My favorite New Year’s Eve hack? Noise canceling headphones, because I go to bed at 10pm.
But, if you’re more fun than I am, you’re likely either planning a rockin’ party and looking for tips, or you can’t wait to have a few friends over for wine and football, or you’ve not planned anything yet, and we are going to talk you into it.
- If you want to have a fabulous party but don’t want to stay up late, make it a “London 2020” event and ring in the New Year at 6pm. You can stream or download archived celebrations from around the world at EarthCam.com and time them for any hour.
- Ask your party guests to bring 2020 calendars and have a swap meet. For extra kicks, make sure they fill in important birthdays or notes so everyone will remember your party all year.
- Year-round hack for the ladies: If you know you are a diva in those 4-inch heels but don’t look forward to the pain of dancing on them for hours, tape your third and fourth toes together. These two toes share a nerve that can become strained when the toes are separated, which can happen when you’re pushing on them for a while. If your shoes are open-toe, I’d recommend clear medical tape, or zazz it up with coordinating colors of duct tape. You can extend the fun, or be less sore in the morning.
- It’s Texas, so New Year’s Eve is just as likely to be not-cold as it is to be dark. Use frozen grapes to keep white wine chilled. To freeze grapes, rinse and dry them. Spread them out on something flat so they aren’t touching. Put them in your freezer for four to five hours — they start to lose flavor after that.
P.S. – If you can’t find the corkscrew for your wine, twist a household screw into the center, slide between the tines of a dinner fork—face up—and press down against the bottle’s lip for leverage. - Don’t forget to create a few signature “mocktails” for the designated drivers.
- If it does get cold, and you want to stay outside, you can turn clay pots into cheap tabletop space heaters. To save space, I’ll just tell you to search “Clay Pot Heater” on YouTube.
- Red Solo Cups… they’re not just *in* a song, they also make great amplifiers to hear music. Drop your phone in one (make sure it’s empty!) for a great sound boost.
- If you don’t have fancy chafing dishes and Sterno, wrap a brick in a few layers of aluminum foil, put in a 200° oven for 20 minutes, and put your dishes on top to keep them warm on the buffet.
- Look cool… make sure you call the little wire cage around the top of the champagne bottle a “muselet”. That’s it’s real name.
- Near midnight, work up your best Barbara Walters impersonation and tell everyone… “This… is 20-20.”
- When it’s time for cleanup, vacuum up 2-3 teaspoons of cinnamon first. The heat from the motor will leave a nice aroma behind when you’re done.
- While we’re on pretty smells, dump whole coffee beans in a large bowl and partially bury tea light candles in the top. Light and enjoy for a lot less cost than jar candles.