by Jen B.

Created on: December 21, 2007

You go to the same New Year's party every year. You dress up, worrying about whether you will look better than your nemesis, who always manages to be one step ahead of you in the fashion world. Then, you dress up your husband, pleading with him to wear a tie. He refuses, complaining that dress shoes are more than enough. As you walk into the party, you're bombarded with silver streamers, confetti and 200X party favors. Your husband flees to the far corner of the room in front of a television playing a Bowl game with the other men drinking beer and brandy. He'll remain there until he's properly drunk. You transform from boring housewife to sophisticated social butterfly who everyone adores (at least, this is what you tell yourself). As the countdown begins, you manage to track down your husband and raise your glass. When it gets to zero, you plant a kiss on his mouth and tell him you're looking forward to another wonderful year.

Deep inside, you're missing something. A New Year party should represent a new beginning. You tell yourself this is the last year of the depressing - same old - nothing has changed - New Year celebration. What you need is to throw a theme party. Give the thought a second to digest. Yes, a theme party.

The New Year should encompass the good and bad of the past years and excite us for the years to come. A theme party can do just that. Particularly, couples of past and present bring enjoyment and humor back to the humdrum New Year celebration. Brad and Angelina, Bonny and Clyde, Jacquelyn and JFK, Marilyn and JFK, Tony and Jessica, Hillary and Bill. Do not just stop with the costumes. Play music from throughout the years and decorate different rooms as different decades. After it strikes twelve, do a resolution toast as if you were the person you dressed up as. JFK resolves to stop cheating on Jacquelyn. Angelina promises not to have another child for at least two years. While couples' themes are fun, choose any theme you desire. Pick your favorite decade and have guests dress accordingly. Throw a masquerade ball. Have a fifties casino theme with different card games in each room (play money, of course) and woman dressed as casino girls and men as gambling sharks. A boring New Years should no longer cause you angst.

Okay, so it is expensive and a lot of work. You're right. Go ahead and have another tiresome New Year. Or, cut down on your spending for a few months and throw the New Year's party that you have been waiting for and that others will be talking about for years to come. Happy New Year!

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