Hosting New Years (In 2 Days!) | Tuesday's Tip of the Day!
Photo by Azzura Photography
Happy (almost) New Years! I really can’t believe it has been a solid year since well, last New Years! Where has the time gone? Although I honestly can’t tell you where the last year has gone, I can tell you how to successfully ring in the New Year surrounded by those that you love!
My proposal? Why don’t you host this years New Year’s Celebration! There is nothing I love more than inviting my friends and family over and gathering around The Table Together! Regardless of whether it’s a summer BBQ and pickle ball tournament (which quickly turns into an all-day/night affair) or winter gathering with mulled cider around the roaring fireplace, I just love hosting friends and family in my home! New Years is a great way to celebrate with family and friends, be thankful for what we have and look forward to what’s to come. Simply follow these steps, by first sending “save the dates” and you will be ringing in the New Year in just a few short days!
1. Guests: Invite them now! And before you think “New Years is in just a few days,” don’t worry! I often don’t have my New Years plans secured until a few days before and would love seeing an impromptu invite come in!
2. Menu: Be realistic with timing, shopping, kitchen space, and the robustness of the menu. Yes, we would all like to serve a plethora of tapas at our New Year’s party, but realistically, do you have time in the next 2 days to plan, shop and cook all of them? Pick a few of your favorites, that you have done before, and focus on those! Sometimes less is more…if you know what I mean.
3. Shopping: Before you head to the store, write a shopping list to account for your entire menu, including any staples you may have gone through on Christmas Day, like cleaning supplies, plastic wrap, foil, olive oil, salt, pepper, wine, cider, mulling spices, etc. Make sure you include them on your list so your one stop shopping stays at one stop!
4. Ambiance: Leave your holiday decorations up until January 1. They are festive, merry and bright (tis the season after all!).
5. Music: I would recommend not playing your favorite Christmas carols because it really is (as tears form in my eyes) time to move on (but don’t tell anyone if you see me cruising down the street to Rod Stewart and Dolly Parton’s Baby It’s Cold Outside blasting through my stereo!). Spotify and Pandora offer great New Year’s Celebration mixes that would be perfect for your party.
6. Playing Games & Starting a Tradition: In my family, we always spend a few minutes over dinner, or the week before, writing down our New Year resolutions for the following year. They are then individually sealed with our names written across the seal helping to resist any peeking. They are then secured in a large envelope until the following year where we gather around The Table Together, privately read last years and write a new list for the following year. It’s a fun exercise for all ages and one that I look forward to re-visiting every year. Plus, if you have goals written down, you really don’t want to let yourself down by coming in short. Right?
And with that, guests are invited, menu is planned and shopped for, your home looks fabulous, music is playing and traditions are forming. Until next year, I hope one of your New Year resolutions is cooking more and as a result, finding more opportunities to gather around The Table Together with those that you love.
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Cheers to starting a new tradition around The Table Together!
P.S. Coming in the New Year (TBD March 1), I am launching a You Tube channel, The Table Together with Tiffany Lewis, solely dedicated to bringing all of these fantastic tips and recipes to life! Stay tuned for more info to come…
Sincerely,
Tiffany Lewis
Founder and true believer in the power of bringing people around The Table Together!