| How to Throw a New Year's Eve Party Posted: 17 Dec 2018 04:00 PM PST New Year's Eve is one of the biggest celebrations of the year for many people. It's a great time to spend together with your family and friends as you say goodbye to the old and welcome the new. Throwing a great New Year's Eve party can help make the celebrations even more enjoyable. Get inspired and host the perfect party for you and those close to you. EditPlanning the Party - Think of the location. Before you can start planning the party, you will need to think of a location to have it in. You'll need to find a space that you can easily access and that has enough space for everyone you're thinking of inviting. Take some time to think of the perfect space for your New Year's Eve party.
- You can host the party in your home. This can help cut down on costs.[1]
- Try asking a friend to co-host the party in their home if they have the space.
- You might rent a party hall if you need a lot of room for guests.
- Consider who should attend the party. It's not a party unless there are guests. You'll want to consider who you want to invite to your party and how many people should come. Thinking of the perfect guest list can help make your party a good one.
- Consider how many people can comfortably fit in the space you are hosting the party in.
- Inviting less people can help you keep the cost of the party low and let you connect better with your guests.[2]
- Think of when you want guests to arrive and leave. Once you know who is coming and where you will host the party, you can begin to plan the party schedule. You'll need to consider when you want your guests to begin arriving and when they should expect the party to end. Creating this schedule will give you time to prepare before the party and will let your guests know what to expect.
- Not all New Year's Eve parties need to run late. You can end the party whenever you would like.
- If your guests are staying late, you should be prepared to offer them a bed or some place to sleep.
- Plan the party for everyone. Try to keep each guest in mind when you are planning your party. Ideally, your party will have something for everyone. It's important to think of all the ages, tastes, and preferences of your guests when planning your party. Take some time and review your guest list to make sure everyone will have a good time at your party.
- If there are children coming, make sure you have things that they may enjoy. You might leave out a video game or other fun activity for them.
- Think about what kinds of food and music all of your guests might like. Your guests may not have the same tastes, so try to pick things that you think everyone would agree on.
- Think about food and drink options. Before you throw your New Year's Eve party, you will want to consider how you are going to handle food and drink. You may choose to offer all the food and drinks for your guests or ask them to bring something to share. Whichever option you go with, knowing what to expect in regards to refreshments can help make your party a success.
- If you want to provide all food and drink yourself, think about which items your guests might prefer. Try to provide something you think everyone would enjoy.
- It can help cut down on costs if you ask your guests to bring something to pass.
- Plan out activities. It can be a good idea to tell your guests what they can expect to be doing during the party. Most New Year's Eve parties are centered around the ball drop and the midnight countdown. However, you can plan whatever fun events you might want to include in your party.
- Planning an evening of music, food, and good conversation can make for a simple and fun party.
- You might try offering board games for your guests to play together.
- Your party might feature a fun competition. For example, the best dressed guest could win a prize.
- Tell your guests what activities they can expect in the invitations.
- Send out invitations. Once you've planned the location, the guest list, and the schedule, you can create and send out invitations. The invitation will list all the information about the party and will let your guest know that they are welcome. Consider some of these methods of sending the invitations:
- By mail.
- By email.
- Making an e-card.[3]
- Using social media.
- By phone call.
EditSetting Things Up - Set out drinks. Most every party has some kind of beverage available to guests. Exactly what kind of beverages you offer will depend on your guest's preferences. Think about what your friends and family would like to drink and put them out during the party. Keep some of these tips in mind when considering which beverages might be a good idea:
- You should always provide water for your guests.
- Most adults will enjoy an alcoholic beverage. Try to provide some beer or wine for guests.
- It can be a good idea to have soft drinks available at your party.
- Your guests might enjoy coffee and tea.
- If there are children coming, you may want to have something like juice or milk ready.
- You can ask your friends and family to bring some drinks to the party.[4]
- Offer the right food. Nearly all parties will offer some kind of food to guests. Exactly what kind of food will depend on how many people are attending, how much you can budget for the food, and how long the party goes on for. You can make a meal or just offer snacks, depending on what you think will be best for your guests. Consider some of these tips when providing food for your guests: [5]
- A simple snack tray is usually provided at parties. This snack tray may have things like crackers, cheese slices, and fruit or vegetables.
- You might try making a group meal for everyone. This might be a big pot of soup or stew, something that can feed a lot of people at once.
- You could try asking your guests to bring something for everyone to eat.
- Provide tableware. Although food and drink are big parts of a party, you'll need to give your guests a way to enjoy them. Providing things like plates, cups, napkins, and silverware are just as important as providing the food and drink itself. Make sure you have enough supplies to help keep your party running smoothly.
- You should have enough plates and cups for everyone at the party.
- You might want to buy paper or plastic tableware. However, these can make the party more costly.[6]
- Make sure you have napkins or paper towels handy.
- It can be helpful to have a trashcan out for everyone to use.
- Decorate. To help make your party feel complete, it can be a good idea to add some decorations. These decorations can be as extravagant or simple as you would like. Try using some of these simple decoration tips for your New Year's eve party:[7]
- Keep your Christmas decorations up to maintain the holiday look.
- Make your own decorations. For example, you can make a gold bow tie garland by painting bow-tie pasta noodles gold and stringing them together.[8]
- Wrap tinsel around the end of a toothpick or drink stirrer.[9]
EditEntertaining Guests - Have a way to watch the ball drop. A big part of New Year's Eve celebrations is watching the ball drop at midnight. It can be a good idea to have some way for your guests to watch the ball as it descends at midnight. You might try using some of these methods to bring the ball drop to your guests:
- Make sure you subscribe to a television channel that covers the event.
- You can find live streaming coverage of the ball drop online.
- You might move the party to a local bar around midnight to watch the countdown together.
- Play some music. A great party is often not complete without music. Music can help any party to feel alive, and your New Year's Eve celebration isn't any different. Think about what kind of music you and your guests might want to listen to and build a great playlist for the party.[10]
- Consider the musical taste of those attending your party. Avoid songs that might make some guests uncomfortable.
- Make sure you have enough music to cover the length of the party.
- You could try streaming services like Pandora to play music during your party.
- Try to find a good volume level for your party.
- Make sure everyone is engaged. The point of a party is to celebrate. During the party, it's a good idea to spend some time with everyone who attended. This can help make them feel welcome and included in the celebration. Always keep an eye on guests to make sure they are having the best time possible.
- Plan fun group activities. For example, you might build a photo booth or offer some games for people to play.[11]
- If someone looks alone or bored, bring them into a conversation or start one up with them.
- Introduce new people to one another.
- Countdown. The focus of the evening will be on the countdown to midnight and the new year. As the clock approaches 12, you'll want to gather everyone around and get ready for the countdown. This can be a great way to bring everyone together and end your New Year's Eve party on a high note.[12]
- Most people start counting down around 10 seconds from midnight.
- Some people enjoy opening a bottle of champagne once the clock strikes 12.
- Feel free to make up your own traditions for the countdown.
- Wrap things up. Once your guests have enjoyed ringing in the New Year with you, it's time to bring the party to a close. Make sure your guests all have a safe way home or are comfortable with the accommodations that you have provided. You may also want to clean up a bit while the party is coming to a close. After the party is over, get some sleep and enjoy the new year.
- Before going to bed, it's a good idea to make sure that all the leftover food and drink are put away.
- You may also want to put all the trash in a bin or bag.
- Removing decorations, sweeping, and other cleaning can probably wait until the morning.
- Never let someone drive drunk. If your guests are driving home, make sure they are sober.
- Properly planning your party can help make it a success.
- Make sure you have enough room for everyone you plan on inviting.
- Think about what foods and drink your guests might like the most.
- Try to play music that you think everyone will enjoy.
- Counting down the last 10 seconds of the year is great tradition.
- Do not let anyone drive drunk.
EditThings You'll Need - Food
- Drinks
- Plates, cups, and silverware
- Entertainment
- Decorations
EditRelated wikiHows EditSources and Citations EditQuick Summary
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| How to Make Homemade Gifts for Kids Posted: 17 Dec 2018 08:00 AM PST Giving a fun and thoughtful gift doesn't mean that you have to buy something from the store—there are tons of homemade gift ideas for kids of all ages! Take into account how old the kid is and what kinds of things they are interested in. You could make gifts that the child can use on their own, like clothespin dolls and homemade slime, or you could even make a gift that you can use together, like a personalized apron for baking adventures or coupons for special nights out! EditMaking Gifts for Your Toddler or Preschooler - Use clothespins and yarn to make clothespin wrap dolls. Use the clothespins that have round heads rather than the ones that separate at the top. Wrap thread around each clothespin individually to create the illusion of "shirts" and "pants." For example, wrap red thread around a clothespin until you get halfway down, then switch to black thread for a doll that is wearing a red top and a black skirt. You can also cut off some thread and glue it to the pinhead to make hair. Use a marker to make little eyes.[1]
- You can make "shorts" or "pants" on the clothespin dolls by wrapping the bottom thread in-between the spokes of the clothespin.
- Make a striped top or bottom by alternating colors for a fun outfit option.
- Your child can create stories and play with the dolls just like they would with other dolls from the store.
- If you don't own the materials already, you can buy them inexpensively from a craft store.
- Materials needed: clothespins, yarn or embroidery thread, markers, and glue or a hot glue gun.
- Make bath crayons for a fun bath time activity gift. Buy glycerin from the craft store and melt it in a microwave-safe container for about 1 minute. Divvy up the glycerin between several different cups, and then add different colored food dye to each one. Pour the colored glycerin into a mold (ice cube trays work well for this!) and let them sit for 1-2 hours.[2]
- When the kid takes a bath, they can draw and scribble on the shower and tub walls with the bath crayons. It's like amped-up coloring because they get to do it at bath time!
- Food dye normally washes away easily because of the combination with the soap, but if you're concerned about your tub getting discolored, use specialty soap dye.
- You could combine the bath crayons with a hooded towel and other bath toys to make a gift basket.
- Materials needed: glycerin, food or soap dyes, and molds.
- Repurpose scraps of wood into "food boxes" for creative play time. Paint a block of wood red, blue, yellow, or green, depending on what food item you're mimicking. Search online for downloadable and printable labels, and then glue them onto the block once the paint is dry. For example, you could paint a block of wood dark blue and then print a label for macaroni and cheese.[3]
- For extra adhesive that'll keep that label in place for longer, use Mod Podge.
- If you don't have scrap wood at home, you could ask someone who has a wood shop to donate scraps to you.
- Your child can use these blocks to play "grocery store," "kitchen," or "restaurant" along with other food-themed toys they might have.
- Materials needed: wooden blocks, paint, printed food labels, a paintbrush, and glue or Mod Podge.
- Stuff and sew a felt alphabet. Use different colored felts to cut out 2 sets of the entire alphabet, 1 set for the front and 1 set for the back. Stitch the corresponding letters together, leaving a small opening. Stuff pillow or craft stuffing into the hole until the letter is full, then sew up the opening. You can make the letters different colors and sizes, and you could even use differently colored threads to make the letters more colorful and vibrant.[4]
- If you don't want to freehand the letters, print off large letters to trace onto the felt.
- You can use the letters to help them learn the alphabet and how to spell their name.
- Materials needed: felt, scissors, needle, thread, and pillow or craft stuffing.
EditCrafting Gifts for Your Grade-Schooler - Make a personalized apron for a kid who loves to cook. You can use a tea towel, old jeans, or thrifted fabric to make an apron. Find a pattern online to follow, and use your sewing machine to make an apron that ties around the back and around the neck. Consider embroidering the kid's name onto the apron for an even more personalized gift.[5]
- You do need to have some familiarity with a sewing machine in order to make this gift.
- Materials needed: scissors, a sewing machine, a dishtowel (or other fabric), ribbon, and safety pins.
- Create a slime pack for a fun, cheap gift. There are tons of different slime recipes online that you can use. Generally, you're going to mix together borax, water, and food coloring. Make different colored slimes, make slimes that have little bits of confetti mixed into them, or even make glow-in-the-dark slime. Store the slime in plastic containers.[6]
- Make sure the child you are gifting the slime to is old enough to understand that they can't eat the slime, as it can be toxic when consumed.
- Materials needed: Borax, water, food coloring, bowls, and plastic containers.
- Build a mini bowling set that can be used at home. Save up 10 empty plastic soda or water bottles. Remove their labels, decorate them with paint, and fill them with sand. You could even paint all the bottles to be different characters from one of their favorite shows, or make them themed, like magic, sports, or music.[7]
- You may need to buy a mini-bowling ball online or at the store—they sell ones specifically for this purpose! If you can't find one you like, you could even use a baseball that you paint to match the bottles.
- Materials needed: 10 plastic bottles, paint, a paint brush, and sand.
- Write out compliment or encouragement cards for a year-round gift. This can be done in a lot of different ways—you could prepare 52 notes to give to the child so they have 1 to open each week for an entire year. You could also mail 1 card per week so they get to experience opening their own mail. For the cards, feel free to decorate them with stickers, different colored markers, or even add some glitter. Write down what makes them special or different encouraging quotes.
- For example, you could give a compliment card that says something like, "You are such a great older sibling, and you do such a good job helping your mom and dad around the house." Try to be as specific as possible.
- Materials needed: paper, envelopes, stamps (optional), stickers, markers, glitter, and other crafting materials.
EditCreating Gifts for Your Teenager - Design personalized pillow cases for your teen. Does your teen have something they are obsessed with, like a band or a TV show? You could even use one of their favorite quotes or funny sayings. Get some inexpensive white pillow cases online or from a crafting store, and then use fabric markers to draw, write, and design a custom pillow case. Let the ink dry, then iron the pillow case to set in the design (check the fabric markers instructions first!).[8]
- Materials needed: pillow cases (preferably white), fabric markers, and an iron and ironing board.
- Make a personalized sharpie coffee mug for a unique gift. Use a plain white mug and oil-based permanent markers for the best results. Draw a design or write a cool quote on the mug (practice beforehand on a piece of paper if you need to!). Let the design dry, then heat the mug in the oven for 20-30 minutes at . Once the time is up, remove it from the stove and leave it alone on the counter overnight, and then it's ready to go![9]
- Wash sharpie mugs by hand only—don't put them into the washing machine or you could ruin the design!
- Be careful when taking the mug out of the oven and remember to use oven mitts.
- Materials needed: white coffee mug, oil-based permanent markers, and an oven.
- Create a coupon book filled with special activities or allowances. Use stock paper to write out some fun activities, like staying out past curfew or getting to skip chores for one week. Put one item on each piece of paper. Staple the coupons together or punch holes in them and tie them together with a ribbon, and create a fun cover for the booklet before giving it to the teen.[10]
- You could even create your coupons online for a more authentic looking booklet. Search for "coupon template" for different printable options.
- Other ideas for coupons: trip to get ice cream or coffee, movie date, sleepover, manicure, new video game, trip to an amusement park, bowling.
- Materials needed: stock paper, stapler or ribbon, markers, and pens.
- Make a scrapbook for your teen for when they graduate from school. Include family and friend photos. Insert programs from activities they participated in, like sports or plays. Write captions on each page, or even include a few journal entries or paragraphs about your child and how they've grown over the years.[11]
- This could be a project you work on annually, adding to it each year as your child makes their way from middle to high school, and then to graduation. In a world where most photos are stored online, having a physical book with memories can be a really meaningful gift.
- Materials needed: a scrapbook, pictures, scissors, adhesives, stickers, stamps, markers, pens, and card stock.
- Assemble a gift basket full of your teen's favorite things. Choose a vessel to put the gifts in, like a pretty basket, a storage tote, or a purse or backpack. Choose items along a similar theme, like spa day, movie night, book club, or sports team. Visit thrift stores and dollar stores to find fun items to fill it up.[12]
- If you're trying to be frugal, set yourself a dollar limit, like $20, and see how many fun items you can find within that price range.
- You could also put baked treats or homemade snacks into the basket.
- Materials needed: a decorative basket and themed gift items.
- Another fun idea is to take the child to a pottery painting store. You can both paint something together that the child can keep as a keepsake.
- If you paint or draw, you could create something specifically for the child.
- Try to lean into your strengths—if there is a skill you have, try to use it to make a homemade gift.
EditSources and Citations
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| How to Zest an Orange Without a Zester Posted: 17 Dec 2018 12:00 AM PST If you want to incorporate flavorful orange zest into your favorite recipes but don't have a zester on hand, you can use a grater or a vegetable peeler and a sharp paring knife to get the job done. The grater method is self-explanatory—simply run the orange over the smallest set of slots on the grater to shave off the colorful peel. For the peeler-and-knife method, you'll need to take off thin slices of the peel, then mince them by hand to reduce them to the correct size. EditZesting an Orange with a Grater - Wash the orange with warm water before you begin handling the peel. Rinse the orange under the faucet for a few seconds, using your fingers to gently wipe away any traces of dirt or waxy residue. If not properly removed, these substances could interfere with the flavor of the zest. Once your orange is nice and clean, pat it dry with an absorbent towel.[1]
- Don't forget to remove any stickers that happen to be clinging to the outside of the orange.
- Find the smallest set of slots on the grater. Most box graters have multiple sets of holes in various sizes. To zest an orange, you'll want to identify which face of the grater has the narrowest holes and use it as your grating surface. That way, you can ensure that the peel pieces come out the correct size.[2]
- On a typical box grater, the smallest holes tend to be on one of the sides rather than the broad front or back faces.
- Even with the smallest set of holes, your zest may turn out slightly larger than if you had used a microplane or zester. However, this shouldn't affect its flavor or usefulness in your favorite recipes.
- Set out a shallow bowl to collect the zest as you grate. A mixing bowl with a wide opening will work best, but you can also use an ordinary serving bowl. Putting a bowl down will make the grating process more efficient and leave you with less of a mess to clean up when you're done.
- If you don't have a suitable bowl handy, your next best bet is a small plate with upturned sides that will help catch the zest as it falls.[3]
- Hold the orange in your dominant hand and the grater in the other. If your bowl is big enough, you can set the grater on the bottom and grate right inside the bowl to keep pieces of peel from getting everywhere. Otherwise, you'll need to hold the grater over the top of the bowl and do your best to keep it centered while you work.[4]
- Tilt the grater at a 45-degree angle to make it easier for the zest to pass through the slots.[5]
- When using a grater, the grating action comes almost entirely from the hand holding the food. Your other hand is just there to keep the grater steady.
- Run the orange back and forth lightly over the face of the grater. Apply just enough pressure for the sharp edges of the grater holes to bite into the peel and take it off in small bits. Continue grating until the colorful part of the peel is gone and the white pith is visible underneath. Then, rotate the orange and repeat until you have as much zest as you need.[6]
- Avoid grating too forcefully. Doing so could cause the orange to get hung up on the grater, or cut too deeply down to the pith. The pith tends to have a bitter, unpleasant taste, so you want to avoid letting too much find its way into the dish you're preparing.
- Tap the grater against the edge of the bowl a few times to dislodge any zest that's stuck in the slots.[7]
- Keep your fingers a safe distance away from the sharp slots while you work. It can be easy to accidentally drag your knuckles across the grater if you're not careful!
EditUsing a Vegetable Peeler and Paring Knife - Rinse and dry the orange to remove any traces of dirt or wax. Run the orange under a stream of warm water, turning it slowly to make sure the water touches every part of the fruit. Rub off areas of heavy buildup by hand. Afterwards, dry the orange thoroughly with an absorbent towel.[8]
- Take thin slices of the orange peel using a vegetable peeler. Drag the blade of the peeler down the side of the orange, making sure you bear down hard enough for it to work its way under the peel. After peeling one section of the fruit, turn it in your hand and shave another slice from the section beside it.[9]
- Try to scrape away as much of the peel as you can from top to bottom, but avoid cutting down to the bitter white pith.[10]
- Since you'll be peeling the orange first and then turning it into zest manually, knowing exactly how much peel to use in order to get a certain amount of zest may require a little bit of trial and error.
- Cut the peel slices into strips with a paring knife. Line the slices up on your cutting board and run the blade of your paring knife over them lengthwise. Try to make each strip as thin as possible, but take your time and work carefully to avoid accidents.[11]
- You'll be using very fine movements to julienne the orange peel, so be careful not to let your fingers get in the way of the blade!
- Mince the strips into tiny pieces. Once you've julienned your orange peel into strips, turn them widthwise and cut them straight across. As you did with your first round of cuts, aim to make each piece as small as possible. You're basically doing the same thing a zester does, only by hand.[12]
- If you plan on using your orange zest to garnish a cocktail or make citrus-infused oils or syrups, simply leave it in strips rather than mincing it.
- Rock the blade of your knife over the minced peel to finish the zest. Hold the handle of the knife in one hand and use the other to grip the back of the blade towards the tip. Then, raise and lower one end of the blade and then the other with a see-sawing motion to chop the peel even smaller. Focus on pieces that are slightly larger than those around them.[13]
- Change up the angle of your cuts every few seconds to make sure your zest comes out with a uniform consistency.
- Use your finger to (cautiously) scrape any usable bits of zest off the blade when you're done.
- These methods can also be used to take zest from lemons, limes, and other varieties of citrus when you find yourself without a zester.
- Always pick out ripe oranges to ensure that the peel contains a high concentration of flavorful oils.
- Use your orange zest to add bold citrusy notes to cakes, cookies, sauces, cocktails, and any number of other sweet and savory recipes.
EditThings You'll Need EditZesting an Orange with a Grater - Box grater
- Small bowl or plate
- Absorbent towel
- Flexible cutting mat (optional)
- Aluminum foil (optional)
EditUsing a Vegetable Peeler and Paring Knife - Vegetable peeler
- Sharp paring knife
- Cutting board
- Small bowl or plate
- Absorbent towel
EditSources and Citations
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