New Years Party

New Year’s Eve or New Year's Day Party. What a great way to mark a new beginning to a new year. This is a time to make new wishes and goals for the upcoming year. Look back over the past year and say goodbye to the old and hello to the new. Many people set aside this New Year’s Eve for celebrating with confetti and noisemakers and singing “Auld Lang Syne” at midnight, when the New Year officially begins.

Others celebrate New Year’s Day, a national holiday, with a day to watch football games and parades. For may, this is also a holy day for many religions.

DECORATIONS
• Tie ribbons and bells to clusters of helium balloons.

• Post proverbs all around the party room.

• Hang Christmas lights or garland around doorways.

• Display an hourglass, clock or watch collection, set the clocks to 12:00 midnight.

• Use confetti on your serving table to add color.

ACTIVITIES
• Does your family love games? Host a Casino Night including poker games, blackjack and roulette. Include an area for dinner and dancing.

• Create a wishing tree. Purchase a small tree, have colorful tags available and have guest fill out small tags with wishes and desires. Hang wishes on tree.

• Invite guests to bring old photos, yearbooks and old scrapbooks of yester-year. This is a great way to reminisce about the past.

• Make a giant fortune wheel. Have everyone spin the wheel for their fortune. (Wheel can be made with a brass paper fastener. Attach a cardboard spinner to the wheel). Award prizes to match your party theme.

• Prepare thoughtful blessings for family members, identifying special talents and strengths for each person. At the New Year’s feast, the guest bestow blessing upon each family member.

• Make confetti bags. Fill small paper bags with confetti. Blow up the bags and tie them shut with ribbon or string. At the strike of 12:00, pop the bags. This is messy, but fun.

• Give each guest a small notebook and party themed pen. Have them make a resolution book. They can be simple resolutions from reading a book to traveling to an exotic city. Guests can take the books home or you can keep them for next year and see which guests followed through on their resolutions.

• Hire a palm reader or fortune teller. Have each guest participate in having their fortune told.

• Have your own balloon drop at Midnight.

MENU
Serve ethnic foods and wear ethnic costumes.

• Italian • Chinese, Japanese, or Vietnamese • Mexican • Latin American • French or Spanish
• Party Appetizers. •Cheese Platter. • Party Salads. • Party Soups. • Party Spreads and Sandwiches. •Party Entrees. • Party Desserts.

PARTY FAVORS
• Calendars. • Cymbals. • Date books. • Gongs. • Hats. • Large bells. • Noisemakers. • Toy watches.