So here’s what happened—you pulled off an elaborate Thanksgiving gathering, and even though your guests left wildly impressed, you were a little spent. A month later, you didn’t learn from your mistake and decided to invite everyone back to ring in the New Year. Expectations are high. Your energy, however, is low. It doesn’t have to be daunting. In fact, with a bit of smart planning—plus a hard-and-fast goal for doing things with as little effort as possible—you might get to kick back and relax the day away. Here’s your guide to throwing a shindig everyone will be talking about without going stir-crazy.
Hassle-free hors d’oeuvres
Serve hors d’oeuvres that are fancy without being difficult—cold meats and cheeses (you don’t even have to do the cutting, just leave a few cheese knives out) and creamy dips with a variety of scoops. If your menu needs a bit of oomph, try adding foods-on-sticks that require absolutely no cooking skills. String cherry tomatoes, fresh mozzarella balls and basil on a skewer for a caprese-like snack. Or a combination of grape, Spanish manchego cheese, and spicy chorizo.
Go a step further:
via Jenny at HealthyCrush
Libations
The booze should be the least of your worries because it is a no-brainer. Whether you go with sweet-and-fruity Prosecco or Louis Roederer’s exuberant Cristal Champagne, a steady flow of bubbly equals a happy crowd.
Go a step further:
Set up a DIY cocktail bar. Print out a few recipes for your favorite drinks and have your friends try their hand at mixing and shaking. Make use of the spirits you have on hand, and let lime juice pull triple-duty. That bottle of vodka? Add lime juice, Triple Sec, and cranberry juice and guests can whip up a Cosmopolitan. Got some tequila? Add lime juice, Triple Sec and optional salt for a classic Margarita. Gin? All you’ll need is Rose’s lime juice for a perfect gimlet. Don’t forget the most important ingredient: ice, ice, ice!
Decorations
Chances are, you’ve already spruced up your digs with holiday decor, so let your Christmas tree do most of the talking. To make your decorations more NY-specific, hang some “Happy New Year” garland. Don’t limit yourself to the curtain rod. Some no-hardware-needed adhesive hooks–like this and this–add to the ambiance and are plenty festive for the occasion. There’s no need to overthink what to tie, tuck or wrap the thread around.
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Plates
Go a step further:
Conversation
Before you ring in the new year, you’ll need a plan for how to have David from finance and Lauren from marketing get along. Surely, having a playlist (try Spotify’s) helps drown out the silence. But say you need something to break the ice—it’s good to have bailout options at the ready. Party games like a white elephant gift exchange or holiday-themed charades will keep the party abuzz and require little to no effort on your part.
Go a step further:
Set up a “game” station. Fish out those old board games you haven’t played since college and stack them on a table. Even a mindless challenge like Connect Four can be fun, especially with a glass of sparkling vino in hand.