiring a caterer is an excellent idea, it can be rather expensive. Fortunately there are also a number of inexpensive options for minimize the stress associated with preparing the food for a New Years Eve party. One fun way to do this is to make the party a potluck event. Having guests bring dishes such as side dishes, salads, appetizers, desserts and even main dishes or drinks greatly reduces the amount of work for the host. In this scenario the host only has to worry about providing one or two items and coordinating the other guests to ensure they do not all bring similar items.

Another inexpensive option which can help to reduce the amount of stress typically associated with preparing the food for a New Years Eve party is to serve only appetizers, desserts and cocktails at the party. This is significantly less expensive as appetizers are traditionally much less expensive than main course items. It is also acceptable to do this because most New Years Eve parties do not start until 8:00-9:00 at night. It is acceptable to assume most guests will have had dinner earlier in the evening but as a courtesy to the guests it is worthwhile to indicate on the invitations that only appetizers and desserts will be served.

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Games to Play during a New Years Eve Party

Saturday, July 4th, 2009

Many hosts spend a great amount of time planning the food and cocktails for their New Years Eve party and do not give as much consideration to the type of entertainment they plan to have at their New Years Eve party. This is unfortunately because New Years Eve parties offer a great opportunity to participate in some really fun games. New Years Eve parties tend to last longer than many other parties so traditional entertainment options such as dancing may not be enough to keep the guests entertained. One fun way to spice a New Years Eve party is by playing different games. This article will offer some fun ideas games to play at a New Years Eve party.

New Years Eve is a holiday which is synonymous with alcohol consumption. The popularity of alcohol consumption is the inspiration for one idea for a game to play on New Years Eve. You can play a game by giving each person a word which is likely to come up in casual conversation and writing that word on a nametag for each person to wear during the evening. Guests are required to carry a shot of a vodka at all times and if another guests catches them saying the word on their nametag they have to take their shot and then pick up another shot to carry in case they are caught again. This game is fun because it encourages guests to mingle as they attempt to think up ways to get other guests to try to say their word. The game can be made more difficult by placing the name tag on each person’s back so they cannot see the word but other guests can. This means the guest not only has to try to avoid saying the word but also has to figure out what the word is. When playing this game, care should be taken to avoid the game being the cause of the guest becoming inebriated. One way to do this is to put a limit on the number of shots a person can consume. They can take the sticker off once they reach their limit and the last person with a sticker is declared the winner and may be awarded a surprise.

Games which involve dancing are also very popular on New Years Eve. One game which is a lot of fun is similar to a game played by children. It involves periodically stopping the music while guests are dancing. Each time the music stops, the guests are supposed to freeze in one position. One person is designated as the judge and each time the music stops, the judge eliminates the last guest to freeze his position. The last guest remaining is declared the winner of the game.

A casino night is also very popular for a New Years Eve Party. The host can set up various tables for different games such as blackjack, Texas hold’em, keno and other popular card games. The host may also enlist guests to act as dealers at each of these tables. The hosts can either be dedicated for entire night or can rotate every couple of hours so all the guests have a chance to be both a player and a dealer. Giving each of the guests a set amount of poker chips can make the games even more fun, if you inform the guests they will be able to exchange their chips at the end of the evening for raffle tickets for a few prizes. This will encourage the guests to participate in the game and really try their best to win at the games.

The games listed above are rather original but depending on the size of the party, guests can also play standard board games. Trivial pursuit, monopoly and scrabble are popular options. These games can be played either as individuals or as teams. Additionally, they can be played once or in a tournament style. Games such as scrabble can even played with a holiday theme where guests are encouraged to use words which relate to New Years Eve.

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Planning a New Years Eve Party in Your Home

Friday, July 3rd, 2009

There are both advantages and disadvantages to planning a New Years Eve party in your home. The advantages to planning a New Years Eve party in your home is that you have a greater amount of freedom in terms of food and beverage choices, decoration options and even the type of entertainment you are able to offer. The disadvantages to hosting a New Years Eve party in your home is that your property or possessions may be damaged by the guests, you are responsible for the cleanup of the party and it can be difficult to control when guests leave the party. The advantages to hosting a New Years Eve party in a restaurant and catering hall is that you will have assistance in preparing and serving the food, you don’t have to worry about cleanup and you have very few obligations during the party. The disadvantages to hosting your New Years Eve party at a restaurant or catering hall is you will be limited in the hours of the party, there may be some restrictions placed on the entertainment and their will also likely be limitation on the food and beverages you can offer your guests. Giving these advantages and disadvantages as well as the costs associated with hosting a New Years Eve party in a restaurant or catering hall, many people opt to host their New Years Eve party in your home.

When planning a New Years Eve party in your home it is very important to carefully consider your guest list. This is important because you should limit the number of guests you invite according to the size of your home and the rooms in your home you wish to use for the party. For example you may have an extremely large house but if you wish to limit the party to the kitchen and dining room you should consider limiting the number of guests you invite to a number which will fit comfortably in these rooms. Or if you plan to use your entire house for the party, you should still consider how many people will fit comfortably for activities such as eating, dancing and socializing.

Another factor to consider when planning a New Years Eve party in your home is how you plan to entertain your guests. Hiring a band or DJ or playing your own music is one of the most popular entertainment options for a New Years Eve party. If you plan to have a band or a DJ you should consider providing a dance floor for your guests. The dance floor does not have to be big but it should be large enough for at least some of your guests to dance and have a good time. Another entertainment option is showing a series of movies. The movies can follow a particular theme or they can just be fun movies you think the majority of your guests will enjoy. If you are planning to entertain your guests in this manner you should consider renting a movie projector if you do not already have one to make the movie viewing experience more pleasurable. You should also consider seating options and should ensure you have enough seating for each guest with an unrestricted view of the screen.

Another factor to consider when planning a New Years Eve party in your home is how you plan to deal with potential problems such as spilled food and drinks. If you have new and expensive carpeting or flooring, you might be very concerned about this issue. One option is to take preventative measures by covering flooring which would be permanently damaged by spilled drinks or food. This will likely not be very attractive and many guests prefer to only offer food and drinks in areas of the home where spills will not be extremely damaging. As the host of the party, you should be prepared to deal with spills. Your plan could include cleaning all spills thoroughly as they occur in attempt to minimize the risk or permanent stains or to do only a quick cleanup and deal with stains after the party.

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