Make sure you make time for friends and family this year by hosting a party every month. That should serve as a valid excuse to get together and remind yourselves what life is all about. From April to December, we have come up with party ideas to bring to life into your home. Consider allowing someone else to host the evening each month, keeping it easy, fair and convenient.
Once you’ve sorted out the kids on Easter Sunday and put them to bed, it is time for the adults to come out and play. Each family member or friend must bring a bottle of wine – an Easter egg tied to its neck – and a torch. Each person takes a turn to hide their ‘Easter Egg’ in the garden. Once everyone has successfully hidden their prize, its time to flick on your torches and start the hunt. Whomever collects the most bottles of wine and eggs is the winner! Then, its open the wines, unwrap the Easter eggs and get the real party started!
Set the scene with Italian music in the background. Form a production line for everyone to create their own favourite. Fill your pizza base with fresh tomato sauce, grated cheddar, grated mozzarella, crispy bacon bits, ham, salami, cut pineapple, chopped green peppers, sliced mushrooms and anything else that comes to mind. Everyone will be jostling and joking and probably trying out the most obscure combinations, especially when enjoying it with their favourite tipple. One thing is certain: It will be a jolly time for everyone.
Set out an array of delicious cheeses, including old favourites like Mature Cheddar, Brie, Camembert and Blue Cheese. Garnish the cheese board with a selection of grapes, walnuts and almonds and perhaps some olives. Of course, a variety of crackers and slices of fresh bread will finish off the display beautifully.
Get all your friends to bring their favourite bottle of wine and ask them to do a small presentation before you pair them with the cheese. Everyone is guaranteed to have the best time with their favourite pairing – it can’t get better than cheese and wine!
The practice of celebrating Christmas in July has become a worldwide phenomenon. And, what better time to celebrate Christmas all over again than when its freezing cold outside and there’s a roaring fire inside? Decorate the table with candles and enjoy roasted turkey and all the yuletide trimmings. Think Chipolata sausages, sage and onion stuffing, roast potatoes and vegetables. Put up some decorations, play Christmas music and have a Secret Santa. Surely, this celebration will keep you going until the real Christmas comes around in December.
Choose a lazy August day to get together and simply vibe out. There should be no make up in sight, only fuzzy slippers and your cosiest set of pyjamas. Set up a hot chocolate station with marshmallows, biscuits, popcorn and other snacks sure to be a hit amongst your guests. Decide on which movie to put on while having the best time. In addition, you can also bring the cards out for a game of Rummy or Go Fish. Build forts, drag mattresses into the living room and, if you’re up for it, go all out and have a pillow fight! It is an evening that will leave you even more grateful for your friends than ever.
A couple of blenders and plenty of ice and you’re ready to go! Ask your guests to bring the ingredients for their favourite cocktails and let them take turns to whisk up their tipples. It could be a Classic Margarita, Strawberry Daiquiri or a Signature Creation – the choices are endless! A cocktail night is bound to be loads of fun. Just be sure to take an Uber (or a Wanatu) that night!
Halloween is the perfect excuse to host an epic gathering with family and friends. In fact, scary costumes, festive games, spooky decorations and good music will make your event the best one yet. Transform your home into a giant carved pumpkin with themed snacks and drinks. Make sure everyone is on the same page when it comes to the dress code for this night out and be creative. We want to see fabulous ghosts in heels, eight-legged spiders in suits and runaway brides in repurposed wedding dresses!
Bring the classic board game of Cluedo to life with a Masters of Mystery’s at-home party kit. Everyone can chip in to purchase the game kit, while the host takes on the responsibility of setting everything up. Included in the game kit are costume suggestions and invitations to make the entire evening one to remember. Participants enter the room and are given the plot, detective audio and video files, evidence, character booklets and more. Spend the evening solving the murder mystery amongst yourselves – a guaranteed night of laughter, moments of suspicion, puzzle pieces clicking into place and working together (or against each other). Most importantly, it will be an evening filled with memories that will last a lifetime.
December is not only the hottest month of the year, but also the most festive of them all. Spend the first Saturday of the holiday season outside with friends and family. Play pool games or just float on an inflatable lilo and chill for the entirety of the afternoon and evening. Stoke the fires for a typical South African braai and let the aromas of boerewors and chops fill the air. Splash around, pop open your favourite bottle of whiskey or wine and play your favourite tunes for the best relaxing start to December.
Now you are set with parties to host every month! Keeping in touch and interacting with the people closest to you is what makes life worth living. Don’t get caught up in the business of it all. Find time to slow down and celebrate friendship and love.
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