Tailgate Barbeque Ideas for a Great Party

Every other month the girls from my High School (Auburn Trojans, Auburn, WA) get together to have a dinner and party and white elephant gift exchange with different themes. My month is September and for hosting a fun and exciting party I've decided to use a football tailgating theme for my friends. In this article I will cover the following:

• Decorations

• White Elephant Exchange Directions and Ideas

• Food

• Music

In order to set the mood some decorations are in order. Since I live in Washington our state's football team is the Seattle Seahawks. The Seahawks are actually 3 for 3 of their before season games so I'm going to use them as the main theme for my decorations. The colors for the Seahawks are green and blue so I'm going to use a few of my son's football jerseys and hang them on the walls and door to the guest bathroom. To give a boost of color without spending a lot of money I'm going to go to the Dollar Tree and purchase blue and green balloon bouquets and place them around the house to give some height and fun color. I'll also buy a few Mylar balloons that are footballs. For outside decorations 4 footballs wrapped together around my light post gives some drama for game time. My personal outfit is also a black and white referee shirt with of course my whistle attached to keep the guests inline.

A white elephant gift exchange is a great time for everyone and one of those types of games that don't need a "reason." It's best to encourage guests to keep it to a $10 limit so that everyone can afford to participate. Choose a theme that makes it easy for everyone to get into the spirit. For this particular party I'm choosing "Welcoming in Fall." Some ideas to fit this theme would be fall scented candles, fall accessories, fall plants, etc.

Food should be easy just like at a real tailgate party. I'm supplying burgers and having guests bring condiments, appetizers, and desserts. Be sure to use your grill to cook up the burgers rain or shine!

Sodas, chips, beer, pretzels and other football watching snacks should be placed around the room on end tables for spontaneous munching.

Music should be upbeat and fun but low enough that guests can still converse. Top 40, Sport Jams mixes, and a little R&B will bode well with your guests. If your home team has a theme song, start off the food line with a song like "Let's Get Ready to Rumble."

It doesn't take a lot of time or money to put together a fabulous tailgating themed party for your friends or family. Just focus on the basics and include a game to bring everyone together and involve even those that may be the usual wall flower.