The words, ‘let’s have a party’ are enough to make us all smile. After all, everyone loves a party, right? Certainly, when he was a child, the idea of going to someone’s party was exciting, although perhaps it filled him with some anticipatory nerves.
In the past, children’s parties were fairly simple affairs. You showed up, played pass-the-pack, musical chairs, ate salmon pasta sandwiches, had mounds of jam and ice cream, and then left with a goody bag containing a balloon, a coloring book, a plastic toy, and some chewable.
These days, children’s parties have gone up a notch or two. Now they’re big business, with parents agonizing for weeks over the right kind of party to maintain their beloved child’s status. There is often an underlying concern about your child fitting in, learning what is expected, connecting with the “right” kids.
Of course, many parents work, have dealt with divorce, or have become nuclear families. These factors can make hosting a house party a bit tricky, and besides, who has the time or inclination to deal with the mess!
Gone are the days of fish fingers and sliders at the local cafe too. As sophistication levels rise, you’re much more likely to find themed parties at the local football club, ice rink, petting zoo, or farm, complete with face painting, wizards, tractor rides, and animals. babies in the mix.
Young teens expect themed nightclubs, make-your-own-pizza or go-kart racing with all the travel requirements provided by luxury limousines or buses. They like mocktail classes, makeup, and fancy clothes.
Adult parties have also become more elaborate. Yes, you may find an occasional barn dance or weekend dance followed by a meat and potato pie, but the invitation is usually accompanied by costume requirements, so the fringed jacket, hat cowboy, plaid shirt and boots to make an appearance.
Throwing an adult party can sometimes require the services of a party planner if things start to go south. Ice sculptures, tabletop dancers, acrobats, “naked butlers,” photo booths, choreographed dance routines for guests, and acts flown in from overseas are featured in lavish display cases to ensure a good night out for all.
Much more common, however, are special themed evenings, such as cooking parties, cocktail parties, costume parties with Star Wars, James Bond, or a specific decade being featured. Save the date cards can be sent in advance. Printers, florists, makeup artists, caterers and wardrobe personnel are on speed dial, as are venue managers who are expected to dress up the event and hand out gifts to guests at each table.
But what about other, less extravagant ways to ensure a great party experience? I know of people who, after buying their new house, provided paint and asked their friends to come over and write messages or graffiti on their bare walls. Everyone then ate a hotpot dinner while laughing at their handiwork, the walls providing long-term recognition of those friendships.
Or a safari dinner, where everyone who lives nearby cooks a dish and the dinner is moved from one house to another during the meal, which guarantees less individual expenses and a fun and varied evening.
I’ve been booked for ‘WeTalk’ parties where the host or hostess provides drinks and snacks and introduces topics of discussion, giving guests a chance to talk about relevant and poignant matters, share ideas, and leave feeling like they’ve had a great, time. attractive with the benefit of an additional mini-therapy.
For me, on my last two birthday years, I invited family and friends over for a casual meal, the last one with ‘George Michael’ as entertainment. It was a lot of fun with a lot of positive feedback, so much so that I was tempted to repeat it the following year instead of waiting another ten years. That was until I realized how quickly a year goes by. Repeating something too soon or too often can dampen the excitement, which could cause something special to become quite jaded.
Are the best parties so good because they happen infrequently? Are we in danger of getting into a ‘how will I/they improve on last year’ mentality, where everything becomes pressurized and competitive? Also, are parties becoming more about the place than the occasion, more about the paraphernalia than the people and relationships?
Remember those old-style parties where everyone gravitated to the kitchen, drank beer and mulled wine, balanced the odd sausage roll or cheese and pineapple on a stick! Everyone had a lot of fun.
Have we lost the essence of what parties are for, the reasons why we enjoy them? The important motivating factor should be the desire to get together and celebrate, while taking the pressure off the hosts, so they too can enjoy themselves. While your life may not always be a party, your party certainly should be!
