The Virtual Caterer
MISS TVC's HINT PARADE
December, 1998

New Year's Eve

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• Plan early and mail invitations at least 21 days before the party. Be sure that the invitaions indicate if the party is casual, dinner, cocktail or formal.
  
  
• Be sure your guests know what to expect. For example:
  Evening cocktails, midnight celebration
  After midnight breakfst buffet.
  
  
• Let your budget be your guide as to how extravagant you get. But! serve only the best. It is better to limit the choices than to have a wide array of poor quality food and beverages.
  
  
• At the stroke of midnight, serve bubbly: Spumonte, Cordon Negron, Champagne and, of course, sparkling cider or sparkling grape for an alcohol alternative.
  
  
• Pay attention to detail!
  1.) Write down all of your ideas.
  2.) Make two lists. One list is of everything you need to prepare. Every food, drink and decoration. Then, cross off everything you have. The second list is of everything you need to do. It is most helpful if you prepare a daily chart from now until 6:00 p.m. of party day.
  
  
• If you are serving a buffet, make it interesting! Hot, cold, light, dark, soft, hard, creamy, crunchy, spicy, mild, meat, vegetable. Serve foods at different heights. Place bricks or other heavy flat objects at different levels on the table. Cover with an oversized tablecloth and place foods on the different levels for an appealing visual effect.
  
  
• Use candles of different lengths and sizes in large groupings; silver and crystal trays and bowls; fresh flowers and greenery; eucalyptus along the tops of large furniture, over doorways and on mantels. Eucalyptus will scent the air and also absorb smoke and odors.
  Drape miniature white Christmas lights in the branches of tall interior trees and plants (eg. ficus) or woven into greenery along stair rails and mantels. Weave lighting in and around foods on the buffet.
  
  
• Decorate your foyer or entrance area with flowers, greenery, wired ribbon, etc. and have the same ingredients at the food area for continuity.
  
  
• Program music on cassettes or cds to last the entire party. Begin with an easy listening, softer music for the first hour (perhaps Mannheim Steamroller), move into a jazz or R&B for the second hour, a livlier slightly louder mix of music for the remainer of the party with music reverting back to a slow, easy listening approximately a half-hour before the last guest should leave. This sudden change in music is a gracious way to let guests know the party is over.
  
  
• At approximately 11:30, get out a tray mounded up with premium fresh stawberries and a bowl of whipped cream. Of course, the ultimate would be to also have a fondue pot full of hot melted dipping chocolate. The taste of strawberry and chocolate is magnificent with the bubbly about to be served at midnight.
  
  
• Keep an eye on the clock! They should all have been checked for accuracy and synchronized before the party began.
  
  In the foyer have a bowl, or basket, full of fancy eye masks. Enough for all guests. Hand them out as each guest arrives.
  
  Along with each glass of midnight bubbly, hand each guest a noise maker or paper "cracker".
  
  
• The hour has arrived! Make a toast to the future--drink--kiss--make noise...
  
  ENJOY!