Decorating a Low-Impact New Year’s Party

One of the biggest shames of our modern, commerce-dominated world is that holidays that began as ways to take stock and appreciate the people and good fortune in our lives have become pressure-cookers, with everyone feeling like they have to throw perfect, large-scale parties and invite everyone in the universe to them.

A rebellion is afoot, however, as the trend for New Year’s Eve and Day parties is to slow down, trim the guest list, and keep things casual. Instead of trying to copy films and TV shows where characters seem to routinely hire string quartets and champagne fountains for their New Year’s soirées, it’s best to keep things simple: A few friends, a few drinks, some easy finger foods (don’t even think about turning on the oven) and some holiday-appropriate music. The only other thing you need are some simple New Year’s decorations – the less work and expense, the better. Here’s how to do it all the easy and inexpensive way.

Go Minimal

The first rule of New Year’s Eve decorating is to keep it simple. This isn’t Mardi Gras; elegance and restraint are the tones you’re looking for. That means taking a less is more attitude – in every aspect of your decorations:

• Easy – forget anything that requires electricity, installation, or cleanup. Stick with a few simple things in every room.
• Color – the classic New Year’s color palette is silver and gold, with a dash of black for pop. Stay in this vicinity, but get creative if you’re feeling it.

Have Fun

Just because you’re trying to have a grown-up, elegant evening doesn’t mean you can’t have a little fun. Paper hats and cheap plastic noisemakers are a lot of fun, especially at midnight after a few glasses of champagne, and can add pops of color to the whole scene.

In fact, using party hats and noisemakers throughout the rooms as your decorating props is a great way to bring color and a sense of fun to your party – and then at midnight they double up as useful implements.

Forget Confetti

The goal here is that your decorating be low-impact – on you. That means not waking up the next day with a mess that requires a team of people to clean up. While balloons and confetti might be fun for approximately thirty seconds at midnight, they won’t seem so fun in the cold light of New Year’s Day when you have to spend the whole morning hunting down confetti that has invaded every corner and crevice in every room.

As with most other holidays and holiday-related parties, the whole point is to spend some time with the people who are important to you, take a moment to contemplate where you’ve been and what you’ve done, and another moment to look forward to what you will do – which shouldn’t include cleaning up and spending hours dismantling decorations. And if you want to add a pop of real impact you can take some photos from your adventures during the year, or aspirational images representing your goals for the coming year, then click here and let us turn them into the best sort of decorations – beautiful wall art you can enjoy at your party, and beyond.