You can host a low-cost and entertaining evening in your own home by planning a movie night. The slow economy has meant high ticket prices and baby sitter costs are all expenses to avoid if at all possible. If you organize your event around a theme it will be even more fun. Pick a date well in advance so your friends and family can reserve it for your party. Then purchase a highly-recommended movie or reserve it at your local video store.
If you have chosen a western film, you can send out invitations shaped like a straw bale, cowboy hat or rail fence. You can either design them yourself or purchase them from several online outlets or at a party place at your local mall. Your guests will get into the spirit of the west by wearing any western gear that they have – it shouldn’t be expected that anyone will feel they need to go out and purchase an expensive outfit. A colourful neckerchief or a western hat is totally acceptable. Name tags shaped as sheriff’s badges are a cute addition. Offer guests a bandana as they arrive.
You can also cut out cacti or horse figures and stick to the wall. Decorating your plant pots with paisley neckerchiefs and using western-theme table accessories, such as an old-style coffee pot picked up at a garage sale or second-hand store, will add to the ambience. A toy department will likely have some inexpensive spurs and plastic horses to add to the décor. Try the dollar store for some items to help you set the scene without spending a lot.
In addition to the popcorn that every movie night requires, you can have a crock pot of chilli or stew on the kitchen counter, with some biscuits you made yourself. Hot Dogs and baked beans are other great additions. Or, if it’s strictly an evening occasion, you can stick to chips and cheezies, with a healthy plate of fruit and veggies cut up into finger food sized portions.
Other ideas for theme parties are Mardi Gras, Hawaiian, Hollywood stars, Fifties retro, or Parisian. There are movies suitable for each of these ideas and with a little creativity and ingenuity you can provide low-cost easy-to-make invitations and party favours for each idea.
If you are inviting families with children, you may want to have some age-appropriate activities planned for the kids. Set up a separate area where they can play away from the movie action, so the adults can watch undisturbed. It’s a good idea to enlist the help of some older children who can supervise and amuse the youngsters. Hopefully you have a quiet room where very young children can be put down to sleep later in the evening.
You can plan some additional fun activities for your party too. If you have a Mardi Gras theme, you can play Spoon the Balloon or Carnival Caps. If your theme is western, you can simulate a gold digging operation with a little sand in a shallow box, some toy shovels, and some previously-seeded polished stones and coins. Another neat idea is to ask someone who is a square dancer to attend and teach a little do-si-do.
If movies aren’t your favourite thing, you can plan a theme party around any special occasion. Your child’s graduation, a 16th birthday, Canada Day, Cinquo de Mayo, or a wedding anniversary, are all good reasons to get together for a fun evening.
Whatever you choose, plan it well in advance. Let your creative side explore some neat ideas, and you will find yourself hosting entertaining and enjoyable events that will have your guests and family asking “when’s the next party?”
