Thank you to the Chinet® brand for sponsoring this post.
It’s the last party of the year, so let’s do it right! With these New Year’s Eve party hacks, which include using elegant Chinet® Cut Crystal® products, you’ll be able to ring in the new year stress free.
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By the time New Year’s Eve rolls around, my hostess-with-the-mostest persona is worn out. Halloween through Christmas is a whirlwind of parties and activities. The kids have been out of school for over a week, and I’m beat. Alas, hibernation is not an option.
Instead, it’s time to brush myself off and get ready for one final shindig of the year and an awesome start for the one ahead. And let’s be honest… any opportunity to wear sequins and drink champagne is a-ok in my book.
Are you hosting this New Year’s Eve? I’ve been there… countless times! And there’s no need to stress. Bringing the glitz and glamour without endless hours in the kitchen before and after the party is possible, with these simple New Year’s Eve Party Hacks!
Party Hack #1: Go Disposable
For New Year’s Eve it’s all about The Chinet Cut Crystal collection. The Chinet Cut Crystal collection is the only fully coordinated line of disposable tableware, making serving and cleanup easy so you can spend more time with friends, family, and guests —just toss when done! Not to mention it coordinates with any tablescape you can come up with.
Chinet Cut Crystal cutlery comes in a “host-ready” container, perfect for convenient serving and storage, and all of the products are not only stylish, but sturdy and durable, decreasing the likelihood of getting red sauce or wine on your couch!
Party Hack #2: Pick Potluck OR BYOB
You can’t ask your guests to bring everything (I mean you can, but they might not come!). Instead, pick either food OR drinks and ask for help. If you want to have help with the booze, ask each guest to bring a bottle of wine or a six pack to share. Feel free to assign whites and reds or types of beer to make sure you get a good range. Trust me, guests will be glad that you are ensuring there’s a good range of beverages available.
If you’d rather take a break from the kitchen, provide the booze, but go potluck. Ask guests to bring elegant sides – if they need ideas, suggest cheese trays, sushi platters, dips, desserts… anything that can be nibbled on. Be prepared when guests arrive by having plenty of cleared counter space and serving utensils at the ready. I also like to leave out place cards for guests to describe the dish they brought – either to identify different ingredients and sauces or to indicate allergens.
Party Hack #3: Have a Signature Drink
Regardless of whether or not I request guests to bring a beverage with them, I always have a Signature Drink for cocktail parties. Why? Because it gets me out of setting up a full bar! Punches are perfect, but you can also do individual cocktails. Set out a placard with directions and a tray with cocktail ingredients for guests to make their own drink on the fly.
Party Hack #4: Low Lighting is Your Friend
Nothing ruins a party like bright lights! This is the chance to use those candles you got for Christmas and to bust out the twinkle lights. Place candles in hurricane globes throughout the rooms you plan to entertain in. Use lamps, but keep overhead lights to a minimum. If you have twinkle lights or extra white holiday lighting, drape them from the ceiling or gather them around your tablescape to set the perfect mood.
Party Hack #5: Have a Playlist Ready
Not a DJ? Assign this task to a friend. Even better? Asks guests to RSVP and indicate their favorite party music station on Pandora or Apple Music. By now, most are done with the holiday music! You can have the stations ready to go and hit shuffle once your guests arrive.
Party Hack #6: Decorate with What You Have
I’ve been doing a lot of wine-focused travel as of late, and one thing I learned is you should enjoy local wine with local food. I like to employ a similar concept when entertaining. I pull in greenery (and flowers) when available from the backyard to decorate tables and to fill vases before a party. Even bare branches look fabulous draped in twinkle lights! I also like to use kraft paper for runners and tablecloths. Not only is it effortlessly chic, but you can also place sharpies out so you can label food or allow guests to doodle.
Party Hack #7: Create an Event Hashtag
I know, I know. Cheesy? Maybe. But there’s no better way to track down photos for your event. Write it out on your kraft paper table runners or put a sign on the front door to welcome guests with the hashtag. Remember to keep it unique, and funny always helps. If you want to encourage photos, get some photo props from Etsy or create a backdrop to encourage photo-taking.
Party Hack #8: Empty out your Fridge
Before guests come, be sure to have plenty of refrigerator space at the ready. If you have a backup fridge, relocate anything not needed for your party there so your guests don’t have to trek out into the garage for food refills and drink supplies. If you don’t have an extra fridge, use coolers for your day-to-day fridge items and keep your refrigerator available for food items and party drinks.
Party Hack #9: Have To-Go Containers Ready
You can’t eat all of the leftovers, you just can’t. Especially if you aim to stick to your New Year’s resolutions past the first day of the year. I like to keep aluminum takeaway containers (like you’d get from a restaurant) on hand at all times and they come in so handy— it’s a habit of the food blogger job . As guests leave, give them a sampling of leftovers to take home with them (along with any serving dishes or utensils they brought if you hosted a potluck).
Ready to party? You can buy the Chinet® brand at most major grocers and big-box retailers, with select products now available at Target.
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I was selected for this opportunity as a member of CLEVER and the content and opinions expressed here are all my own. Chinet® and Cut Crystal™ are registered trademarks of Huhtamaki, Inc. in the U.S. and other countries.
Thanks for sharing this wonderful ideas. But painful I am far away from home this new year would have really been fun with my family.