Party Talk

Happy November from the Party Girl

It’s getting to that busy time of year. Shopping, partying, shopping, partying, shopping, partying—what’s a person to do? Hopefully the shopping will work off some of the calories from partying, but don’t count on that too much. I say party ‘til the cows come home and then worry about it.

Besides the obvious holidays like Veterans Day and Thanksgiving (you know, those “real” holidays when we get no mail), there are other events (like Sandwich Day on November 3^th, or the Anniversary of the King Tut Tomb Discovery on November 4^th) that you’ll find in our Stuff to Celebrate Calendar, perfect for planning a party if you’re like the Party Girl and never ever want to do anything “run of the mill.”

On the other hand, Turkey Day is a MUST but don’t let that put a crimp in your creativity. Like who’s to say you can’t use your Thanksgiving Day dinner to celebrate National Peanut Butter Lovers’ Month? Or National Learn Chinese Month? Huh? I can see the menus now!

And before your guests arrive, read “Ten Ways to Get Thanksgiving Guests to Leave” to perfect your Thanksgiving Day celebration. Then…why not turn Thanksgiving leftovers into a party for friends NOT family on the Friday night following? (Read this post in the Daily Party Dish, and you’ll know why!)

Last but not least, don’t forget to have fun. Decorate yourself and your friends. Reach out to those less fortunate. Volunteer at a local shelter, feed the homeless, collect toys and clothes for kids. And stay in the holiday spirit.  Until those cows come home!!

10 Ways to Get Thanksgiving Guests to Leave

Sure, sure, it seemed like a great idea when you invited all those wonderful folks to eat turkey and watch the football game. You know you've planned everything perfectly, too, right? The turkey will be juicy and the stuffing, well, even Aunt Rosalia will compliment you on the stuffing and she never says a nice thing about anyone!

You cleaned all day yesterday, you prepped all night last night and you cooked all day today. You pulled out the special china, tablecloth and linen napkins and inspected each. You set the table, got on your hands and knees to extricate those platters from the back of the cupboard below the sink, and to top it off, you had to dismantle the insides of a turkey and fill it back up again before you put it in the oven.

You waited on the multitudes before dinner, during dinner and after dinner. You even put on a happy face during dessert, and never said a thing when little Johnnie wiped his chocolate chip pumpkin-pie covered hands on the new curtains in the great room (just a few minutes after he gave the dog the wishbone).

So what are you worried about?

Well, if you are like 62.79% of the people who will open their homes to friends and family on this wonderful day, there is one little worry lurking in the back of your cerebellum: how the heck will you get them to leave before the clock strikes… well, add 8 hours to whatever time they arrived!

So here is the Party Girl's Top Secret Strategy Guide for your use in solving that age-old problem: the Guest Who Won't Go Home.

10. Bring out an old slide projector and two really dusty crates, the dustier the better. Begin to set up portable screen like the ones your parents watched filmstrips on in junior high school, and announce brightly: "Look what I found! Slides from our trip to Mall of America when Megan's Girl Scout troop won the cookie sale in 1984!"

9. Dim the lights and pop in a "Barney" videotape.

8. Ask which version of the Bach Mass in B Minor each remaining guest prefers: the Otto Klemperer version and the Herbert von Karajan version. Insist that you will play both of them so they can make an informed choice.

7. Using a loud whisper, ask one guest (preferably someone with a medical background, like a data entry manager at a health insurance company): "Would you terribly mind looking at Thurston's throat for me? I think he may have a tiny bit of strep…" Thurston should then start coughing.

6. Ask them to "quick, get the stains out of the tablecloth" and hand them a stain stick, some Lestoil, and a laundry brush while pointing to the basement.

5. Grab a handful of flatware in one hand and a bunch of disgusting rags in the other and say: "OK, who will help me polish the silver so we can put it away?"

4. Put on your coat and grab a bag of trash from the kitchen saying, "Who wants to help me run these bags over to the dumpster behind the supermarket so those darn skunks don't come back again?"

3. Arrange with a co-conspirator to repeatedly flush the toilet and make disgusting noises in the nearest lavatory. Rush to your guests and ask: "Does anyone happen to have syrup of ipecac with them?"

2. Take a service platter and place it on the floor for the dog. Make sure everyone notices. If people don't notice, ask one of the guests whether he's seen the puppy. Confide that the puppy is just like a member of the family when it comes to sopping up that last lick of gravy. Ask them to dislodge the wishbone from the dog's throat.

1. Bring your foot soaker/massager into the living room and plug it in. Ask them to rub your feet and hand them the rubbing alcohol.

 

Select the strategy that will best fits your particular situation, have your props carefully stored in a box in your closet, and before you know it, you'll be waving goodbye at the front steps to the last of 'em!!

Technology, isn’t it grand?

 

There’s a new process available that let’s you give guests chocolate photo favors! Just imagine a combination of delicious milk chocolate and a picture of the guest(s) of honor presented in a unique and edible fashion. There are plenty of product selections available but here are our favorites for the holiday season.

A Chocolate Ornament Hang this gorgeous ornament on your Holiday Tree this season! Surprise your family and friends with one of these. A highly personalized treat.

Chocolate Party Favors   Your guests won’t forget these tasty treats. With four shapes (heart, round, square and star) you can pick a style and picture that are perfect for your event. Pricing is good also.

Lollipops This is the best seller. With over 1 ounce of chocolate and your very personal graphic we see why. There’s even a Jumbo  version available. What fun!

The ordering process is easy. The product is different and fun. Pricing is good. These chocolate favors get the Party Girl seal of approval.

What to Do with Thanksgiving Leftovers?

Have A Potluck Party!

It's November. Which means it's the beginning of the holiday season--starting with Thanksgiving. Every Thanksgiving, we bring together our families and friends and share a full day of feasting and fun. But when it's all said and done, there's a lot to be packed away in the fridge come evening!

So, the Party Girl (that's me) has a great idea. Why not take the Friday night after Thanksgiving and make it into a Pot Luck Party for the friends you didn't get to see on Thursday? Most people spend the day with their families, and believe me, by Friday we're all ready to blow off some steam, aren't we?

Since it is Thanksgiving, you may want to come up with a way for you and your friends to feed and shelter the homeless. I know it sounds trite, but it is a good, caring thing to do. Possibly have people bring canned goods, gently worn clothing, and other needed goods. Take the food stuff and make baskets to be delivered. It's a thought.

If it's on or if you can rent the DVD, watch "The Charlie Brown Thanksgiving" special. Everyone will thank you for it.

See our full list of what Party411.com offers this Thanksgiving so you can decorate your home, your family and friends as well as your table! There are loads of Thanksgiving and Football watching party stuff…(use it now, use it New Year's Day and use it at your Super Bowl party) so have fun!

From the Elf Olympics to a Christmas Farm...

We love putting together a holiday party at Party411.com! We designed this Christmas party for a group of about 300 parents and kids, with the focus on the kids! (We, of course, had plenty of food to keep the parents entertained)

 

Guests entered through a sea of flags from around the world with lifesize cutouts of Santas from around the world (that we made, of course). After passing all the Santas, they found a sea of Christmas trees covered in little toys and candy treats for the kids as well as a larger than life display of a toy bin with toys that were really jumbo Mylar balloons!

 

Santa greeted guests in two themed areas. They got to meet Santa, get a picture with the big guy and then he gave each child a personalized holiday candy bar.

 

The kids played games surrounded by the Elf Olympics and a Christmas Farm, complete with a barn display, animal cutouts and lots of fake snow. We set up a kids train on a track (you can rent these from a variety of companies!) that drove through the Olympics scene. The kids loved the ride and the fun scenery they saw on their “trip”.

 

It was a very Merry Christmas for these guests!

November is…

National American Indian Heritage Month - In honor of Native Americans, host a "First Thanksgiving Meal", featuring some of the foods served in 1621, when the Plymouth colonists and the Wampanoag Indians enjoyed an autumnal feast. Through cooperation and collaboration, they dined on geese, turkey, lobster, cod, duck, and venison with a host of side dishes made of Indian corn and assorted fruits. Go ahead - prepare your main dish and make your own cornbread, whip up your own butter (just put buttermilk in a jar and shake it till it turns to butter), make fruit compote, bake apple and pumpkin pies, dress as Pilgrims and Indians and have yourselves an old fashioned Thanksgiving! The kids can get into the spirit, too. Have them paint paper grocery bags with Native American designs and wear them as vests by cutting a vertical slit down the front, armholes in the gussets, and fringe at the bottom.

November  3rd is Sandwich Day - This is the birthday of John Montague, Fourth Earl of Sandwich, the man credited with inventing the sandwich (hence its name). How did he come to invent this popular food? He devised this nourishing food model as an effort to save time so he could focus his full attention on his 24-hour gambling junket - and we've enjoyed the sandwich ever since! Timesaving and delicious "sandwiches for everyone" at your next Casino Night Party!

November 4th is the Anniversary of the King Tut Tomb Discovery - Celebrate one of the greatest archaeological discoveries ever! Tutankhamen became pharaoh of Egypt at the tender age of nine and died at nineteen. His royal tomb was discovered intact 3000 years after his death and the relics may be seen in Egypt's National Museum in Cairo.Tut! Tut! It's Party Time! Go ahead - invite your friends to walk, talk, and dress like an Egyptian!

November 11th is Veterans Day - Formerly known as "Armistice Day", this patriotic holiday memorializes veterans who have served their country. Many people observe silent memorial at the 11th hour of the11th day of the 11th month. Generally celebrated with parades and speeches, have your own patriotic celebration with help from our guide!

See more Stuff to Celebrate for November, or take a sneak peek at December!

Tell me about yourself!

This post is an open forum to let us get to know each other! Who am I? I'm the Party Girl, Sherri Foxman!  Author, Humorist, Internet Entrepreneur, Professional Special Event Planner, Columnist, Talk Show Guest, I've been on the special event scene nationally and locally for more than 15 years. Currently, I am the Founder and Chief Creative Officer of Party411.com.

Enough about me!  Let's talk about you! Who are you?  What do you love about party planning? What would you like to see on Party Talk?

Leave me a comment so I can get to know you better!