Theme-Setting 101

Holidays and formally recognized occasions (Superbowl Sunday, anyone?) have ready-made themes – you and your guests all know why you’re getting together. But when you are having a party just to see and have fun with the people you know, its still useful to add some sort of structure to the event, both for you and your guests –a framework that defines the atmosphere and what will be happening. Make no mistake, this approach can also be taken with an established holiday – for instance, a Jolly Olde England take on the family Christmas party, complete with the roast goose – but becomes almost essential when creating your own occasion from scratch.

Theme parties are not just for kiddie birthdays – why should the kids have all the fun? Using a theme for your party is a powerful tool for encouraging guests of any age to relax and have a good time. If anything, adults seem to enjoy the temporary escapism of a good theme party even more than the children… for some reason its just easier for many people to let their hair down and be themselves when they’re pretending to be someone, somewhen, or somewhere, else!

Using a dinner party example, this can be as easy as a New Orleans dinner party, with jazz (the New Orleans Brass, as the totally obvious choice, for instance) playing in the background, piles of boiled crawfish and hush puppies on the table, and a pitcher of Hurricanes on the sideboard … a very special and memorable party for not much more in time and money than you might have spent on a dinner party for friends anyway. 

On the other end of the spectrum, you can add drama and humor to an elaborate themed dinner party for an entirely different effect. For instance, for an evening of  light-hearted treachery you might put on a Italian Renaissance dinner while evoking that infamous family of powermongers and poisoners, the Borgias.  Consider -- “Dinner at the Borgias’” night -- a bit of Monteverdi playing in the background, guests encouraged to dress as Italian nobles, and a single whole almond hidden somewhere in each course … with any guest finding an almond in their food having to fake their own death! (Hostess prize – perhaps a small Italian gift basket? -- for best/most amusing death at the end of the evening). Obviously, a considerably greater investment in time – not just meal preparation, but research, for those of us who are not already experts on Italian food in the Renaissance period – and possibly money, depending on what you choose to serve.

Point is, how simple or complex you get with this is entirely up to you - just remember to establish a budget, determine what kind of theme you can execute well on that budget (remember, a party who's theme is not completely realized will not be 'almost as good' as if you'd consistently executed the theme concept -- most likely it will come off as half-assed, after having caused you a bit more trouble and expense than if you'd gone with no theme at all) -- and carry out the chosen theme to the best of your ability.

Christmas caroling during a Jolly Olde England-style Christmas party

 

The port, like the pot pies, is disappearing fast!