Celebrations, Events, and Party Planning News

Tailgating parties are the easiest kind. The schedule is set and well-defined. The only entertainment you need to provide is a good working television, the bigger the better, and plenty of food ready on trays, so it is easy for the crowd to eat whenever they want. In fact, if you are not a football fan, you can prepare all this ahead of time, make it easily accessible, provide paper towels, coasters, and a big trash can within ‘field goal’ range, and have some time to yourself, whether it is curling up with a good book, shopping or whatever you would like to do. By making this party fun, easy and “self service” you will have given yourself a Tailgating party of your own kind!

Get a large ice chest, and have plenty of soda, water, and/or beer, and the gang can help themselves to drinks. Plenty of coffee table foods like pretzels, chips, dips, and individually wrapped, hearty sandwiches, make it easy to access, and there is little chance for big spills or mishaps. Hand held desserts, like hello dollies, lemon bars, or sliced pound cake and fruit, are good choices to satisfy sweet tooth’s, but you are probably not going to get many complaints even if the desserts you serve are bowls full of candy bars.

Other options are crock pot chili with crackers, corn chips, and cheese beside it, for creating Frito pies, always goes over well. Sandwiches of thick-sliced ham and sharp, tangy cheese, on thick slices of whole wheat bread, are sure super bowl menu treats. Smoked turkey breast slices on potato bread with creamy Swiss cheese are good super bowl sandwich choices too.

Crock Pot Layer Dip: one pound of Velveeta cheese, 2 cans of diced tomatoes with green chilies, made into the classic cheese dip recipe, and set aside. 6 boneless chicken breasts, boiled in salted water until done, drained, and shredded, then put into a pan with 2 cups of water and 2 packets of taco seasoning mix simmered until the water is cooked out, and the chicken is dry.

1 can refried beans on top of the chicken
1 large can of tamales, cut into half inch chunks and topped with prepared cheese dip

Options:
This dip can include a layer of black olives, topped with sour cream, or topped with guacamole dip.

Guacamole dip:
6 soft, ripe, avacados, peeled and seeded (if the are very soft, you can use a potato masher, if not a blender or food processor can be used)
1 Cup real mayonnaise
½ chopped sweet onion
1-2 finely chopped roma tomato
dash of tabasco
teaspoon of lemon juice
1 teaspoon minced garlic
1 Tablespoon Fruit Fresh (to prevent browning)
salt and pepper to taste.

Blend avacado, mayo, lemon, spices, and garlic. Fold in tomato and onion, serve as a topping on the layer dip, with tortilla chips. So whether you are into football or not, have the best Tailgating party possible this year with these above ideas.

Super Bowl parties are fundamentally different from parties held for little kids, and even from family style parties even down to the Super Bowl party supplies needed. They are meant for the adults to blow off a little steam with some fun adult games and activities. This usually means lots of dancing, drinking and even some gambling meaning make sure you get enough Super Bowl party supplies to go around.

You’ll need to plan ahead for your adult parties. Make sure you have enough drinks to go around. Don’t forget to purchase some fun light up beer mugs or wine glasses to add a little glow to the party. These would go well with fuzzy dice in the form of a party favor. People can never get enough items to hang from their rear view mirrors.

Do be sure to check and see about the noise ordinances in your area and to be polite either invite your neighbors to the party or ask them ahead of time how they feel about music being played until the wee hours of the morning. It’s easy to find a good party mix CD with all the current music hits on it for your party.

A good idea to include in your list of Super Bowl party supplies is a deck of cards and perhaps more than one deck. Random games of Poker and Texas Hold ‘em are liable to break out among your friends. Poker chips are also good to have. You can use them for betting in the games or you can strew them around the party area as decoration.

At the end of the evening don’t let anyone who’s imbibed a little too much to drive themselves home, that’s part of being a good host too.

Tailgating parties are the easiest kind. The schedule is set and well-defined. The only entertainment you need to provide is a good working television, the bigger the better, and plenty of food ready on trays, so it is easy for the crowd to eat whenever they want. In fact, if you are not a football fan, you can prepare all this ahead of time, make it easily accessible, provide paper towels, coasters, and a big trash can within ‘field goal’ range, and have some time to yourself, whether it is curling up with a good book, shopping or whatever you would like to do. By making this party fun, easy and “self service” you will have given yourself a Tailgating party of your own kind!

Get a large ice chest, and have plenty of soda, water, and/or beer, and the gang can help themselves to drinks. Plenty of coffee table foods like pretzels, chips, dips, and individually wrapped, hearty sandwiches, make it easy to access, and there is little chance for big spills or mishaps. Hand held desserts, like hello dollies, lemon bars, or sliced pound cake and fruit, are good choices to satisfy sweet tooth’s, but you are probably not going to get many complaints even if the desserts you serve are bowls full of candy bars.

Other options are crock pot chili with crackers, corn chips, and cheese beside it, for creating Frito pies, always goes over well. Sandwiches of thick-sliced ham and sharp, tangy cheese, on thick slices of whole wheat bread, are sure super bowl menu treats. Smoked turkey breast slices on potato bread with creamy Swiss cheese are good super bowl sandwich choices too.

Crock Pot Layer Dip: one pound of Velveeta cheese, 2 cans of diced tomatoes with green chilies, made into the classic cheese dip recipe, and set aside. 6 boneless chicken breasts, boiled in salted water until done, drained, and shredded, then put into a pan with 2 cups of water and 2 packets of taco seasoning mix simmered until the water is cooked out, and the chicken is dry.

1 can refried beans on top of the chicken
1 large can of tamales, cut into half inch chunks and topped with prepared cheese dip

Options:
This dip can include a layer of black olives, topped with sour cream, or topped with guacamole dip.

Guacamole dip:
6 soft, ripe, avacados, peeled and seeded (if the are very soft, you can use a potato masher, if not a blender or food processor can be used)
1 Cup real mayonnaise
½ chopped sweet onion
1-2 finely chopped roma tomato
dash of tabasco
teaspoon of lemon juice
1 teaspoon minced garlic
1 Tablespoon Fruit Fresh (to prevent browning)
salt and pepper to taste.

Blend avacado, mayo, lemon, spices, and garlic. Fold in tomato and onion, serve as a topping on the layer dip, with tortilla chips. So whether you are into football or not, have the best Tailgating party possible this year with these above ideas.

For a Hollywood theme party many people throw Oscar parties for their fellow friends and family members, especially if that person is an adult, but you can easily throw an Oscar party for the kids in your life for a Hollywood theme party as well. This is a great way to create a fancy party atmosphere that kids can love. It also helps to make the party more interesting for the adults who are attending as well.

You can get your kids involved in preparing for the party before it starts by cutting out and taping up construction paper stars and other movie themed decorations. A red plastic table cloth makes for a great red carpet to put out at the party and it will provide some protection for your carpeted areas in case there is a drink spill. For fun serve up Kool Aid in plastic light up LED wine glasses that the kids can drink from. They’ll love the lighted glows and you may find them turning off the lights so they can get a better glowing effect.

Put out serving trays of their favorite treats as appetizers at the party. Go ahead and put the spray cheese on some crackers or open a can of Vienna sausages. The kids will gobble up their favorite snacks.

At the party have the kids nominate other guests using handwritten voting ballots for different areas like, ‘Friendliest Guest’ and ‘Funniest Joke Teller.’ Then you can gather up the ballots and once you’ve counted the votes have an awards ceremony. At the ceremony hand out chocolate, foil covered ‘Oscars’ and of course save one for the honored birthday guest. Let everyone give their own speech and make the birthday boy or girl give a speech thanking all their guests for coming. For extra fun have someone serve as the paparazzi and take keepsake photos of the guests in front of a banner or on the red carpet. This party is a definite Hollywood Theme party the kids are not going to forget any time soon!

Soon The Super Bowl will be here! So load up with Super Bowl supplies while you can. Did you know that now the Super Bowl is the biggest one day sporting event in the entire world. Millions of people watch, and it is the dream of every product advertiser to have their product advertised during the Super Bowl.

The Super Bowl pits the best team from the National Football Conference against the best team from the American Football Conference. It is an activity that whole families can share and enjoy or a party of people can enjoy together as the game is televised live. While watching the Super Bowl make sure you have plenty of Super Bowl supplies available for your family and friends.

One of the biggest attractions during the Super Bowl is the extravagant commercials that have attained air time. A few people have even admitted to watching the Super Bowl just to see the commercials.

As the Super Bowl returns to sunny South Florida for the ninth time in 2007, the game and the festivities will reflect its past in the location, while allowing America to see how the area has grown since its last Super Bowl in 1999. Miami is a popular vacation spot in early February, but for two NFL teams, their trip to South Florida will be all business when they meet in Super Bowl XLI on Feb. 4, 2007. South Florida, has a proud history of hosting sensational Super Bowl match ups. Super Bowl III, in which Joe Namath and the AFL New York Jets shocked the Baltimore Colts was held in South Florida. Super Bowl XXIII, in which San Francisco quarterback, Joe Montana, connected with John Taylor for the winning, come-from-behind, last-minute touchdown against the Cincinnati Bengals.

Those kinds of moments are typical of the theme of the 2006 NFL season -- "One Game. One Dream." "One Game" is the game of football itself, and the game that each team plays each week. As the NFL playoffs beckon, it truly is one game that keeps the "Dream" alive, and there is no doubt that Super Bowl XLI will not be the exception to this rule, whether you are watching for the game or watching for the advertisements stocking up on Super Bowl supplies is a definite must to ensure an excellent time is had by all.

A great holiday decoration for your party table is the flower centerpiece. Centerpieces are beautiful, refreshing and often can be purchased at an inexpensive price. They also make good housewarming gifts to bring over to the friends and family if you will be attending a party soon. Flower centerpieces are also more unique gifts, so you won’t be bringing over wine like everyone else.

Flower centerpieces are available from florists too, if you feel like sending a gift to someone in another city or just at home. There is nothing like the surprise of receiving a special delivery from a loved one. Friends and family will adore this beautiful gift and it makes a great gift to give during the cold months as a way to remind everyone of the warmer months when flowers and plants are thriving.

Holiday decorations are also easy to make like this homemade flower centerpiece to give as a special gift. The materials needed are very simple; a heavy basket or vase, plastic or real flowers, and a styroform disk or ball. All of these materials can be found at the local arts and crafts store. The Styrofoam base will serve to hold the flowers together and the basket makes for a nice holding vessel. Centerpieces can be decorated with more than just flowers too.

Other holiday decorations such items as beads, glitter, plastic droplets, ribbon and paper can be used to accent purchased flower centerpieces. There isn’t a need to create traditional flower bouquets for centerpieces. Some exotic and unusual centerpieces are the best. For example tablepieces have been made that feature only the heads of flowers in a clear glass vase. Its colorful, abundant and very simple. Such a centerpiece with a decorative candle in the center of the glass vase makes for another unique accent. You can add to or take from purchased flower centerpieces as you choose in order to create some holiday cheer.

There are many Martin Luther King Day decorations to make this day special in remembrance of this great man. Martin Luther King Jr. Day is a national holiday that was established in 1986. This holiday is held in honor each January 15th or around that time on the third Monday in January of Reverend Martin Luther King Jr. King was a strong social activist who fought for equality among the races, workers rights and protested against the Vietnam War. The Reverend was assassinated in 1968 and on his death a bill was introduced in congress to make King’s birthday a national holiday. However the holiday wasn’t officially recognized until the eighties.

Many teachers look to holidays such as Martin Luther King Jr. Day as an educational opportunity. This holiday offers insights into social studies, history, racial equality, and other important cultural elements for young student’s minds. As a parent you may happen to hear your child talking about the stuff the kids learned in class about Martin Luther King and Black History Month. You can take this opportunity to further enhance your kid’s educational experience by taking part in the holiday. Lots of communities organize a candlelit march in memory of the Million Man March and other social protests that King organized in his lifetime. Take your kids to one and participate in the holiday.

If it seems a little too cold out for a march or you can’t find one in the community try holding a small MLK Jr. Day party in the home. Martin Luther King Day decorations would make the event more memorable for your children. You can watch movies about the Reverend some are documentaries and there are also movies with plots. There are plenty of party supplies with Martin Luther King Jr. Day themes on them. Pick up some Martin Luther King Day decorations on paper plates, napkins, tablecloths and other paper supplies with the MLK Jr. theme and treat your kids to a snack or two and to some educational fun.

Martin Luther King Day party ideas can be made simple. For example, everyone has their favorite dessert but too often people forgets about the quick and easy spreads like Strawberry Shortcake, which can help to lift the stresses of planning your New Years party. Keeping in mind that time is of the essence, finding an old time favorite that can not only entertain your guests and satisfy their taste buds but also give you a spare moment to catch your breathe will offer itself as a great option to the fast and frenzied look of the last minute chef. Following these simple instructions should leave you with some time to relax and enjoy some socialization with your friends. Now isn't that what a Martin Luther King party idea should be all about!

When gathering ingredients for your Strawberry Shortcake, remember what you will need to make this dessert as hands-free as possible. Dessert plates and disposable silverware are a must and usually are very affordable. Consider the option of having your guests prepare their own dessert so that all you need to do is display the items on a table for them to assemble. Do remember that if you have ever been at a party where you assembled your own dessert, when it came time to apply the fruit or sweet stuff that fewer reservations were taken than if the hostess had pre-made them. With that, do purchase extra ingredients so that you don’t run out. Starting from the bottom up the ingredients are as follows:

Biscuits or Angel Food Cake (sliced into stackable halves)
Fresh fruit (strawberries or cherries) or frozen strawberries or cherries (thawed)
Cool Whip

With a grocery list like this, you can’t go wrong in buying extra. This very simple dessert is not only a pleasure to eat but to make as well. I would also venture to guess that your guests most likely haven’t had this dessert for a while and will appreciate the reminder of such a simple pleasure and will be a long time before they forget this Martin Luther King Day party planning results.

As the thought of a Martin Luther King Day party looms in the future, our choices for holiday decorating ideas grow shorter. There needs to be something new and fresh; something we haven't tried before. Here are the perfect solutions.

Transform inexpensive everyday items into charming containers for holiday candies. Save everyday items like jelly jars or small paint cans for this project. Or if you like you can use your imagination and go out and buy an item that wouldn't necessarily be used as a candy jar; like a glass porch globe. Allow your imagination to run wild and use paint, stamps or decorative paper to transform your container. Use etching cream on glass jars to create a frosting effect.

Decorate for your Martin Luther King Day party by creating fun hand towels to spruce up the bathroom. Use fabric paint or markers, iron on decals or ribbons and lace to create your own festive holiday scenes. Another fun holiday decorating idea is to replace everyday pictures with holiday cards or pictures. Simply save old holiday cards or pictures of family members from the previous year. Switch your everyday picture out of the frames with the new holiday ones.

Martin Luther King Day party table decorations do not have to stop with an interesting centerpiece. Create your own place mats, napkins or napkin rings. Buy plain place mats and cloth napkins. Again, use your fabric markers or paint and your decals or ribbons to create simple, fun decorations not only for parties but for everyday meal times. Improve your centerpieces by decorating plain candles. Use your imagination and search your local craft supply stores for items that will give those everyday candles a little extra kick during the holidays.

The New Year's countdown has begun. Are you ready to throw a New Year's party? Do you have a theme decided on along with the supplies, decorations and party favors needed?

Did you know that the New Year's celebration is the oldest of all the holidays? It was first observed in ancient Babylon about 4000 years ago. In the years around 2000 BC, the Babylonian New Year began with the first New Moon (actually the first visible crescent) after the Vernal Equinox (first day of spring). The Babylonian New Year celebration lasted for eleven days. Each day had its own particular mode of celebration, but it is safe to say that modern New Year's Eve festivities pale in comparison.

Did you know that not all countries celebrate New Year at the same time, nor in the same way? This is because people in different parts of the world use different calendars. Long ago, people divided time into days, months, and years. Some calendars are based on the movement of the moon; others are based on the position of the sun. Generally New Years is celebrated December 31- January 1.

As you know people stay up all night December 31 to mark the passing of the year. There are elaborate parties with music and dancing. At the stroke of midnight, confetti is tossed in the air, fire crackers explode, and people make noise and then kiss the person next to them. New Years party supplies like paper plates, napkins, and cups are a nice way to complete a New Years Party Theme.

There are few and far in-between occasions during which we get to wear feather boas. They just aren’t as popular as they were back in the good old days of the silver screen. Why not make this New Year's celebration party an excuse to break out the boas and everyone can walk around the party looking like a diva strutting their stuff. Go ahead and throw off the chains of fashion and give feather boas out for this year's New Year's celebration party.

There are plenty of different types of feather boas for all ages. Kid’s love the small four foot rainbow feather boas that are made just for them. Regular adult boas are available in just about every single color, because it is so easy to dye them. You’ll find that most feather boas are made of turkey feathers, which are plentiful and take to dyes easily. Popular colors are red, blue, orange, yellow, green, white, black and pink. They are often intensely chromatic in color, but you will find the occasional pastel blue boa available.

You can dress up your New Year’s celebration party with a black and silver boa or a white and gold boa. These boas contain small shiny strands of silver and gold Mylar for a classy look. While you are at the store for your boas, don't forget to get the rest of your supplies for your New Year's celebration party and don't forget to sit back when the party has started and enjoy.