By NAT HAWK
Go ahead and call me a fun sponge – but there is nothing I dislike more than venturing out of my house on New Years Eve.
I live in Sydney. The beaches are crowded, the parks are packed and at New Years, the city reaches a whole new point of crazy. It’s hard to find a decent spot to watch any fireworks without having to reserve that spot for over twelve hours. You can’t really drink outside, and even if you do, there’s nowhere to pee.
Also? You better be prepared to walk home, because there’s no way that any taxis/buses/magic carpets will be available.
The perfect solution is to just avoid leaving the house in the first place. It’s convenient, it’s fun and the view of the fireworks is perfectly fine when you’re in front of the TV.
Just as an FYI, you should know that this post is sponsored by Oliving by Hans. But all opinions expressed by the author are 100% authentic and written in their own words.
Here are my best tips for hosting the perfect New Years party…
1. Stock up on the food.
It’s impossible to have a bad time when there’s tasty food around, and you need to enter the New Year on a brilliant note. Make sure you at least have a giant platter available to your guests, and stock it up with cheese, fruit, crackers, olives (drizzled in high-quality olive oil) and deli meats.
Go as high quality as you can – you are seeing in a new year, after all – but don’t let yourself break the bank if you can’t afford to. There are plenty of new options that are reasonably priced but still high quality– such as Oliving by Hans, a combo of the finest deli meat and olive oil. These prods are also healthier and tastier than traditional deli meats, so you’re not scrimping on anything. Another tip? Provide some crusty bread with olive oil for your guests for dipping – so easy, but so, so tasty.
It’s also wise to stock up on the chips and dip for when you’ve had too much champagne and the post-midnight munchies hit…
2. Stock up even more on the drinks.
It’s New Years Eve. Always buy more than you think. I like to estimate how many bottles of champagne I’ll need, double that figure, and then double it again.
Nobody wants to be the host that runs out of bubbles at the party – and if you don’t get through all the drinks, you can always drink them later.
3. Get the tunes happening.
Instead of making a playlist, I just go to music website 8tracks and play one of their radio playlists – you can search by key word, so just find a playlist that suits the kind of party vibe you’re going for.
4. Provide an actual spot to watch the fireworks.
Preferably in front of the largest television in the house. Prepare glasses of champagne for everyone so you can watch the fireworks together while wishing each other a happy new year, and promising yourself that you will achieve all the things this year that you totally meant to achieve last year.
5. Leave party poppers on every available surface.
Forget about the clean-up that will follow in the morning and just do it. A bit of glitter never goes astray, either – and everyone also loves those novelty New Years plastic glasses and hats. Leave this stuff out for your guests to pick up when they’ve had a few drinks and make sure you have a camera handy too.
6. Don’t invite anyone that’s going to ruin things.
Just don’t. Keep the party to a limited amount of people who are going to be positive and fun and bring you up instead of dragging you down. You don’t want to spend even a second of your entry into the new year being upset about anything.
7. Make sure you have a decent breakfast waiting in the fridge to eat on New Years Day.
My go-to breakfast option whenever #hangovercentral strikes is a simple but super tasty omelet with chorizo. Yum.
What will be your New Years resolution this year?
Oliving by Hans is healthier and tastier, so now you can have both. For more information or to be inspired visit www.oliving-by-hans.com.au
Top Comments
Ooh, this is timely! I was having thoughts of holding my first ever New Years party in my new home. Will take note of the above! Not sure if I'll do it yet though, but my place would work well for a party that can spill out into my backyard and also the community garden beyond.
It is mostly good advice except the poppers: they make such a mess. This is especially the case outdoors and if it rains before cleanup! Sparklers are sometimes an alternative, depending on the drunkeness of friends and/or value of damageables. Hopefully your first stab at hosting wont be your last.
Don't forget sparkling non alcoholic drinks for non drinkers! Eg sparkling apple or grape juice in a champagne flute. Non drinkers shouldn't feel left out.
good advice re the non-drinkers.