
Anyone can
throw a New Year’s Eve party filled with streamers, noisemakers,
and wacky 2017 glasses. But, it takes some true creativity and
planning to host a party that will wow your guests. That’s why I’ve
found some of the best New Year’s Eve entertaining tips and hacks
that will make your NYE party the talk of the town.
1. Make
inexpensive decorations that look like a million bucks
Don’t
make the holiday entertaining mistake of spending tons of money on
new décor that you won’t enjoy looking at after the last guest
leaves. You can wow your guests with DIY
decorations that
far surpass any you’d find in a tired party store. The most
important tip is to make sure that your décor matches or fits into a
theme because you don’t want to confuse your guests. It’s also
easier for you to choose a theme and stick to it when choosing and
making your décor.
2.
Prepare fancy food without the fuss
The best
way to wow your guests is to serve them food that they will think is
fancy but that you know doesn’t take much time at all.
- Appetizers and hors d’oeuvres - Consider broiled mussels, chili served in large dinner rolls or small bread bowls, Vidalia onion tarts, or Cipollini onion hummus to get your party started.
- Main courses – If you’re hosting a New Year’s Eve dinner with a main course, you should choose one that everyone will love even though it won’t take you hours of preparation. Some of my favorites include glazed ham with coriander and fennel, bacon-wrapped pork loin with cherries, and roast beef with slow-cooked tomatoes and garlic. And of course, you can always serve black-eyed peas and greens, traditional good luck foods for the new year.
- Desserts – Of course, no NYE host can entertain without having some amazing desserts for the guests. Again, that doesn’t mean that you need to spend hours baking show-stopping desserts from scratch. Chances are your guests won’t be fully out of holiday-mode quite yet so desserts that fit the merry season are still appropriate.
Order
a white layer cake from a local bakery and cover the top with crushed
peppermint and candy canes. Or
bake
cupcakes and decorate with holiday candy like M&Ms and Laffy
Taffy leaves. Another option is to bake brownies and cover them with
holiday nuts, peppermint, or marshmallows.
The
key is to have delicious desserts that look festive, even if you cut
a few corners and don’t know how to use a piping bag.
3. Don’t
forget the music
There is
nothing worse than a New Year’s Eve party with a clunky playlist.
To truly wow your guests, carefully choose your background music. If
you need a little help, streaming services like Spotify
and Pandora
can be useful in a pinch, and of course, you can always take requests
from your guests. Our phones and tablets make DJing easier than ever
so be sure to use the tech available to you to keep your guests
dancing late into the night.
4. Steer
clear of boring NYE cocktails
You and
your guests will want to pass around the bubbly on New Year’s Eve,
but champagne shouldn’t be the only beverage your bartender is
slinging. Updated
drinks like
creamsicle fizzes, pomegranate Moscow mules, and vodka espresso
cocktails are fun ways to spice things up.
To take
your drink game up another notch, remember to have mocktails
available for your designated drivers and guests that do not drink,
or have had substance abuse problems in the past. Some people
struggle
especially around the holidays so they’ll appreciate the extra
thought you put into including them in the drinks, even if they are
free of alcohol.
Of course,
spending time with friends and family is the best part of this time
of year. But, if you really want to wow your guests, these tips are a
good place to start.
Image by
Covi
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