Some folks get the blues once the holiday festivities are finished. They feel blah with nothing but winter approaching. To alleviate that feeling, why not get a jump on your party plans for the next year.
Planning your theme parties in advance has lots of advantages. First, it saves you time when the actual event is approaching. You have lists, schedules, menus, and budgets all prepared. The biggest part of the party is the planning, and that will be already done for you. The second great advantage is with advanced planning comes more time to find just the right decorations, serving pieces, and prizes. What is even more beneficial is you can take advantage of sales by buying out of season or anytime you see a party supply for the following year.
First step is to take out one of the dozen calendars those businesses give out at the holidays. Next look through month by month and decide which holidays, birthdays, anniversaries, retirement's etc. you wish to host a theme party for and put a pencil checkmark on an appropriate date. Just use pencil since as the year continues, other things may cause plans to change or dates to be rearranged.
Get a clean notebook and label it your Theme Party Notebook. This along with your calendar will be your bible when preparing for the actual party. Once occasions are decided upon, then you can begin your lists. Feel free to plan theme parties for every possible occasion even if you decide to not host one then, you may have the raw materials in the way of lists for a different party or that one at a different time.
Make a section called Ideas and every time you go to a party and they do something especially fun or interesting, write it in your Idea section. Even if you just hear about a special event or way of decorating. Add it to this part of the notebook. Make a notation of where you saw it or heard it, what the occasion was, and details so you can reproduce it.
After you decide what theme parties you may give, make a section for each one. You can use dividers and a loose-leaf notebook or just allow several pages for each one in a regular spiral notebook. Your parties listed might include A Sweetheart Party for Valentines Day, Your daughter's Sixth birthday party with a Circus Theme, or your Teen's Sock hop party. You may have a Fourth of July Theme Picnic or an Over the Hills Party for your husband's next birthday.
