People have parties for different reasons. My parties are meant to let my friends and family know that I appreciate them, and their company. So, I try to do something new and exciting as often as I can.
Sometimes, the impromptu parties work out the best. I’ll have a few friends over and then, I’ll get a call from more friends. Before long, I have a house full of people and we’re having a party. I’m not single anymore, but you’d think I still act like it. It’s just that I have my moments when I can throw a great party. I also have my family time too and no one interrupts it.
So, impromptu parties do seem to really work out great. But, I love parties that I get to plan as well. Theme parties or activity parties are often more fun than you can imagine. Some people get into them without a problem, while others are a little rebellious because they don’t see why a person can’t just throw a party and that’s it.
Those are the people who seem to have the most fun. Everyone has fun, but they leave the party with a huge smile on their face totally surprised that your theme or activity was actually fun. They become your biggest fan and then, they look forward to the next one.
So, here are a few ideas you can try. Remember that if they fail, tweak them and try them again. It’s not because they were meant to fail. It’s because it takes practice to be the party master everyone expects you to be.
First of all to show my friends and family my appreciation, I always have koozies. But, it’s not your regular koozies. When I’m having a regular party, I try to match the koozie with each person. I know who drinks what and I get a koozie to match so that their beer stays cold all night.
The second part of the koozie experiment is to match the koozie with the party. You don’t always have to drink the same beer. Get different kinds of beers. Get exotic beers and all kinds of imports. Choose a beer flavor for a party and have the koozies to match. I don’t have a problem of ordering forty or fifty koozies for a party. Like I said, I like to show my appreciation. They take the koozies with them when they go home.
Plus, I don’t have parties every week. Some parties are separated by several months. So, it’s not a burden to go all out on the beer and koozies. Plus, it makes me very memorable. I know several of my friends who have started koozie collections from the ones they got from me. Some of my friends have koozie collections that are only made up of the koozies they got from me.
But, you can’t just stop there. Plan something. Have a “Gangsta” night where everyone has to dress up like their favorite movie gansta. Have a “Devils and Angels” night where everyone chooses whether they would like to be a devil or an angel, horns or halo. The food and drinks can be made to match the theme. Hot and Spicy wings versus light and fluffy pasta. You get the idea.
Beer Pong nights are always fun. You get to see some moves from some of your friends that you may not have ever seen before. Plus, you just might get creative and invent some of your own. Beer Pong has a flair to it that can get quite addictive.
One really interesting kind of party is the infamous mystery. You can either purchase a board game with ideas or you can make up your own mystery. You have to have the clues in place before everyone comes over and if you make up your own mystery, make sure that the evidence can’t possibly point to anyone or anywhere else. Letting your guests be confused throughout the mystery is fine. But, the ending has to be rock solid with no other options available.
It wouldn’t have to be a murder mystery, although they are fun. One time, I threw a surprise birthday party for a friend of mine where something was stolen and all the evidence led back to him. The way I made it happen was that I told everyone else what was going to take place. They played along great. They even helped.
We placed my keepsake watch in his glove compartment, courtesy of his wife. Some friends reported that he had been in my room, which he adamantly denied. But, we convinced him as if we were in a court of law that several people corroborated those statements. Then, I pulled out the fingerprint kit. I had his fingerprint from a glass he drank out of that night. I acted as if I pulled it from my nightstand. Then, I fingerprinted him. He started to look around and put the pieces together. The fingerprint kit may have been overkill. But, he played along.
He was not astonished when we found out that they were indeed his fingerprints. Other corroborating stories led us to the car where I found my watch. I looked at him stunned, and everyone yelled, “Surprise!” I do believe he figured it out long before finding my watch in his car.
There are other ways to do a mystery that gets everyone involved. No one knows the outcome and they are all trying to figure out what happened. People love when you take ideas from different forensics shows and put together a mystery that makes everything seem so real.
Parties are awesome to throw together. They are a flavor of life that we should never lose. Some people grow up and grow apart. I’ve managed to keep everyone together and even inspire the party spirit in others. Don’t lose that! Keep it in tact and have as much fun as possible.