1. Host a Plant Swap Party
This is a great party to host during the dreariest days of winter, when everyone could use a little cheer in the form of a green friend or two. Encourage each guest to bring over or purchase a small plant that could use a new home. Line all of them up on a spare table, and then allow guests to draw numbers and take turns picking which plant they’d like to adopt. Once the swap is over, help your friends come up with names for their new plant babies and munch on plant-based snacks, like kale chips and veggie dips.
2. Celebrate the Decades
A new year is an excellent time to throw it back to decades past. Encourage friends to dress up in their favorite decade-specific attire (think flared jeans, peasant tops, poodle skirts, flapper dresses, you name it) and enjoy a playlist full of hits from the 1920s to today. Set out snacks that remind you of specific eras (lots of candy stores have great throwback selections!) and dance the night away.
3. Put on a Fashion Show
Grab your girlfriends and invite everyone over for a makeshift fashion show. Each guest will bring a handful of items they’re considering parting with and model them one last time to say a proper goodbye (the more outdated the items, the funnier this will be). Then change back into normal clothes, toss everything into a donation bin, and celebrate making progress toward your closet clean-out! Don’t forget to blast a killer playlist.
4. Plan a Crafternoon
Grab a few craft-loving friends and spend a cozy day indoors making whatever creations your hearts desire. Have everyone bring a few basic materials—such as a blank canvas or two and some paint or a set of pastels—and go to town creating your own abstract art or motivational signs for the home office. No worries if you’re not a Picasso, the fun is all in the memory making here.
5. Host an Indoor Picnic
By no means are picnics just for hot summer days. If the weather outside doesn’t look promising, why not host a picnic indoors? Push furniture aside to create space for a picnic blanket in your living room. Provide basics like wine, lemonade, and sandwiches, then ask everyone to bring a sharable side dish or two and dig in! Set up speakers or bring a deck of cards like you would if you were hitting the park.
6. Have a Dessert Tasting Party
Admit it: You’ve been wanting to try every single menu item at that new bakery since the day it opened. Well, now you have an excuse to treat yourself and pick up one of everything—by having a dessert tasting party with a group of friends, of course! This also makes for the perfect excuse to bust out all of those cute little plates you’ve been storing in your cupboard. You can even take things to the next level by removing all packaging to have a “blind” tasting (just make sure no one in your group has food allergies!) and filling out scorecards to reflect your preferences.
7. Write Cards for a Cause
Many nonprofits accept handmade greeting cards to hand out to hospital patients, the elderly, veterans, and other groups of people who could use a little love and encouragement. Make this a group activity by hosting friends for an afternoon of card-making and letter writing. It’s a great way to catch up and appreciate the smaller things in life while doing good. You can even write surprise cards to each of your guests for them to open up later at home.
