Great Ideas for a New Year's Celebration at Home

What are you doing on New Year's Eve? As the chorus of a favorite holiday song reminds us, it'll soon be time to make plans for New Year's Eve 2008. Despite the hype from hotels and restaurants there are options for those who want to avoid a flashy and expensive evening on the town. Consider the five ideas below and start a new New Year's tradition with a fun theme party at home!

Wine & Cheese Party

Best for a gathering of adults, ask your guests to bring wines from different regions, gather an interesting cheese and a crispy baguette and you're ready to go. Once guests arrive transfer the wines to decanters and label them with letters or numbers and then conduct a wine tasting to guess what wines are from what regions. In the end the person with the higest number of correct guesses can win a bottle of wine or wine accessories. It is also fun to get a book on wine from the library or book store so you can share info on each region as you taste.

Game Night

Consider ringing the new year in with some spirited competition. Invite friends and family over and ask each group to bring their favorite game. Set up stations of games, disperse lots of snacks and rotate from game to game every 10 - 15 minutes. This is an idea that is equally good for adults and children. Learn new games, watch New Year's Eve fesitivites on TV and crown 2008's game night champion at midnight.

Best Recipes of '08 Gathering

The popularity of cooking classes and celebrity chefs means that most of us have tried at least one new recipe in 2008. Think about hosting a New Year's cook off to ring in 2009 and ask your guests to cook their favorite recipe of the last year for a gourmet potluck dinner. Each guest can try the new dishes and collect recipes so they have something great to cook in the new year.

Movie of the Year Party

You don't need to wait until award season to decide on the best movie of the year. Contact your guests and ask them to generate submissions for the best movies of the year. Pick the top three or four movies and have everyone over to screen them. You can make a variety of flavored popcorn and serve movie candy and snacks to set the mood. As the last movie concludes around midnight poll the audience for their favorite flick of '08.

In-home Spa and Pamper Party

An in-home spa and pamper party is a great way to enjoy relaxing spa treatments without the expense. Start the new year looking good by inviting friends to bring supplies and their favorite beauty tips to share with guests, anything from a favorite color of nail polish to a home made scrub will work. Set up stations and let everyone move from one spa treatment to another. This party is best for women but will work for all age groups younger girls to seasoned moms.

There are so many fun and interesting ways to ring in the new year at home; think about what your guests enjoy and build your own interesting theme or choose from one of the five ideas above and let 2009 find you surrounded by loved ones and having fun!