Hosting A New Years' Party? Quick Tips To Switch Your Christmas Decor Over To NYE
Oh, that wacky week between Christmas and New Year's Eve. Those confusing days sandwiched between two major holidays when we can't remember what day it is or what we just had for lunch. It's a six-day stretch of overeating, oversleeping, working as little as possible, and trying to recover from the excitement of Christmas (or Hanukkah, on those years where it happens to fall around the same time). If you're planning a New Year's Eve party, you might be feeling overwhelmed at the idea of cleaning and redecorating your home so quickly. But the good news is that there's enough overlap in both holidays' wintry looks that you don't need to reinvent the wheel. We've come up with some techniques that can help you quickly repurpose your decor from one holiday to the next.
Christmas is famously known for its overdose on reds and greens. The stockings, wreaths, hollies and berries, jolly elves, and so on. But if you look closely, you may also notice a lot of Christmas and Hanukkah items with a more winter-focused theme that ports over more easily, often infused with whites, blues, silver, and gold. These are your "crossover" items that will hold up nicely as you move into a New Year's theme.
As you switch from Christmas to New Years', it's time go 'out with the old, in with the new'
While the New Year's holiday itself doesn't require a specific color theme, retail party favors are overwhelmingly adorned with gold, silver, and black. These colors are specifically chosen based on symbolism for tidings of good fortune in the new year. Gold signifies wealth and prosperity. Silver, similarly, represents affluence, which is a wish of many as they ring in a new year. The black included in traditional New Year's decorations brings an air of formality (plus, black goes with everything!). Add to this the rich, peaceful blues and whites of traditional winter home decor, and you have a plentiful color palette to work with.
The phrase "out with the old and in with the new" is doubly meaningful, as you prepare to usher in the new year and a new look for your party. Start by moving through your home room by room and putting away any holiday decor that doesn't fit your new theme, leaving what works. While you should box up those reds and greens, as mentioned previously, you're good to leave out your blues, golds, silvers, and whites. Hints of prosperity and a shiny rebirth are very New Years'-themed.
If you celebrate with a Christmas tree, there's no hard rule here: It's up to you whether it stays or goes. If you're not ready to part with it, leave it up for the party. No one will judge this decision. If it's still up in February, however... and as for that jolly old elf? Give Santa the heave-ho ho ho for now. See you in eleven months, Nick!
Make your outside space ready for the Christmas to New Years' transition, too
While you're putting things away, don't forget any yard decorations you may have placed outside for Christmas — but again, you can leave them up if they're blue, white, silver, gold, or simply winter-themed minus the heavy Christmas leanings. Fortunately, New Year's doesn't come with the same outdoor decoration requirements, so you're off the hook there. However, a few bright, shiny balloons can be an inexpensive, yet festive way to say "Hey, the party's here!" Put a balloon bouquet or two on your mailbox, porch, or door. Dazzling your guests with New Years' decorations or banners that say "Happy New Year" is another easy way to show that you've thoughtfully readied your space for this particular occasion. Holiday lights you already have strung are still festive enough for the new year, so keep those blazing brightly. You can take them down in January.
Part of the fun of New Years' decorations, though, is that the rules aren't as straightforward as other holidays. Whether you go minimalist or extravagant, the New Year's holiday gives you full permission to decorate any way you like. Feel free to veer off tradition or symbolism and give yourself free reign to enjoy the holiday your own way. A New Year's party can be more than just streamers, noise makers, and party hats: Get creative and express yourself without too much extra work. Then casually welcome your guests, pop that bubbly, and get ready for the countdown!