OVER THE TOP NEW YEAR’S EVE PARTY IDEAS – Countdown to 2020!
In today’s post I’m wrapping up the ultimate “over-the-top” New Year’s Eve Party Ideas series. Below you’ll find more great inspiration for your party decor and some of my professional catering tips.
I’ve also included an Easy New Year’s Eve Downloadable Garland project for under $3.00! It only takes a few hours of time and a B/W printer. Voila!
I hope you’ve been keeping up with the Over-the-Top New Year’s Eve Ideas posts, Part One and Two!
They’re jam packed with ideas, tips, projects and recipes to ensure your New Year’s Eve celebration is a raging success!
YOUR PARTY “MISHAP” EMERGENCY KIT
Here’s on of my favorite New Year’s Eve Party Ideas. When I throw a party I always have my “party emergency kit” nearby. It’s nothing elaborate, but it comes in handy when a guest has a mishap that needs attention. Once you put one together, you’ll have it ready for all your gatherings. 
Here’s my list of suggested items to stock inside your emergency kit:
- Rug stain remover spray
- Clean sponge
- White cotton towel
- Salt
- Club Soda
- Wine-Away (specialty wine remover)]
- Laundry stain remover stick
- Bottled water
Your party emergency kit simply needs to be refreshed as needed. Make sure your towel and sponge are clean before your next party, and you’re good to go!
I chose a cute basket that I decorated with ribbons I used elsewhere in my party decor. Rolling and decorating the white towel with the same ribbons on the TRUFFLED POPCORN display is a nice touch too.
EASY NEW YEAR’S EVE DOWNLOADABLE GARLAND FOR UNDER $3.00!
Download and print on any color glossy or metallic card stock that matches your party’s theme! Takes under two hours to print, cut, assemble and hang!
Here’s the instructions for this fun and easy project for my New Year’s Eve Downloadable Garland. Just choose what color(s) of glossy or satin card stock you want to use and get started! (the letter outlines are in black, so no color printer is needed for this project)
- Choose the color(s) of card stock you want to use for your garland. You can choose all one color or alternate between 3 colors. (2 looks a bit hokey!)
- Decide what you will use to hang the garland. I used thin black twine, but you could use ribbon, rope or any alternative that matches your theme.
- Download, print and cut out the letters and whatever stars you wish to use. Once your garland is
printed, you can lay it on the floor in the order that pleases you. Perhaps you want more stars? Just print another star page, cut out and you’re ready to go. - Once you’re pleased with your garland, measure out the hanging material of your choice. Measure your garland’s length and add 16 inches for tying a knot at each end and hanging.
- Thread the twine or rope through the letters from the front to the back. This allows you to have the long lengths of string in back of the letters.
- Tie a knot at each end, making it as close as you can to your last cut-out.
- Hang your banner and get ready to party!
NAN’S TIP: Using an X-acto type knife with a self-healing mat made quick and easy work of this project. I did use scissors to cut out a few letters and stars for my New Year’s Eve Downloadable Garland, though. It took a bit longer, but was still super easy.
This is one of the “over-the-top” New Year’s Eve Party Ideas that is both easy and inexpensive. I put together the whole New Year’s Eve Downloadable Garland in just a few hours and spent under $3.00 ($2.86, to be exact!)
Click the New Year’s Eve Downloadable Garland cover image to download your FREE PDF today! You’re just a few hours away from having a party-ready New Year’s Eve banner.
NYE IN CARTEGENA, COLUMBIA GETS A LITTLE “KINKY”
This is the last of the “quirky New Year’s Eve Traditions” I’m featuring, and it’s a little kinky.
Historic Categena on Columbia’s Caribbean coast is a beautiful choice for New Year’s Eve. It’s comes with palm trees, white sandy beaches, fireworks and bright yellow underwear!
If you’re traveling to any country in South or Central America during the holidays, make sure you pack some brightly colored undies. In a number of these countries, wearing yellow or red underwear on New Year’s Eve can increase your chances to find luck or love during the new year. Yellow is the real favorite here, so if you forget yours, no worries, even the street vendors sell them!
OVER THE TOP NEW YEAR’S EVE PARTY IDEAS GALLERY:
- Decorating your party venue with candles – use holiday decorations, assorted greenery, jingle bells, crystals, etc. to make your candleholders more festive and fun. I also used some grosgrain ribbon hot-glued on some pillar candles to give them “stylish stripes”.
- How to creatively display your flatware and plates – display your paper/plastic or plates and flatware in creative ways to help your guests serve themselves
- Sheik Glittered Champagne Bottles (to pour and/or display) – tape off the top portion of your champagne bottles and give them a few coats of glitter or frosty spray paint to liven up your Ultimate Holiday Bar Cart.
ARE YOU A PARTY ANIMAL? HERE’S SOME PRO TIPS FOR THROWING A FABULOUS PARTY
Want to know how to add the “cocktail napkins twist” or “taming the leftovers” monster to your hosting repertoire? I’ve shared some of my favorite PRO PARTY TIPS from my years of professional catering!
UP YOUR HOSTESS GAME FOR NEW YEAR’S EVE with my FREE 3-page PDF DOWNLOAD.
Click the image to download your 11 Pro Tips For A Fabulous Party PDF
NOT TOASTING AT MIDNIGHT? Why not revive the tradition of “the nightcap” instead!
According to “the source“, that is Wikipedia, a nightcap is an alcoholic beverage consumed right before bed. Typically it’s of a higher alcohol content than what might have been enjoyed earlier in the evening.
Since my guests will be making their way home afterwards, I’m keeping my nightcap on the lower end of potency.
I’m really liking this idea for New Year’s. It takes the pressure off of the host to get everyone a drink in their hands simultaneously. Can you spell S-T-R-E-S-S? Unless you’ve got lots of “helpers” among your friends, this can be a fabulous substitute.
A nightcap is meant to end the evening with a warm, cozy ambiance. What better way to greet the cold trip home in these chilly winter months. (Obviously, your guests won’t be leaving as soon as they finish their drinks!)
A FEW “RULES” FOR SERVING A NIGHTCAP TO YOUR GUESTS:
- Give your guests a little break from alcohol towards the end of the evening; circulate with a tray of sparkling waters and fruit juice spritzers to help cleanse their palates
- A nightcap should be a one-off, not “one more” of whatever you and your guests are drinking
- Set your last drink apart and pick something special, something to savor at the end of a fabulous night
- A nightcap should also be brown (it’s just one of those rules). So this Big Batch Chocolate Brandy Alexander Cocktail recipe certainly fits the bill!
- As a rule, a nightcap shouldn’t stray too far from what was served throughout the party. It should bring them together and offer a fitting, not a dissonant conclusion.
- Perhaps most important, a nightcap should be warming. Part of the allure of a whiskey or brandy imbued libation is a warmth at the back of the throat. After the initial burn subsides, only a soothing comfort remains.
TWO PERFECT COCKTAILS TO OFFER AS A NEW YEAR’S “NIGHTCAP”
BIG BATCH CHOCOLATE BRANDY ALEXANDER COCKTAILS
Serving this Big Batch Chocolate Brandy Alexander Cocktail recipe as a nightcap on New Year’s Eve is both stylish and tasty! Why not end your New Year’s Eve celebration with a nightcap worthy of “the last drink of the night” status?
You can read the post and get the recipe here: Big Batch Chocolate Brandy Alexander Cocktail
SPIRITED HOT COCOA WITH CHOCOLATE WHIPPED CREAM
Spirited Hot Cocoa with Chocolate Whipped Cream is one of the decadent luxuries we should allow ourselves once in awhile. And the perfect time for indulging is New Year’s Eve, isn’t it?
Here’s the link for the recipe for this fabulous taste treat: Spirited Hot Cocoa with Chocolate Whipped Cream
Let’s start this new year off with a bang, shall we? Get your party animal on and try some of my fabulous Over-the-Top New Year’s Eve Party Ideas yourself!
WISHING YOU ALL A VERY HAPPY NEW YEAR!
Thanks so much to my Ingredients For A Fabulous Life Subscribers! You’ve made my inaugural year and launch a resounding success. I am sincerely grateful for all your support and look forward to sharing an amazing 2020 with you, my loyal community.
NAN’S 2020 PERSONAL GOAL:
My goal is to help you “raise the bar on life, one post at a time”…
Please let me know in the comments below or at The Fab Life Facebook Group how I can bring you more of what you want in 2020!
Your feedback and suggestions are my best tool to create the content that is most important to your life and needs. Give it some thought and drop me a line!
THANKS AGAIN FOR YOUR CONTINUED SUPPORT – YOU’RE ALL FABULOUS!
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