top of page
Search

Easy New Year's Eve Party Planning

Writer's picture: Jeff AdkinsJeff Adkins

Updated: Dec 29, 2021


Out with the Old, In with the New

I am sure we have all been there, and done that, picturing the where in your head, imagining the perfect setting, who will be there with you for that

magical moment, counting down the minutes, literally, and when it finally arrives. Huh! Wait a minute, Mr. or Ms. wonderful is distracted, or tipsy, or looking the other way, or worse yet have plans of their own, and Wham, the New Year smacks you upside the head. You missed the countdown, you have to watch the ball drop on reruns, no magical, momentous hug or kiss and the next year is starting much like the last year.

Makes you feel like Charlie Brown and the Red headed girl.

My best memories have been more individual situations, less pressure to celebrate visibly, and now it seems more in keeping with this new normal. Maybe a quite toast to absent friends and family and enjoy the company we now have. So, coming back to the now…

We are so caught up in the hype of the perfect New Year’s Eve that we miss what is important.

And as we slip comfortably into our wiser years, our dreams and wishes should evolve closer to reality. Sorry about that, I never should use the word slip, ease in would have been a better choice.

So now it is time to shake up the Etch-A-Sketch, make a clean slate, “look out world, here I come”, maybe this year I will even do my crossword puzzles in ink? Well at least I can make a list of all the resolutions that I really will do this time around, even if it is only on post-it notes, but I will write them in ink.

The Resolutions List

And again, we get caught up in the hype. We pull out all the old favorites, lose weight, stop smoking, exercise every day, start a new savings plan, maybe put a $5 dollar bill in a jar every time I would have bought a pack of smokes. I bet I can do better than last year when I took all 3 bills out and bought cigarettes on January 5th.

No siree bob, not this year, this is going to be the year of Me. I will keep in contact with friends, reach out and touch someone more often, I will pay it forward, and let my inner self shine.

Just don’t turn on the news. It will try to disrupt all your plans, this year’s new normal pandemic response is the same as before, be careful, do this, don’t do that, stay home, stay safe. Well, if I can’t go out at least I can get groceries delivered or do curbside pick-up. And they won’t sell me cigarettes, but yaayy, they will sell me wine and beer. All is not lost. There is a light at the end of the tunnel. Or maybe it’s just a cork.

New Year, here I come! Let’s do it up right and celebrate our fresh make over.

Ok, so how can I get this party started. Well, if you are like many of us you already have a party planner, a perfect list maker, and someone to remind you of things you still need to do just waiting in the wings. No, I'm not talking about your spouse, I am talking someone less demanding, I am talking about an Alexa, or a Siri, or whatever you call your AI. Everybody has someone, if not on your countertop, it is on your phone.

I am going to call them all Alexa to make this simpler. The first step to organizing a party is creating a list; so, let’s do the food list first.

Alexa put wine on my shopping list, and oh yeah add some flip side pretzel crackers, some ritz crackers, and some cheese cubes. Next, I better decide who to invite, and what they like to eat and drink.

Damn, I really am a great host! Alexa, start a guest list and put Mark and Linda on it, and Tony and Kerri, and don’t let me forget Barb. Who else is still talking to me these days, and who will help make it memorable? Hay wait a minute, “It’s my party and I’ll cry if I want to” … holy cow! where did that come from, a flashback from1963. Maybe I should make this a theme party?

A 60’s era theme is great for most of my favorite songs, but the best part of having Alexa around is everybody can request a favorite song from your

Amazon music account. Moody Blues, Lovely to see you again my friend, Blood Sweat and Tears, Sometimes in Winter, and even Jump, by Van Halen. You heard it; she’s got it.

Another benefit is that Alexa can settle all the bets when alcohol remembers the words wrong.

Let’s quick jump back to the food list; if you have a Whole Foods market you can order direct through your Amazon account.


If not, you can order Walmart curbside pick-up. Use this link to see what is available at your store. Do I want any champaign for a toast, do I have napkins or festive plates, toothpicks for the mini sausages in BBQ sauce? You can keep adjusting the food list as you progress, keep in mind special dietary needs and allergies for each of your guests, no nuts, careful with the shellfish, and have some nondairy options available. You might want to include some sweets.

Planning ahead with your curated audible lists will put you at ease and give you the confidence to put on the perfect party.

I just remembered that you could ask Alexa to play on all your smart speakers so you can fill your whole house with music. Party on!

This is the basic plan for this coming New Year's Eve party, but you can use it to make plans for any occasion all year long.

Birthdays, Receptions, Anniversaries, Picnics, and yes just everyday chores.

Alexa will keep track of all your lists, you can set reminders of when things need to be done and add items to your weekly grocery list each time you realize you just ate the last pickle or get the ingredients to make your world-famous German Chocolate Cake. You can enable it so everybody can add to the list, just make sure to edit before ordering so you don’t get surprised. And the icing on this episode is you can add all the other things I forgot.

So, explore Amazon Music and


Click here to try the Unlimited plan free for 30 days

so you have every available tune for this party.

You can even add some more smart speakers with these links.

Order for your last-minute supplies

Search your store for Curbside pick-up 2 hours in advance.


I hope this gives you some food for thought. HaHaHa. Maybe encourage you to check out these ideas and see what you can come up with.


Thanks for reading and remember to share with a friend on Facebook.

And if you appreciate these stories, please click on coffee cup.







24 views0 comments

Commentaires


bottom of page