Make your party go with a swing

Press, 30 December 1988, Page 10

Make your party go with a swing

Dress-up or informal, a lunchtime barbecue or a late-night rave, hot hits or cool jazz — JULIA SPAIN offers some hints for getting the best out of your New Year festivities.

If the party season gets you in a panic, take heart — and a few timely tips. You’ll be a perfect host if you mind your Os and Ps. That’s O for Organising and P for Planning.

Get your invitations out early because your prospective guests may get booked up somewhere else.

Timing is important: mid evening is popular, allowing everyone to get home and tie up all their domestic loose ends before coming on to you. But how about brunch for a change, or an afternoon “at home”? Make it clear whether children are invited or not. Normal clothes are enough for most people unless you’re making it a fancy dress do. Feeling adventurous? Try a Hollywood look, punk night, black and white, or good old fashioned fancy dress, plenty of scope there! Party going means meeting people — old friends as well as new faces for variety. New neighbours? New face at the club? Foreign visitors? Try and invite

them along. Make a point of introducing newcomers to each other, and try and circulate amongst your guests so that you get to have a word with each. It also helps you to keep an eye open for gate crashers. Accidents do happen. Make sure you have someone around who knows a bit about first aid. Better still, invite your local doctor. Names are important. Try to remember them by clothes: Tom blue shirt, Judy yellow scarf. If that fails, try “I know your last name, it’s your first I’m short on” or vice versa.

Drinks start a party off. There’s nothing better than a refreshing punch to dip into. It can be alcoholic or non-al-coholic — or make both. You’ll often find people will stick to that alone. In colder weather, mulled wine is good. Red wind heated with honey, lemon peel, cinnamon, nutmeg and cloves is all you need. Have plenty of mixers — tonic water, ginger ale, soda water, or min-

eral water on hand foi teetotallers and those who are driving home. Feeding needn’t be elaborate — but it should fill to soak up booze. Crisps and fancy vol-au-

r vents alone are asking > for trouble! You need loads of » crusty bread with 1 cheese, pizza slices, chunks of quiche, sausage rolls or sausage

chunks on sticks, crunchy celery, and carrots, nuts, baked potatoes. Do remember if anything’s a lot of trouble, it’s not worth it. You don’t want to be tired out

before you start. Paper plates and plastic glasses do eliminate that awful chore of washing up, and you can scoop the whole lot of grisly party food remains

into plastic sacks afterwards. Tapes are better than records, and a ghetto blaster is safer than your expensive hi-fi; there’s also less to break. Festive party games are always appreciated. Postman’s knock, musical chairs still notch up the cheers. Try the old fashioned — but very entertaining — blindfold games. Organise charades — tell everyone they go down well with the Queen and they’ll all want to join in. Cool it a bit with smoochy music, and break up snogging couples in the corner with coffee. Turn up the lights when you think everyone should be moving, or be firm before you start and say around such and such a time to end. You don’t want to be overhung the next day. Check the spare room for spare bodies, and start picking up the rubbish, checking especially for cigar and cigarette ends down furniture. Fire is the last thing you need. BEFORE it all starts, drink a glass of milk to settle your nerves and line your stomach. AFTER they’ve gone and you’re almost straight, a long drink of water, or fruit juice. And a good morning to you! — Copyright Duo