Countdown to Hosting Your New Year's Eve Party: Ideas for Festive Favors
As 2015 winds down and Christmas is around the corner, it's almost time to start thinking about how to ring in 2016. If you're like me, some of my best New Year's Eves have been spent celebrating at home rather than standing in line outside of a crowded bar that charges a cover one night of the year.
Although Chris and I aren't sure what this year's New Year's Eve will entail this year, here are some ideas for those throwing a shindig at home.
First up is champagne! What's a New Year's Eve party without the toast at midnight? If you have champagne flutes, pull them out and dust those babies off! If you don't, you've got some good, reasonably priced options. Last year, I snatched up 8 at Target for $1 a piece. If you don't want to keep them around, they can be a fun favor for guests to take home. I opted to keep them around for future celebrations with larger groups.
To make them more festive, I found some clock clip-art online and arranged several of them on one Word document. To make them a little more rustic, Chris printed them on an ivory cardstock for me and then I cut them out. Using a individual hole-punch, I clipped a hole in each one and tied them around the glasses with twine. I got some paper straws from Target and found chalkboard flags in the Dollar Spot that I wrote 2015 on and then wrapped around the straws.
To display the glassware, I pulled out an antique gold mirrored tray I bought for less than $10 at a vintage shop. Next the tray, I put some "Cheers" cocktail napkins that were a couple dollars at Home Goods.
What goes with the champagne? The midnight kiss of course! As a fun party favor, we put together tic-tacs with these super cute printables over the top of the labels. 2016 versions are available from Infinitely Creative. I got the tic-tacs on clearance after Christmas in the stocking stuffer candy section of Target. You can also usually find them near checkouts, but those may not be on post-holiday sale. For assembly, just use a color printer, cut out, and tape or glue on. Easy peasy (especially when you have someone helping assemble!). Another cute idea I saw was bagging up some Hershey kisses and adding a free "Midnight" printable.
No New Year's party would be complete without hats and noise-makers. We snagged a variety pack box that matched the black and gold theme at Walgreens. To pull the entire table together, I used a black tablecloth and had disposible gold-rimmed placemats (Target holiday clearance). And, just like that, you've got a festive party table for your guests:
Cheap Party Planning Pro Tip: Check holiday clearance sections after Christmas for things that can be used all year long. For example, I snatched up gold placemats, chalkboard flags, some other tags for wine bottles, and more for only a few dollars total!