New Year: Let’s Party!

New Year’s Eve doesn’t have to be a night out. A New Year’s Party in the house puts you in control in the comfort of your own home

Why have a party?

Like Christmas, a New Year’s Party is based around a strong theme, even if the central highlight lasts no more than a minute. But a New Year’s Party can be much more than that. It can be a time to reflect, a time to look forward to new hopes and dreams. It can also be a time to relax and catch up with old friends and family.

The thought of putting on a party at this time of year can be daunting but with a little bit of planning and a touch of imagination, you can create a party that your family and friends will talk about for years to come. If you are thinking of hosting a New Year’s Party this year, here are a few ideas to give you some inspiration.

Preparing Food

To make things easier for you and your guests, it’s always a good idea for them to bring their own appetisers. If someone doesn’t know how to cook or what to bring, suggest raw veggies and houmous, a fruit and nut platter, or a cheese and crackers plate. If someone claims that even those are too difficult, ask them to bring a packet or two of mixed nuts – you can provide the bowl!

Create a music playlist

It’s now easier than ever to create your own playlist with online streaming services like Spotify and Deezer. If most of your guests are of a similar age, it’s always a great idea to drop in some nostalgic songs from your younger days. If your guests are more varied in age, you can always rely on the trusty Christmas compilation CD that’s been sitting in the cupboard all year waiting to be played!

Highlights of the Year

One thing that’s guaranteed to keep the conversation flowing over a New Year’s Eve supper is to look back over the last 12 months. It might be worth printing out some ice-breaker cards with particular topics featured on each one. Topics could range from ‘Day from the last year that you’d love to do again’ through to ‘Most embarrassing moment of the year’.

You can also take the conversation a bit deeper by offering the ‘Best advice you’ve heard all year’ or ‘Biggest lesson learned this year.’ If you want to add more fun to the game, you can throw in some sayings that cannot be uttered during the night – phrases like ‘I can’t believe where time has gone’ or ‘Doesn’t time fly?’ Forfeits can be dished out to those who slip up.

Fancy Dress

In some parts of the UK like Cornwall, putting on fancy dress on New Year’s Eve is a tradition that goes back years. It gives people a chance to let their hair down and have fun. It not only breaks the ice but provides ample opportunities for laughs, great photo opportunities and memorable moments.

Giving your party a theme such as Superheroes or Game of Thrones will make for a great evening but be sure to give your guests ample warning ahead of the party to give them time to prepare!

Celebrate New Year every hour on the hour

If you are looking to make the most of your New Year’s Party, why not celebrate New Year every hour, on the hour, to coincide with a place in the world where they are celebrating midnight? This not only makes the evening more fun but also adds a bit of variety to proceedings.

With many countries hours ahead of us, you can plan to celebrate all evening long. Join Greece at 10pm by serving up a platter of traditional Greek food and ouzo (be careful not to go crazy on this as you do want to get to midnight!). At 11pm, join the French by serving up baked Camembert and red Bordeaux.

It will be several more hours before you can start joining those on the other side of the Atlantic Ocean in their celebrations but by then, you’ll hopefully be safely tucked up in bed.

Post midnight munchies

Make sure that your guests go home with full bellies and smiles on their faces by preparing some post midnight-food. New Year’s parties run the risk of falling flat after the climax of midnight. It doesn’t have to be anything fancy but a warming bowl of soup or some bacon butties will always be appreciated.

If your party isn’t going to be overly boozy, a warming mug of hot chocolate and marshmallows will finish the evening off beautifully.

New Year Predictions

During the early part of the evening, get your guests to write down predictions for the year ahead. Get them to sign their predictions and to put them into a box or a bowl. During supper or after midnight, everyone can take turns to read the predictions out loud and the other guests can guess whose prediction it is. There will always be a few surprises and it’s a great way to wrap up the night!