New Years Traditions

Do you have a special New Years tradition that you enjoy every year? Mine is simple: I clean the house.

Last night, at 9pm, I looked at the Christmas tree with dread. The limbs drooped and the needles were parched. I couldn't take it! I had to get that thing out of my house!

So I removed the ornaments, untangled the lights, and drug the thing out of the living room pulling with all my force.  Through the back door I tugged the over sized tree through the narrow opening until it sprung to the other side leaving almost every last needle on my wooden floor.

Yes, most people like to keep their tree until after New Years. But, my New Years tradition includes a clean house with no left over projects from the previous year. So, the dreaded removal of the Christmas tree must be done.

Tomorrow, New Years Eve, I'll wake early to finish any last tasks. My reward: the New Years party! We gather at a neighbor's house and toast in the New Year with several friends. I'll wake the next morning with no tasks but to enjoy looking forward to keeping (and breaking) New Years resolutions.

Feel a little blue about taking down the Christmas tree? Sometimes, the house may seem a little empty without it. I purchase fresh flowers, and make arrangements of greenery (from my yard) to cheer my rooms.  Candles are kept handy and lit often for a joyful glow and refreshing scent that makes the cold month of January a little more warm.

Return to New Years Party Ideas

Fruitcake Time!

Fruitcake has gotten a really bad rap. There are almost as many jokes about fruitcake as there are jokes about mother-in-laws. Who gives these things at Christmas time anyway?

Well, it's time to admit it, I love fruitcake (and not just the one I'm married to!) But I didn't always like fruitcake. Until a few years ago, I had not even tasted fruitcake. But I knew from common knowledge to stay clear of it.

Then, one day my friend Alli showed up at my door with a Christmas gift: a fruitcake. What's this I thought? Alli is young, stylish, and has great taste...yet she makes fruitcakes for Christmas? There must be something to this. So - I tasted the fruitcake and was hooked. I couldn't wait to eat it again and was thrilled when she asked me to cook Christmas cakes with her this year.

We baked 12 fruitcakes yesterday and plan to make even more. She was kind enough to share the recipe. If you've never had fruitcake, try this recipe. It's out of the world and could convert anyone to a fruitcake eater!

When the cakes have cooled, wrap them tightly in foil and present them in a cake box, bread bag, or simply tie a bow around the foil wrapped cake.

Fruitcake Recipe (makes three bread size fruitcakes):
4 cups of sifted flour
1/2 teaspoon of baking powder

Wrap Fruitcake for Gifts

1 1/2 teaspoon salt
1 1/2 teaspoon of cinnamon
1 teaspoon of nutmeg
1 to 1 1/2 pound of pecans (whole)
3/4 pounds of chopped candied pinnapple
3/4 pounds of chopped candied cherries (reserve a few for decorating the top)
1 pound of golden raisins

For the batter:
1 cup of butter
2 1/4 cups of sugar
6 eggs
3 tablespoon of brandy extract, apricot brandy or spiced rum

Instructions:
Preheat the oven to 275 degrees farenheit.

Begin by mixing the flour, baking powder, salt, cinnamon, nutmeg, fruit and nuts in a large bowl. Mix well so that all the candied fruit is coated with flour.

Next, make the cream. In an electric mixer cream together the butter and sugar. Add the eggs one at a time followed by the brandy extract.

Pour the cream mixture over the dried fruit and flour mixture and combine completely by hand. It may be difficult to mix because it is a dense batter, but make sure the ingredients are evenly distributed.

Spray three foil bread pans with oil and coat with a thin dusting of flour. Distribute the batter between the three pans.  Bake for 2-1/2 to 3 hours. About 30 minutes before the fruitcake is done, brush the top with honey to produce a glossy shine.

Let the cake to cool completely and pour apricot brandy over the fruitcake allowing it to soak in. (This step is optional - I don't always do it.)

Wrap the cake tightly in foil and give it as a Christmas gift, or eat it immediately (like I do!)

Hope you enjoy this fruitcake recipes and all of the fun Christmas party ideas, games, and gift ideas on the site. Happy Holidays!

Ladies Gift Wrap Party

Do you stay up until midnight the night before Christmas frantically trying to get all the gifts wrapped, food prepared, extra surprises done just in time? Lots of us do!

A few years ago, I decided to make a change with a ladies get-together just for wrapping gifts. The idea was simple: take a chore and make it fun.

We morning of the party, we enjoy hot cider, coffee, and treats. I turn on the holiday music and light the fire. We all gather with bags of gifts, wrapping paper and scissors in hand.

I like to create a little party favor for each friend. It's the same thing every year: gift tags, tape, scissors, and ribbon. I provide a lot of paper and ribbon that I usually by the day after Christmas when it goes on sale.

I print the gift tags off of the themed-party-ideas.com website. To make them especially pretty, I pre-cut all the tags with pinking shears or fancy edge scissors and punch holes in the tops of the tags. I put them in a cellophane bag for an attractive presentation. You can even find tags on the Christmas printables page of Themed-Party-Ideas.com. There are both free and very inexpensive versions to choose from.

My friends also bring paper, extra boxes, and anything else that they think may make for pretty gifts.

Gift wrapping always takes longer than expected, so I leave the day open just in case a few girls bring several gifts and need help finishing all their work.

It has turned into an annual party that I've done for the past four years. Everyone looks forward to it. The ladies gift wrap morning takes a task and turns it into a treat!

So invite your friends over and make a morning of it. It's a Holiday gathering you'll treasure!

Left Right Game

New surprise! Print the Left Right story for your Christmas or New Years party! The story is great for parties with kids.

You'll also find more Christmas Left Right games including, "Naughty or Nice" (a very funny poem) best suited for adult Christmas parties and office parties.

We've got two versions. One's perfect for before Christmas and one is especially designed for a re-gift party after Christmas - (very funny!)

To play the left right game, everyone brings a gift. You can bring a funny gift, gag gift, or whatever you like. If you play the game for a New Years party, most people enjoy bringing a re-gift.

Everyone sits or stands in a circle and holds the gift they brought. Guests begin continuously passing their gifts to the right. A special story is read that contains the words "left" and "right". Guests change directions and pass the gifts to either the left or right after hearing the words in the story.

It's a really fun gift exchange game and you can learn more about it and download the version of the story that best suits you at.

Nametags for your Christmas Party

If you haven't downloaded the free name tags for your Christmas party do it now. It's easy and they are FREE! They're part of our fabulous free Christmas e-book that you find on the Christmas printables page.

I used these name tags at my party and I thought they were really convenient. When all the guests don't know each other it's a great way to help them out!

Enjoy all of our free printables - we've got tons! And we're adding new ones every week.

New Christmas E-book - 85 Pages of Christmas Printables!

Gift tags and cards - just some of the Christmas printables now available

Having a ladies gift wrap party? Want some fun ice breaker games for your holiday neighborhood party? Or, maybe you need a letter from Santa to send to you good little girl or boy.

Convenient Cocktail Rings

Then you'll want to check out our newest Christmas printables e-book. You'll find gift tags (oh so cute), wine glass charms, cupcake wrappers, coloring pages, letters from Santa, Stationary, Ice breaker games, Christmas trivia cards and tons more.

We're really proud of this printable book and I've already used the printable Christmas cards, cocktail glass charms, trivia cards, and cupcake wrappers at my own party.

Next week I'll be using the gift tags at my annual ladies gift wrap party to create a party favor for each girl who attends. I'll print a sheet for each girl, cut them out and place them in a clear cellophane bag with scissors, tape and bobbles. And, of course, I'll be posting it on the blog, so stay tuned!

Free Christmas Printables for Your Christmas Party!

Free Christmas Printable Cards 

We've got free Christmas printables for your Christmas party!

I used several of the printables available on this site at my party including invitations, Christmas themed name tags, and cocktail glass rings that guests can write their names on (oh, so convenient!)

Visit the Free Christmas Printables page at Themed Party Ideas.com and download the free Christmas e-book which includes all of the following printable items.

• Christmas Cards
• Christmas Stationary
• Printable Christmas Party Games
• Christmas Themed Cupcake Wrappers & Toothpick Charms
• Naughty and Nice Buttons
• More Christmas Printables! 

Easy Christmas Party Menu

As promised, here's my easy Christmas party menu for this year's annual neighborhood and friends gathering.

Preparing the Christmas Party Buffet

Feeding 45 to 50 people (without a catering service) is a challenge! How do you make sure everything is ready and set up at the same time?

Here are 5 Helpful Hints:

1. Serve lots of "cold" items with only a few things that need to be served warm.
2. Make as much as possible the day before.
3. Serve no cook items such as cheese/olives/spiral ham/fruit/etc.
4. For the warm items, select something that can simmer in a chaffing dish or crock pot for hours and still taste delicious. 
5. Select naturally attractive ingredients to create a beautiful buffet table. For example, line trays with leafy lettuce and place veggie or fruit on top. Select a nice pineapple as a centerpiece or dramatic flowers. Brussel spouts on the stem (see below) are natural decor for a buffet table.

Dramatic Flowers, Leaf Lined Tray

At this year's party we served just under 50 people. Here's my easy Christmas menu that can be done by one person in 8 hours. (not including shopping.)

Crock pots make serving warm food easy!

1. 6 quarts of Clam Chowder served with French bread (cooked and kept warm in a crock pot)
2. Spiral Cut Honey Baked Ham (Smithfield or Trader Joe's Brand are both amazing) with 50 dinner rolls and 3 types of spreads - no cooking involved
3. 6 different types of French cheeses served with olives, grapes, and fruit spreads. If possible, go to a cheese shop (fromagerie) and have an expert select the cheese for you - more on this later)
4. 4 cups of Hummus with Bread (easy substitute recipe - see below) (made the day before)
5. Salmon Pate (quick style - see below) served on top of sliced French bread (made the day before)
6. Veggie Plate with store bought dressing (made the day before)
7. Fruit Plate with papaya, pineapple, strawberries, and blackberries (made the day before)
8. 75 dinner size meatballs in hot and sweet sauce kept warm in chaffing dish (recipe below).
9. 60 large asparagus tips wrapped in Serrano ham (broiled for five minutes)
10. 4 cups of snow peas - lightly steamed to remain crisp, salted and mildly seasoned, served cold
11. 2 dozen chocolate cupcakes (made the day before)
12. 1 pumpkin cheesecake (store purchased)
13. 3 dozen assorted chocolates (mine where handmade at a candy making class - you could simply buy yours)
14. 2 dozens chocolate covered donut holes (handmade - recipe below)
15. 3 bowls of mixed nuts

Guests Enjoying the Buffet

Drinks:

• 2 pitchers of punch (find easy punch recipes).
• 2 cases of various wines
• 3 cases of beer (could have gotten by with only one)
• A variety of popular liquors for mixed drinks
• 40 cups of coffee

Guests Enjoying Cocktails

Creating a Cheese Platter

Don't have a local cheese shop? No problem, many stores have a nice variety around the holidays. Depending on how large your party, select anywhere from 3 cheeses to 7 or 8.

Select one cheese that everyone is familiar with (a nice cheddar perhaps). Next go for a soft cheese such as a triple cream, brie, or goat cheese. Serve this whole with a spreading knife along side a cranberry sauce if desired. Finally, serve a hard cheese with a bit of bite such as a Cheshire or Gloucester.

Easy Hummus Recipe

2 Cans of Garbanzo Beans
3 Cloves of Crush Garlic
3 Tablespoons of Lemon Juice
2 Tablespoons of Olive Oil
2 Tablespoons of Tahini (roasted, crushed sesame seeds) see below for easy substitute
Salt to Taste

Put all ingredients in a food processor and pulse until desired consistency is reached. You may need more Olive oil or Lemon Juice depending on your taste.

Opps! I'm ready to make the Hummus and I'm out of Tahini! Well, I was to busy to run to the store for one item. So, I substituted peanut butter. Believe it or not, it tasted great! I'm making it this way more often.

Quick Salmon Pate Recipe

4-6 ounces of smoked salmon for pate
4-6 ounces of smoked salmon for topping
1 large red onion (minced)
2 (8 ounce) bricks of cream cheese
1 (6 ounce) jar of capers, plus 2 tables spoons of caper juice

Place all ingredients in a food processor and plus until creamy. Spread over slices of French bread and top with an addition slice of smoked salmon.

Meatballs in Spicy and Sweet Sauce 

2 bags (approximately 75) meatballs from the freezer section of your grocery store
1 jar of grape jelly
2 jars of bbq sauce (your favorite variety)
2 tablespoons of Rooster sauce (hot sauce)

Put all ingredients in a crock pot or on the stove top and cook until warm throughout. Keep warm in chaffing dish.

Return to Christmas Party Ideas at Themed Party Ideas.

Christmas Party Countdown (Continued)

Just four days until the Christmas party! It hardly seems like it's December, but we're bustling around getting things up to snuff.

I've selected my Christmas party games and printed the Christmas trivia game and Conversation starters at www.themed-party-ideas.com to put out on the coffee tables.

The invitations were sent two weeks ago and the house was decorated a few days ago.

So, what's on today's agenda in the big Christmas countdown? House cleaning day! Yeah, it's time to polish the copper pots and make the house shine.

I actually love this part. A party is a good excuse to get things done. Will it all be noticed...probably not. But, the time line helps me stay on track.

Also on today's party planning agenda is planning a party menu - stay tuned.