We all wish that every party would go off without a hitch. But life is messy. Food gets burned, guests are less than stellar, and, occasionally, some sort of mysterious entity descends on your town and you can’t go outside without being blindfolded or you’ll turn into a maniac and die.
Point being, stuff happens. When it does, it can be tempting to fall apart, throw in the towel and assume the party you’ve put so much love and work into is ruined. It’s not perfect anymore, so what’s the point?
But even when things go wrong at your New Year’s Eve party, it’s still worth continuing. Like life itself, your kicker can be perfectly imperfect. Those “on the fly” improvs sometimes often become our favorite, strangest, most exhilarating moments. The ones that we remember forever. It’s all about keeping your cool and navigating whatever the party Gods throw at you. So, here’s our guide to the disasters that often happen when throwing an NYE party (using movies that feature each scenario) and how to get past them. With a few tips, you’ll never remember the challenges, just the incredible feeling of a night that exceeded all of your expectations.
A 127 Hours Nightmare
You’ve picked foods that tie you to the kitchen and now you can’t escape.
THE PROBLEM: Sometimes you think things will take less prep than they do or you try to do too much when throwing a party. Now, you’re stuck for the entire party in the kitchen over a hot stove, only getting to chat when someone takes pity on you. “Am I the host or a caterer?” you start to wonder.
THE FIX: This is an easy solution, truly. It’s your party! When people ask to help, let them! Have them chop up veggies or pass out drinks or whatever you need. It will make things go faster and be more fun. And then, don’t be afraid to abandon literally anything. One dish is way too complicated? Kill it. Throw out the baby with the bathwater and set out some simpler things and enjoy yourself. Quit being the bartender and toss some wine on a table that people can help themselves to. If you’re not having fun at all while hosting, let some of those responsibilities go.
A Die Hard Event
Your party is being hijacked by a friend’s drama.
THE PROBLEM: Two of your friends hate each other and it’s causing divisions in the group. Or your best friend and his girlfriend are fighting. Or you have that one acquaintance who always bursts into tears and makes everyone comfort them. Whatever it is, suddenly the party isn’t about the New Year, it’s about all the gossip that’s arising out of it.
THE FIX: This can be tricky. Look, to start with, you don’t HAVE to invite everyone you know to everything. If they aren’t fun at a party and tend to ruin things, they don’t get an invite everywhere — that’s part of being an adult. You don’t have to invite your entire third-grade class to your roller skating birthday anymore.
Still, if drama comes up anyway, don’t get involved. Avoid picking sides — though you can ask the fighters to curb it if anyone is making a public display. And if a conflict is coming out of drunkeness, ask that they leave. Again, we’re adults now, it shouldn’t be expected that people can just make a scene and not be asked to go home. (Caveats here if someone’s physical safety is in jeopardy.)
A This is the End Apocalypse
You run out of drinks early. Chaos ensues.
THE PROBLEM: It happens. You didn’t buy enough booze, food, 16th-century sleeping potions etc. And only half the party is asleep!
THE FIX: If someone hasn’t arrived yet, ask them to pick up what you need. Most people are happy to be given a job or contribute something. Offer to pay them back, but you may not even need to. Or hand off a credit card and ask someone to run out. Again, they’ll probably be happy to. But if neither of those things feels like an option, it’s okay to run out of sleeping potion or whatever. It’s okay to say, “We’re out of appetizers but feel free to make yourself a sandwich with the stuff we have in the fridge if you’re starving.” Or, “We don’t have any more liquor, help yourself to a beer.” Or even, “We ran out of booze, there’s water.”
People might leave. That’s fine. Or, alternately, you can all decide to move the party to a dive bar once you’re tapped out. People get it, especially if they arrive late, and it most likely means your shindig has been a raging good time so far.
A Neighbors Situation
You’ve got lame neighbors who complain about every little thing.
THE PROBLEM: It sucks to feel like you’re living in a dorm again, being shushed or reprimanded for having a few friends over. Lousy neighbors who expect quiet time after six every day (even on the weekends) are the worst. But it doesn’t mean you can’t ever have a party.
THE FIX: You have to… wait for it….be nice.
And yes, it’s usually that simple. If you and your neighbors have been having conflicts and disagreements, you’re both probably being set off way easier than you normally would be. And, most likely, you both would rather get along. So try to start fresh. Bring the edgy neighbor a holiday present, bake cookies and drop them by, chat….just make an effort. Apologize, even if they are totally being ridiculous. And don’t just throw the party without letting them know. Knock on the door with a gift and let them know you’re having a few people over that night, but you really want to be respectful. Suggest that they can call or text if things get too loud, but that there might be a little noise and you hope that’s okay. Open up a dialogue that makes them feel heard.
“I know in the past, parties have been annoying for you. Is there anything I can do to make it less of an inconvenience?” It may be that something specific, like a friend who parked behind them once or their doorbell being accidentally rung often really bothers them. You can promise to tell guests specifically not to ring the bell or to park on the street.
Some people are literally the worst, but most of the time, we give up on being kind to these difficult neighbors ourselves and the problem only escalates. It will make everyone happier to come up with a reasonable solution and that starts with you making an effort.
The Footloose Party Poopers
Nobody is dancing and your music is awesome, what gives?.
THE PROBLEM: Look, sometimes you get an idea of a party in your head and anything else feels like a disappointment. I planned a dance party, “A DANCE PARTY! WHY IS NO ONE DANCING???”
THE FIX: The biggest advice we can give: Try to relax and let the waves of the party carry you where they’re going to go. Everyone will have more fun that way.
If your heart is absolutely set on a certain outcome — like a dance party — make your theme super clear in the invitation. That way, everyone will come with an expectation to dance, dress up, do a gift exchange etc. With dancing, be flexible with your music. Your stuff not pulling people into the center? Ask someone else to jump on and play DJ for a bit, ask for crowd suggestions. Dim the lights and then get out there yourself! It may feel a little dumb getting out and dancing by yourself, but no one wants to be the first out there, so who better than you, the host who everyone knows and loves? You’ll probably pull a few friends into the song and, with any luck, the scene will snowball.
That’s all you can do. If those tips fail, let it go. It might happen later, it might happen not at all. But you gave it a shot, now enjoy the party!
A Wedding Crashers Scenario
You pretend to be something you’re not and it all falls apart at the end.
THE PROBLEM: A party you throw should be reflective of you! And sure, you can always up your game a little and elevate the experience, but your friends are there because they like your vibe. So pretending you’re a gourmet cook and trying to do a meal that’s overly complicated (when you don’t know what you’re doing) will most-likely end up poorly. So will organizing a game night because it sounds good in theory when you hate that kind of thing.
Why put yourself through that sort of torture?
THE FIX: As you plan a party, think of themes, activities, music, etc. that will fit who you are and what you’re most comfortable executing.
This isn’t about projecting an image. It’s about ringing in the New Year in your own style! And remember, you can always abandon anything you planned. An appetizer too hard and making you feel stressed? Who needs it, cut up some cheese! Throw out a bowl of chips. An activity you planned feels like it would be hard to execute because everyone is enjoying catching up? You don’t need it. Go with the flow and do what feels right.
A Superbad Dilemma
You drank too much out of nervousness. Now, you’re sloppy.
THE PROBLEM: There’s so much preparation and work that goes into throwing the perfect shindig, that occasionally the stress can lead to you drinking a little too much to take the edge off. That can lead to some embarrassment.
THE FIX: A few things will prevent this scenario. Avoid having any drinks while getting ready, cleaning up, cooking, etc. You have a long night ahead of you, better to be clear-headed and pace yourself. Wait to pour a drink until after the first guest arrives.
Remember to eat! As the host, it’s easy to be so wrapped up in making food and getting others to eat that you can forget to take a moment to eat yourself. Grab a plate and eat, even if it’s while standing and talking. An empty stomach is a surefire way to get tipsy without meaning to. And remember to drink a glass of water or soda in between every drink. It will give you something to do without constant alcohol being involved.
If you do find yourself a little overserved, don’t pick up any dishes or glasses (that will lead to possibly breaking things) — tell guests to leave them where they are or carry them to the sink, you’ll clean up tomorrow! And sit down, you don’t want to look wobbly. Sit in a spot, smile, chat and chug water (people will likely just think you’re taking a well-deserved hosting break and relaxing a bit). In an hour or two, you’ll be feeling better and can rejoin the festivities.
And remember, you may be nervous about things going well, but we promise people give you more leeway and credit than you give yourself. Nothing has to be perfect, people will have a great time. You don’t need to drink to be fun, come on, you’re Mclovin’, a 25-year-old organ donor from Hawaii, you’ve got this.
The Clue Bummer
All your guests keep getting murdered.
Probably the most common issue of all, one by one, every one of your New Year’s Eve guests has disappeared and ends up dead. Ugh.
First, don’t panic. We’ve all been there! It’s certainly not because of your hosting skills (unless you’re the murderer, we guess). Stay calm, buddy up, and have a set of emergency flashlights to hand out so when the lights go black (as they will several times over the course of the night), no one can murder their buddy!
The most important thing you can do is investigate with a clear head and stop using any of your secret passageways, those are like murder catnip. You’ll catch that killer before dessert, and all will be forgiven by whoever is left once they taste your banana cream pie. Have fun!
