January is the Perfect Time to Throw a Party

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Host a party? What? You're partied out from the holidays? The holiday season might be over, but the loooong winter isn’t even close to being done. There are still several months of cold and possibly snow left before the first spring flowers appear and, after having so much to look forward to before, these long nights can feel even longer.

This is why January is the perfect time to throw a party. Sure, the holiday season is over but that’s no reason to subject yourself to social Siberia. A bit of snow and cold temps shouldn’t stand in the way of some good times and neither should your tightened purse strings. There are plenty of fun family party ideas that are cheap to host and fun to attend.

Movie Nights for Family and Friends

With so many streaming services these days, a movie night is one of the simplest parties to throw. All you need are a few snacks, drinks and throws to cuddle up in and you’re away. Pick N Mix is ideal for this sort of event as it’s pretty cheap and, let’s be honest, this is the most exciting part of any cinema trip anyway! Although, you might want to look into a better alternative than traditional dentures if you want to keep your teeth in place while you munch and chew!

Film nights are ideal for families and pretty much any Pixar film will keep everyone happy. However, you can easily adapt film night according to who you are entertaining. If you are hosting a group of young kids, making a fort around the TV will make the whole evening feel a little more magical. On the other hand, if you are hosting a group of your mates, you might prefer to go for some stand-up comedy that you wouldn’t normally get to watch with the kids around.

To add even more fun, you could ask your guests to dress up as a character from the film you are watching. This works really well if everyone is assigned a character ahead of time so that you don’t get everyone dressed up the same. Don’t forget to take a group picture at the start of the night when you are all looking at your peak!

Cocktail Shaking for Grown-ups and Kids

After the holiday season, most kitchens are left with a few half-drunk bottles of various spirits and other types of alcohol and juice. This is perfect for a cocktail/mocktail party. All you need to do is ask everyone to bring their leftovers and then work out which recipes you can make with what you’ve got. Alternatively, there are a few cheap cocktails that anyone can make and no-one will mind contributing to.

To make your cocktails, you will need plenty of ice and a shaker. The trick is to shake your cocktail until the condensation on the outside of the shaker is almost at the top - that’s when your cocktail is ready to be poured over fresh ice. If you don’t have a shaker, you can also make cocktails using jars. There are several recipes that are perfect for this and all you need to do is add a straw and you’re good to go!

Obviously, your kids will want to get involved and there are a variety of mocktail recipes kids will love. To make their drinks even more exciting, try adding a stirrer, a fun miniature umbrella or even a cocktail stick with their favorite sweets layered up. You can also buy edible glitter, which makes fizzy drinks look iridescent and, incidentally, looks amazing in sparkling wines too.

Host a Breakfast Party

Lots of people like to use January as an opportunity to rejuvenate their health and get into better habits. So, with this in mind, you might like to try hosting a breakfast party. This is a great option for those who have given up alcohol for the month but it’s also a lovely way to start the day.

For a breakfast party to work, you should make sure that you have a few options available. Just as you might go all out for a dinner party, a breakfast party deserves the same sort of attention. A continental breakfast is easy to assemble and you can put out covered plates of pastries, bagels and muffins the night before. Adding a fruit salad is a lovely touch and will give your table a touch of  color too.

Eggs are a natural breakfast choice and they are quick to cook in a variety of ways. Faux sous vide eggs are a really effective way of serving eggs and sneaking some veggies onto your kids’ plate too. They do take an hour to bake but once done, you can simply heap them onto a serving plate and let everyone dig in.

Drinks-wise, a large pot of tea or coffee is ideal but if you’re feeling a bit bolder, you might like to serve a pitcher of Bloody Marys with the food. Kids will want a few different juices to choose from and might insist on their favorite cereal instead of the magnificent spread you’ve put on. Top tip: go with them on this!

Fun Filled Times Ahead

Though January is often a disappointing month you have to get through, there are so many ideas you can use to bring people together. Indeed, some of the cheapest activities are also the most fun. If you have a range of board games or some brand new video games, a games night is the perfect excuse to work your way through them all. And even if you don't, games like Pictionary and charades are really easy to organize with just a pen and paper.

With lots of gloomy weather still ahead, put your minds together and come up with some creative parties to keep you entertained. At the basis of every party is some delicious food, a tasty drink and a group of friends and family. What you do is just an excuse to get the gang together, so don’t worry too much about perfect, just make sure you set a time to play.