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What To Do After Christmas? New Year's!

Christmas is officially over. Like the day after a birthday, this is always a depressing reality. Two positive side effects, however, of after-Christmas: no more fretting about your Christmas party, and you can start really fretting about your New Year's Eve party!

I'm kidding, of course. If you've planned ahead or are taking your New Year's Eve party planning at a slow but steady pace, there should be little to no actual fretting involved. But if you're like some people I know (I won't name names here...), you might have tabled New Year's Eve festivities in order to focus on Christmas plans. If that's the case for you, I've got a few tips that should help get your New Year's Eve party planning well underway before it's too late.

Unlike Christmas and Halloween, New Year's Eve is really one of those party planning times when you can't choose your night. New Year's Eve is once, and the excitement of New Year's Eve parties is the countdown. It'd feel pretty silly to have a practice round a few days beforehand, wouldn't it? That said, don't be afraid to throw your own party on New Year's Eve, even if you know of someone who's already planned a party. Having a small get together is fun and harmless, and you could always combine the two parties if you're really concerned about splitting your friends and family down the middle.

Once you've decided to throw a New Year's Eve party, you'll need to focus on two important things: food and beverages. Not much else matters on New Year's, except for a kiss at the right moment and a hastily-made, rarely-kept New Year's Resolution. Unless you're throwing a no-alcohol party or serving a group of guests who don't tend to drink much, the general rule of thumb on New Year's is: the more free alcohol, the better.

Now I'm not suggesting that you help your guests pass out before the ball has even dropped in Times Square, but champagne and cocktails are a New Year's favorite and a well-prepared party host will have calculated how much alcohol to buy and then bought another 1/4-1/2 of that amount for good measure.

Food-wise, it's always great to serve themed food on New Year's and to give your guests a taste of something they might not normally try. Food options that I've served in the past and found great success with have been: Italian pastries and Kir Royals, mini-quiches and mini-crepes, and another favorite hand-held delight: sushi. Feel free to experiment and choose foods that you find fun. New Year's Eve parties are, after all, about having too much fun one last time this year. N'est-ce pas?

Whatever you choose to serve, getting a good grip on food and beverages is definitely the best way to get ahead in your New Year's Eve party planning. Have fun!

Enjoy Planning.
Penelope