A CELEBRATION OF OUR OWN

Gone are those days when people used to celebrate New Year at the pubs or discos. The latest trend set consists of having similar disco parties but with a little difference. That is instead at pubs, people have started having these spectacular parties at their home itself.
They have a blast at their residences or farm houses with the companionship of their peers, relatives and partners. These parties generally begin at about 7 in the late evening and go on until 2 or 3 in the morning. “Home parties are nice and cozy .It helps in bringing a feeling of togetherness in the family, provides privacy and the expenditure is also flexible,” says Neelam, a college student. A general survey reveals that most college students or the youth are preferring having parties outside at pubs than staying at home.
“I would love to go outside and party at discos since family parties are a bit dull as only family members and one or two close friends are present and feeling of uneasiness prevails”, told Niket, another college student, when asked about partying. The flexibility that the youth receive is more at the pubs outside than with their family members at their residences.
Having parties at home have various advantages like expenses are under one’s control, no indecent people and time constraints are conciliatory. Mr.Rajendra Saraf, a parent says- “Partying at home than going outside is better option because people at discos behave indecently as they drink a lot and also that they are unfamiliar to us.”
Deciding who to invite to your New Year's party is essential. Since you are on a tight budget, invite only those who matters the most to you and those who appreciate you. Preparing your own party food can save you a huge chunk of additional party expenditure.
When planning your party menu, choose dishes that are easy to prepare. Salads, roasts, sandwiches as well as grilled meats, fruits and vegetables are some good examples of party food that even a beginner cook can prepare. When planning your menu, choose to prepare party food that require relatively cheap ingredients without compromising the food quality and taste. Purchase your ingredients from hypermarkets because they offer huge discounts when you buy raw ingredients in bulk. Stay away from buying branded ingredients and liquor. To replace liquor, choose to serve sparkling juices, plain fruit juices or boxed drinks. If you want to save even more money, make your own cordial drinks or fruit punch. You can even choose to serve water.
When choosing the location of your party, it is important for you to choose a location that can accommodate the number of guests who will be coming to your party. Choose to have your party in a location that will not cost you any money such as your own house, your house garden or a nearby park. If all else fails, ask a close friend/neighbour who you will be inviting to your party to have your party in their house or house garden.
Dimmed lights and scented candles are a great way to transform any location into an elegant party area. If you are having children over to your party, decorate a small children's corner with balloons and ribbons. To add extra effect to your party theme, get your guests to dress in outfits and colours that reflect the theme of your party.
Entertain your guests with music that is connected to your party theme. If your guests like dancing, play suitable ballads or songs that they can dance together with. You can always play the online radio if you do not have the CD with the music of your choice. For guests who do not dance, entertain them with some card or board games. If you do not own any card or board games, surf the internet to find out suitable games that you can create on your own or come up with the games yourself. Organize a drawing and coloring competition for the children. You can also conduct games with existing items that you already have in your house. 'Musical chair', 'limbo rock' and 'Simon says' are some classical examples of games that you can conduct in your party at no additional cost.
Rock your parties at efficient levels yet entertaining at the same time. All in all, times are changing so are the trends of people and their celebration styles. After all -
"ALL'S WELL THAT ENDS WELL"