PARTIES!
This page includes themes and activities for ten great parties, as well as a delicious recipe.
There are three reasons people most often give parties: to honor someone on the occasion of a birthday, anniversary, or milestone; to commemorate a holiday or event; or to simply enjoy fun, food, and fellowship.
When preparing for a special occasion, we often think about cleaning and decorating our homes, preparing refreshments, and choosing gifts, but many celebrations would be much more special with some structure. When we want to determine whether a celebration will be meaningful, we ask ourselves if it is “generic.” Would the party do just as well for any other event or be just as appropriate for any other person? What can we do to specifically honor the day or the celebrant? We try to be intentional, to plan at least one activity or feature that fosters the purpose of the event.
Sometimes it might be appropriate to have someone give or read a blessing– for a new home, new baby, a graduate, someone beginning a new ministry or moving away, or at party following a baby dedication or a baptism. Guests might be asked to share memories or give words of encouragement. These can be recorded on cards, in a journal, on a timeline posted on a wall, or in audio or video recordings.
A 60th Birthday Tea ~ Each guest had a card with a quote to read & a card on which to write a message.
Music can also make an occasion special. Listen to the same romantic album every year on your anniversary or play music from the era of the honoree’s birth. You might make an event special by incorporating live music– It doesn’t have to be professional and expensive. Can you get a small group of talented teenagers to perform? Or ask a few members of your church choir to serenade an honored guest?
For Kathy’s dad’s 80th birthday, a group of local musicians who usually play at our town’s Farmer’s Market provided Blue Grass music that fit the theme of our country party. For souvenirs we made old-fashioned fans with pictures of dad from different eras of his life.
Kathy’s mother came from country roots too, but she also loves formality. We wanted the celebration for her 80th birthday to honor her~ She is a creative seamstress, an antiques dealer, and a writer of poetry. We found a beautiful church in which to hold an old-fashioned ice-cream social, which allowed her to dress up and us to make use of her antique linens and silverware. The party included a slide show history of her life and a sing-a-long with songs from her era. Little booklets of mom’s poetry were distributed to guests as souvenirs.
Think back on a party that you particularly enjoyed. What made it special? Not all parties are in honor of specific people or events. Some are simply an occasion to enjoy fun, food, and fellowship, but even those can have a purpose.
TEN PARTIES
Each of the ten parties described below is designed to help people to get to know each other better and have fun on a very minimal budget. (Don’t let finances prohibit hospitality~ Most people are very happy to share the responsibility of providing refreshments and other resources.)
PICTURE SHOW
Invite each guest or family member to e-mail you about a dozen digital pictures. They can be from vacations, childhood, college days, or special events like a wedding. Put together a slide show using a program like Power Point or iPhoto and show it at the party by connecting your computer to a TV. The guests can talk about the pictures as you show them.
MUSIC NIGHT
Ask a friend who plays guitar or piano to lead a sing-a-long. Depending on the time of year/age/interest of your guests, you can sing famous Oldies, tunes from Broadway musicals, Gospel songs, or Christmas carols. Or if at least some of your friends are extroverts, borrow a karaoke machine, go to www.karaokeanywhere.net., or purchase a Karaoke Anywhere app on iTunes. (Plug your device right into your TV ~ Fifty songs are free from both the Apple Store and the Android Market.)
PROGRESSIVE DINNER
Organize friends from your neighborhood, condo/apartment building, church, or MOPS group to host a progressive dinner at three or four homes. Guests can help hosts provide appetizers, soups or salads, a main course, and dessert. During each course, have a different question for discussion. Some examples are: “What are you ‘a natural’ at doing?” “What is something you’ve always wanted to try, but still haven’t?” “What is the most surprising thing that has happened in your life in the last decade?”
PROJECT PARTY
Accomplish a goal while having fun and getting to know people better. Make sure everyone works with at least one other person and have lots of good food available before, during, and/or after the work time. Suggestions for projects:
A work day at the home of a friend, family member, senior citizen, or someone in need~ Washing windows, cleaning out a basement, painting rooms & furniture, weeding, and washing patio furniture are some possible projects.)
Create cards and/or “care packages” to send to servicemen, students, or missionaries away from home.
Offer lessons in an area of expertise~ cooking, a craft such as stamping or scrapbooking, finessing Facebook, dancing, gardening, etc.
TRADING PARTY
Choose a category of items and ask your guests to bring things that they no longer want or need. These could be books, women’s or children’s clothing or accessories, crafting supplies, games & toys, or white elephants. Put them on display and let everyone look over the “merchandise” while they have snacks and socialize. After that, give each guest an equal amount of play money, then conduct an auction to “sell” everything. Modeling and/or demonstrating the items will add to the fun.
SPORTS PARTY
Invite your guests to go hiking, biking, skiing, sledding, ice-skating, roller-skating, bowling, kite-flying, swimming, volleyball, croquet, races, etc. Have food on site or meet at your home before or afterward for pizza, hot chocolate, or other goodies. You may need to check out options for locations, reservations, and equipment rentals.
UGLY SOMETHING PARTY
You can choose ugly sweaters, hats, socks, or t-shirts. Roll out a paper runway, then have a fashion show, complete with commentary. The more hamming it up, the better. Make sure you take lots of photos~ and share them on Facebook! You can have people come wearing their “ugly” things or buy plain sweaters, socks, hats, or t-shirts at second-hand or dollar stores and let guests uglify them using fabric markers and fabric glue & pins to attach faux gems, fabric cut-outs, pom-poms, etc.
COOK-OFF
Invite several of your guests to cook up their best batch of chili, barbecued ribs, or spaghetti sauce. Have a blind taste test contest, awarding the winner with a special cook’s apron to wear. (You can buy a plain apron at a craft store like Michael’s and either decorate it yourself with the event, date, etc. or let the guests sign & write comments on it. Needless to say, guests will eat the samples. You may wish to ask non-competing guests to bring side dishes, drinks, and desserts.
GAME SHOW PARTY
Choose your favorite TV game show to recreate at home. Check out http://entertainmentguide.local.com/game-show-party-decorations-4074.html for suggestions for your own Jeopardy, Wheel of Fortune, or The Price is Right party decorations.
GAME NIGHT
Prepare board or card games that all your guests can play together or in separate areas (at your kitchen and/or dining room tables, around the living room coffee table, etc.) and let them alternate games and groups during the evening. Rotate about every 30-45 minutes with at least one snack break.
Here are two ideas for Get Acquainted games you might want to start out with:
I’ve Done Something You Haven’t
Give your guests 25 pennies each, then have them introduce themselves and tell about something they have done that they doubt anyone else has. The speaker must give one of their pennies to each person who has also done whatever they named. After everyone has shared, the person with the most pennies is the winner. Ideas for the kinds of things that could be mentioned: Traveled to a third world country / Ridden in a helicopter / Stayed up reading until at least 3 a.m. / Done a solo voice or instrumental musical performance / Cooked a Julia Child recipe / Run a marathon or half-marathon / Stayed in a 1 star hotel. This game will inevitably result in the sharing of some interesting stories!
Two Truths & A Lie
Each guest prepares three statements, two of which are true and one of which is a lie. One at a time, each person shares his or her three statements with the entire group. The rest of the group votes on each statement, after which the person reveals which one is the lie. Whoever guesses the most statements correctly wins.
We hope you enjoy some great parties and that you’ll share YOUR party ideas on our Celebrations & Traditions Facebook page, Facebook.com/pages/Celebrations-Traditions.