13 Tips for a Last-Minute New Year’s Party

Decided you want to host your family and friends for a festive New Year’s? Ring in 2013 with these easy and inexpensive tips for all ages that build tradition and play up the glamour of the big countdown.

Take a cue from Spain’s delicious and healthy New Year’s custom. Spaniards consume 12 grapes before midnight, signifying the passage of a new year (some even say the taste of each individual grape predicts the month ahead, so if April tastes particularly sweet, look forward to that). Make your grapes a little more festive by freezing them, creating a tongue-tingling treat, or by dropping the grapes into champagne as a garnish.

Why celebrate only at midnight? Assemble several clocks from your house and set them to various time zones. Label the clocks and enjoy a countdown several times over throughout the night. This way even those that have to tuck in a little early can get in on the NYE fun.

Skip store-bought confetti in favor of this green option. Snag a hole punch (a standard circle works fine, or pick up a more festive star shape for $7 from Amazon) and create confetti from Christmas cards, leftover holiday gift wrap, and any other patterned or colored papers you have around from previous holidays. Bonus, grandkids are excellent hole punching assistants.

Ask all of your guests to bring a picture of themselves around the age of 13 (or close to it). Then make a game of having guests guess who each youngster is. Ask kids who haven’t yet hit their teen years to illustrate a picture themselves in the future. Alternatively, use a digital camera to take 13 photos of your group and send out your favorites on New Year’s Day as a sweet thank-you to your guests.

Who needs fireworks when you have your own Times-Square style ball drop? Inflate balloons (preferably in champagne-style colors) and release from above at midnight.

You’ll need two tablecloths, a hole punch, and yarn. Punch holes along each edge of the cloths and then “knit” together with the yarn, leaving a foot of yarn at the end to act as your ripchord. Tape the connected tablecloth to the ceiling, leaving the yarn side unsecured and allowing space to fill with balloons. Once you’ve filled, tape the yarn in and then get ready to let it rip at midnight.

Want to set a festive mood? While you could tune a TV to the New York City ball drop, why not skip their massive build up in favor of a classic New Year’s flick? Pop on an old standard like The Apartment, Trading Places, The Poseidon Adventure, or When Harry Met Sally, because to paraphrase Harry, “When you realize you want to spend the New Year’s Eve with a movie, you want that movie to start as soon as possible.”

Step up store-bought salty delights with a few inventive DIY twists. Turn flat pretzels into peanut-butter sandwiches and seal with a dip in melted chocolate or dip long pretzels in white chocolate and roll in broken up peppermint candies. (There’s something to do with those leftover candy canes!)

Nothing solidifies a resolution like saying it aloud—in front of a party full of people! Make a game of the tried and true tradition by having guests jot their resolutions down on a piece of paper as the arrive. Throughout the evening, pick out resolutions at random and see if people can guess which ultimatum goes with their fellow partygoers.

Want a kid- (and adult-) friendly dish that’s still festive? The time for a delicious and decorative main course is now. Instead of serving plain pie, make a pizza centerpiece that celebrates the new year. If you’re feeding a crowd stretch dough into each number shape (simply roll out and cut into each numeral) or make one large pie and arrange toppings into clock shape.

Jazz up plain glasses and dishes: Pick up inexpensive self-stick numbers and affix to vessels and glasses. (Number stickers are available from Amazon.com for less than $3). They’ll easily peel away at the end of the night, and make even the plainest glasses more festive than crystal.

Take a timely spin on the favorite holiday game by focusing on stars that were in the news this year. Write celeb names on slips of paper and place into a hat (hot tabloid gossip this year included Tom Cruise and the divorce, Clint Eastwood and his chair, and Honey Boo Boo being Honey Boo Boo), and then have folks split into teams. In the first round, you can give players several verbal clues (none of them can be the actor's name, of course!), the second is limited to just one word, and then the third and final round is limited to just nonverbal charades actions.

Want to add a sophisticated touch to champagne (or sparkling grape juice for the kids)? Drop in pomegranate seeds (you can buy them already removed the fruit in most grocery stores) to add a surprising bite to your drinks. Make your cocktail even more rosy by adding a splash of pom juice and cassis.

There’s no need for fussy frills and flowers at a New Year’s Eve party. Instead, decorate with the sort of favors your guests actually want to play with—pick up noisemakers, blowers, and confetti, and scatter along various tables and surfaces. Guests will get into the spirit and, with all that extra time, so will you.