If you don't have plans yet, chances are many of your friends don't either, so if you invite people over even with little notice, they'll most likely attend. Many people feel overwhelmed by the pressure to go out and have a blast, but the traffic and jacked up prices at restaurants can deter people from wanting to go out.
How to throw a last minute New Year's Eve party:• Use evite or a text for last minute invitations.
• Begin your party no earlier than 8:30pm. This way, people won't be expecting dinner, and all you'll need to do is put out some appetizers and snacks – keeps things simple.
Tips from Bash Events Los Angeles, a party planning company.
• Ask everyone to bring a bottle of wine or champagne. Serve champagne bottles on ice surrounded by carafes of juice mixers so guests can make spritzers – stretches the alcohol, and lowers the potency of the cocktail for guests who don't want to get too tipsy . Appetizers: you can turn inexpensive ingredients into posh-seeming appetizers with a few presentation tricks.• Place your hors d'oeuvres in symmetrical rows on simple plates to make them look professionally catered and appetizing.
• Another pro trick: Shrink apps down to bite-size. Cut larger foods into halves or quarters, slice store-bought desserts like brownies and lemon bars into two-inch squares.
• To dress up your standard cheese plate, Add some gourmet ingredients. Top a round wedge of goat cheese with pomegranate seeds and rosemary, dress up the platter with grapes.
What Do We Need To Know If We Decide To Go Out?
• Even if you're just going to your local restaurant or bar, Call ahead to find out what their New Year's Eve schedule is. Many places charge extra cover charges and require reservations for NYE when they normally do not.
• Schedule a reliable mode of transportation. It can be hard to get a cab on the fly on NYE. You can go to carserviceexpress.com, type in your zip code, and they'll lead you to car services in your area. If several friends chip in it can be even cheaper than a cab.
• Need a last minute babysitter? See if family or friends can suggest a student. College kids always need cash, and are home for the holidays. You could also have people bring their kids, set them up in a room and let them have their own party with adults taking turns watching them. If you can't find a babysitter, a highly recommended website you can try is sittercity.com. They've got great reviews from many parenting blogs, and can recommend a sitter in your area that's background checked and professional.
Get additional tips from lifestyle and beauty expert Kym Douglas at
KymDouglas.com. Follow her
@KymDouglas and like her on
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