How To Have The Best New Year's Eve Party Ever!

No matter who you have invited to your party, these decorations and party favors are sure to put a smile on anyone's face. Just click the links to be directed to the instructions.

Snowflake Cutouts

Paper Flowers

Happy New Year Horn

New Year Noise Maker

Party Poppers

You can also:

String Christmas lights around the room

Fill balloons with confetti and pop them at Midnight

Spread glitter or confetti on all flat surfaces

Don't try and make dinner for a lot of people, how can you possibly enjoy yourself? This is a party!

Serve simple finger foods. Prepare them beforehand and place them on a buffet table.

Sausage Rolls - Baked chicken wings - Smoked salmon slices on thin brown bread - MIni meat balls

Here's a few quick and easy appetiser recipes

If you have the children around during holiday parties, there are some simple things you can do to keep the little ones entertained and on their best behavior during your shindig.

Give the kids a project. Whether it's punching out confetti with a hole punch or sweeping the floors, give them something to do that will let them feel like they helped throw a fantastic party.

Keep them fed. Let the kids help you in making a family approved food that will make sure they eat during the party. Hungry kids are fussy kids and nobody wants that!

Objective: Act out the name of a book, song, movie etc for your team, but no talking allowed!
Game Type: Active. A lot of movement may be required.
Players: 2 or more players
Needed: Paper and pencil
Rules: Divide your group into two teams. 3 or more people is best. Next, determine how long you want each round to be. Most groups will use no more than 5 minutes per round. Have each team huddle and brainstorm the names of TV shows, books, movies, songs or phrases on small pieces of paper. The papers from one team will be used by the other and visa versa so don't mix them. Put each group into a separate hat or bowl. Choose a team to go first and then choose a person on that team to go first.

The first person chooses a paper from the bowl (make sure it's the bowl from the other team) and memorize what it says. Also they should note whether it's a book, movie, song etc. and if they don't know they should ask someone on the other team and be whispered the answer. The timer then starts and they have to act out what's on the paper without talking. See below for appropriate gestures. When the timer runs out it's the other teams turn. They then draw a paper from the appropriate bowl and act it out. Turns should alternate back and forth with a new person doing the acting each time. Whoever guess the most within the time limit wins the game.

What's not allowed: No spelling of words. No mouthing answers or words. No pointing to objects in the room.

Gestures: Here are the correct gestures to use:

Book title:

Put your hands together as if you are praying, then unfold them flat.

Film title:

Form an imaginary lens with one hand while cranking the other hand as if you are operating an old movie camera.

TV show:

Making a box with your hands.

Quotation:

Make quotation marks in the air with your fingers.

Sound like:

To indicate the word sounds like another similar word, pull on your ear or cup your ear.

Number of words in the title:

Hold up number of fingers.

Specific word:

Again hold up the number of fingers - for example for "Gone with the Wind" you would hold up 4 fingers for four words and then prior to acting out "wind" you would hold up 4 fingers again to indicate 4th word.

Syllables:

Hold a specific number of fingers against your arm for a given word.

Short word:

Pinch your thumb and forefinger together.

Long word:

Open your fingers to indicate a long word.

Correct guess:

Give a thumbs up and point to the correct guesser.

Getting hotter:

Wave your hand like a fan.

Getting colder:

Cross your arms and shiver.

Other signals are allowed if agreed upon before the game.

This game and many more can be found at partygame central.com.

Most people make New Year's resolution and don't keep them. One way to encourage people to keep them is by making them public.

At your party, have everyone write their resolution on a piece of paper and read it aloud. Then have everyone put their resolution in a time capsule. This can be a box or a jar or whatever you find that can be sealed. Then, keep the resolutions safe until next year.

At the next party, you can dust it off and have a good laugh at who kept (and who didn't keep) their resolutions.

Should auld acquaintance be forgot,
And never brought to mind?
Should auld acquaintance be forgot
And auld lang syne?

Chorus:
For auld lang syne, my dear,
For auld lang syne,
We'll tak a cup o' kindness yet
For auld lang syne!

We twa hae run about the braes,
And pu'd the gowans fine,
But we've wander'd mony a weary fit
Sin auld lang syne.

We twa hae paidl't in the burn
Frae morning sun till dine,
But seas between us braid hae roar'd
Sin auld lang syne.

And there's a hand, my trusty fiere,
And gie's a hand o' thine,
And we'll tak a right guid willie-waught
For auld lang syne!

And surely ye'll be your pint' stowp,
And surely I'll be mine,
And we'll tak a cup o' kindness yet
For auld lang syne!

Ingredients:

1 (6-ounce) box of raspberry Jell-O, or other flavor of your choice
2 cups boiling water
2 cups vodka

Directions:

In a bowl, pour the boiling water over the Jello and stir until thoroughly dissolved. Cool to room temperature, then stir in the vodka. Pour the mixture into shot glasses or Jello shot cups. Refrigerate until well-set, at least 6 hours. Makes (32) 1-ounce jello shots.

Picture courtesy of allygirl520 on Creative Commons.