New Year's Eve Party

New Year's is an occasion that everyone gets excited for!  It's a time for new beginnings and a fresh start.  A great way to start the New Year is by planning a fabulous New Year's Eve Party.  Here are some fun ways to ring in the New Year:

Countdown to Midnight:

Try an invitation shaped like a clock bearing the name of the invitee and an image of a clock on top.  Add party supplies that enhance your theme.  Set the mood by having a grandfather clock as your centerpiece that will ring at midnight.  Have some fun, festive hats available for guests or try a party kit that has everything you will need for a successful countdown.  End the countdown with champagne and kisses at midnight.  We all know how important that first kiss is; it ensures intimacy and a close relationship throughout the New Year.  Give out lip gloss as a party favor and pucker up!

New Year’s New York Style:

 If you can’t be in New York for New Year’s Eve, bring New York to you with a Times Square scene setter, balloon drops, confetti, and poppers.  Make your own ball or use a disco ball and shine different colored lights on it throughout the night.  Hang your ball in a high traffic area as a key centerpiece.  New Year's Eve parties are widely regarded as the biggest celebration of the year, so make yours shine by having your sphere as the main focal point.   Have one of the New Year’s Eve specials set in New York on a big screen TV.   Countdown with the New Yorkers and at midnight let the balloons drop and confetti fly while your own ball slowly drops as well.

"Auld" Memories

Forget the past?  No way!  Instead of letting that "auld acquaintance" be forgotten, stir things up by remembering a few of the best moments of the old year before you ring in the new.  Go around the room and encourage guests to share the funniest, craziest, and most unforgettable moments of the past twelve months.  Good or bad, if they come to mind then they're probably worth a mention.  You can also take it one step further by inviting guests to bring their most embarrassing moments caught on camera or tape.  Put them together and you will all enjoy a rather nontraditional collage or funniest home videos that just might be the highlight of the evening.  Capture new memories by having guests pose for photos.  Send them home with a memento to last the whole year.  Something as simple as a background of iridescent balloons tied together at varying heights to create a solid wall of glitz will match the magic of the night and reflect the new memories of the year to come.

Superstitious New Year

Celebrate New Year's Eve by learning or simply revisiting some of the most fabulous New Year's Eve superstitions.  A popular superstition in Latin American is eating 12 grapes at midnight to ensure good luck for each month of the coming year.  Be sure to have plenty of grapes on hand for your guests.  For a fun twist, plop one or two in a glass of champagne for the midnight toast!  Be sure to keep some change in your pocket at midnight to bring good fortune and wealth in the New Year.  Just before midnight, pass around a roll of coins to your guests to make sure everyone is prepared!  Forecast your fashion fortune in the coming months and wear a new outfit on New Year's.  Even one new piece, like a fancy new skirt for you or tie for you guy, is the perfect excuse for a little shopping.  Or, double your luck and be sure to wear something in red.

With all these sure-fire themes, you are bound to have an engaging, exciting party and Happy New Year!  Remember, parties are fun but please drink responsibly.  However you celebrate, have fun and may the New Year bring you health, hope, and happiness!