Ideas for Parties & Entertaining

LET'S PARTY!

Why have a Party? One shouldn't need an excuse to throw a party, and a "party" doesn't have to be a lavish affair. Getting together informally with family and friends, and enjoying good food, good wine and good conversation often constitute the most memorable events.

Sometimes, though, it helps to have an initial theme -- a reason for calling people together. And sometimes a little planning will make the difference between a successful event and one where people wonder why they bothered to attend.

 

MAJOR HOLIDAYS Major holidays deserve giving special touches to food, drink, decor and activities. Here are some ideas: New Year's (Coming Late 2006) Super Bowl Sunday 2/5 (Coming Soon) Valentine's Day (Work in Progress) St. Patrick's Day (Coming Soon) Mardi Gras (Coming Soon) Easter (Coming Soon) Cinco de Mayo (Coming Soon) Independence Day (Coming Soon) Halloween Thanksgiving (Work in Progress) Christmas (Coming Soon)   AD HOC OCCASIONS Formal Wine Tasting (Coming Soon) Formal Liquor Tasting (Coming Soon) Anniversaries (Coming Soon) Graduation Party (Coming Soon) Christmas in July Party (Coming Soon)

Budget A Concern? When planning your budget, think first of food and beverages because they are the most costly. A good party need not be expensive. The basics are food, liquor, tableware and decorations. Odds And Ends For Place Settings? Choose your tableware pattern early to ensure all of the components will be available. Organize Your Table: If setting up a buffet, place plates at the beginning of the line and napkins and flatware at the end. Guests won't have to struggle to hold onto everything while trying to serve themselves. Optimize Resources: If serving alcohol, have a designated "bartender" to dispense drinks. You will go through less liquor and guests will be less likely to consume too much. Plan an Activity: There are "lull times" during even the most focused party. (Yes, even on Super Bowl Sunday there are those boring moments between the exciting commercials!) When attention is waning and good conversation is at a low point, consider an activity to get things going again. You might, for example, have a simple "wine tasting" event -- simple, not elaborate: Get together a few (5 is a good number) similar bottles of wine (all reds, all whites, or all sparkling), but with each bottle in a numbered brown paper bag so people don't know what they are. You and your guests taste each wine in turn to see how much you can determine about the flavors, the type of grapes used, etc. At the end, you can compare notes and see which was the most popular wine. The idea is to improve your knowledge (a little!), get to taste a range of wines, decide which one you like best and, again simply, to have a little fun!. At the end of the tasting, bring out any tasting notes you have for each wine, remove the bags, and argue about which was the best.