Perhaps you just moved into your new Montgomery County home, or maybe you’ve been in Washington, D.C. for many years and you’re a little tired of the crowded downtown New Year’s Eve parties. Whatever the reason, this is the year you decided to bring in the New Year in the comfort of your DC Metro home. With our staging experience and plenty of open houses under our belt, we know a thing or two about making a home warm and welcoming. Here’s four thoughts on hosting New Year’s Eve in your home.
#1 – Light up the night
Candles, dim lighting, lanterns, twinkle lights — anything that will give your home that warm glow, set it up around the house. It will give guests that cozy, romantic vibe that you want out of a New Year’s house party. As far as where to put them all, get creative. Line votive candles down a winding staircase (consider fake ones if you’re worried about somebody knocking one over). Put taper candles in a wine bucket with sand for an extra special touch at the appetizer table. To get your guests involved, consider a group candle-lighting of a bayberry candle. The olive-green, strongly-scented candle is thought to bring good fortune to your home, and it is typically burned on Christmas Eve or New Year’s Eve. Make sure you allow it to burn until after midnight, and to let it flicker out on its own. That’s part of the folklore. If the candle burns all the way down to the bottom, everyone in the house will be blessed with good luck.
#2 – Let them serve themselves
Self-serve stations are the best way to go for a house party so your guests are not reliant on you to prepare their drinks. Get festive with a special 2020-themed cocktail that you can pre-make and serve from a large carafe. Supply beer, wine, and glasses. And don’t forget the champagne flutes at-the-ready for the midnight countdown. Last but not least, provide water! Lots of it. Sparkling too if you want to get fancy. You want your guests to stay hydrated for more reason than one.
#3 – Create a photo opp
People love to break out the camera on New Year’s Eve. Just because you’re not at a hotel or a club for the big night doesn’t mean you can’t have a designated place where the camera’s flash and your guests pose like they’re on the red carpet. You could keep it simple with a gold fringe backdrop and a few fun props (think mustache sticks and funny hats), or go all out and buy your own step and repeat for an Oscar-worthy evening.
#4 – Get the conversation flowing
Anything that brings your guests closer together is well-worth the effort. Beyond the décor, the food, and the drinks, what they’ll remember most is how much fun they had. Lay out pieces of paper and pens and ask people to write out their predictions for 2020 and place them into a bowl or a hat. While everybody is sitting down to eat, take turns reading the predictions. The fun part is guessing who wrote them.
