Decorating for New Year’s Eve Doesn’t Have to be Boring
As the year comes to a close, it’s time to bid farewell to the old and welcome the new. But you can’t move on from the last twelve months without celebrating them, or at least celebrating their hotly anticipated end (finally). Whether you're hosting a raucous New Year’s Eve party or an intimate gathering, here are a few tips on how to nail the vibes.
Decide on a theme or color palette before you start buying
Pre-packaged New Year’s Eve decorations tend to all have the same theme and color palette: "it’s New Year’s Eve" (theme) and gold, black, and possibly silver (color palette). And while "it’s New Year’s Eve" and "gold, black, and possibly silver" are perfectly fine ways to go, it might be worth pausing before buying a bunch of mylar balloons to think about whether you might want to do something a bit different.
Because New Year’s Eve is the celebration of, essentially, the calendar, it can be a blank party slate; your opportunities are endless. You can overdo it on yellow florals, or decorate with tons of taper candles and pine boughs. Your theme can be The Sopranos, and maybe you’re dressed as Christopher to ring in the new year. Maybe your theme is olives. It can be multi-colored, or monotone—all red New Year, maybe? Fairy light New Year? Think of what vibe you want surrounding you when you’re thrust into your future, and ask yourself: am I really going to be satisfied with "gold, black, and possibly silver"?
For a theme that’s not quite on the nose...
These are nice enough to keep up all year!
....and so is this, depending on your mood
Keep your guests’ tastes, and your own taste, in mind
If you’re hosting a party, or even just a small group of friends, you should keep your guests’ expectations in mind. Is this a group that is mainly looking to watch the ball drop while snacking on crudités, or are they going to expect something a bit livelier? Will they appreciate New Year’s Eve hats and glasses, if you provide them, or will they at best begrudgingly wear them for a few minutes before abandoning them? Will candles lead to ambiance or a house fire? Are they expecting balloons, and will they be so mad if they don’t see balloons?
Hosting is in part about anticipating and then granting your guests’ wishes. But you also have to remember that you’re driving the bus. If you’re not interested in covering your carefully decorated home in tacky trimmings, or making a bunch of glittery jello shots, don’t feel like you have to. But if you’ve elected to host, and your guests are expecting a festive atmosphere, don’t disappoint them. Make it a little glittery. Maybe get a few tacky pieces of headwear for them to abandon. They’ll appreciate it.
Here’s a very literal choice
This is a little less literal, but also more fun!
Good for photos and reusable, to boot
Keep it sparkly
Now is not the time to be demure. It’s nighttime, it’s cold, it’s winter—you have to brighten it up somehow. While I support covering every surface in glitter and tinsel, sparkle can come in lots of forms: disco balls, candlelight or fairy lights, or even just an emphasis on champagne and funky stemware.
Gorgeous champagne flutes that are great for any occasion
Keep the disco ball up year round!
Stylize the bar
New Year’s Eve is a bit of a marathon, so whether your party is large or small, you should have a centralized place for your guests to fill their own glasses and snack plates. This area should feel as festive and intentional as the rest of the space. Fill a large beverage tub with ice, champagne, and wine; line up your most exciting glasses, break out the fancy snack bowls; decorate with lights, balloons, flowers, or a glittering sign advertising the night’s cocktail options.
Make your house feel like the bar (in a good way) for one night
You need a TV or at LEAST a clock
Listen, you don’t have to have the TV on for New Year’s Eve—it can be a bit of a vibe killer. But please, for the love of Dick Clark, at least have a large enough digital clock somewhere that your guests have a centralized place to look when the countdown begins. I’ve been to a party without this, and I can tell you it was a mess; midnight was missed altogether. You’ll appreciate the slight adjustment in your living room’s decor when one guest doesn’t have to lead the countdown from their iPhone.
So your countdown will be in sync
Come to terms with the fact that you will have a mess on your hands the next day
Accept that you’re going to have a mess to clean up the next day. Accept it before you even invite your guests over; there’s no use in living a lie for even a moment. It’s likely that someone will bring one of those confetti cannons, and it’s going to be horrible, and you will have to vacuum it all up. Accept it. It’s likely that, even if you don’t provide glitter, somehow every surface will be covered in glitter come January 1. Accept it.
And now we’ll wade into the controversial. If you’re having one of those festive, sparkly parties that are often depicted in holiday-themed commercials, I would strongly recommend allowing your guests to keep their shoes on. I don’t think they’ll appreciate having to ditch their carefully chosen footwear and walk around shoeless in their party attire, even if it’s raining or snowing outside. Instead, let them muddy up your floors, and budget an extra amount of mopping time into your clean-up plan. There is going to be champagne and crumbs and glitter all over the floor anyway; you’re going to want to clean. Breathe, and accept it.
Remember that you don’t actually have to decorate for NYE
If reading this caused your heart to race with panic at the thought of another item being added to your holiday to-do list, fear not. New Year’s Eve is not a day for which you are necessarily expected to decorate, or host a party. It’s just a day to relax and eat snacks and hope that the coming months will be better than the ones in your rearview. And you don’t need streamers for that.
Top image by Goodboy Picture Company
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