Happy New Year! Well, Happy Almost New Year! New Year’s Eve is always full of such promise. Here at ThorpeWood, we are working on our goals and resolutions for the upcoming year, and taking the time to have a thoughtful look back at the year that is ending. 2013 was a fantastic year for us! We launched a new website and blog, expanded our Equine Assisted Learning program, designed a fantastic new brochure to help us continue our outreach to area non-profits, and created Mountain Memories at ThorpeWood – with Julie Parlaman at the helm – to handle our event business. It was a busy, busy, wonderful year! Thanks to all of our friends and supporters for helping to make it so memorable. Here’s looking to an even better 2014!
And speaking of Mountain Memories at ThorpeWood, we asked our resident event hosting expert Julie to offer up a few tips for those of you who are planning to host your own New Year’s Eve celebration. After all, Julie has overseen thousands of events during her time here at ThorpeWood, so her advice is pretty well sought after! Here are a few suggestions she has for hosting a wonderful and relaxed event on your own:
- Keep it simple! The best New Year gatherings are relaxed affairs that allow plenty of time for fellowship and companionship – not for high pressure extravaganzas! Make yours a potluck and encourage people to BYOB. If you really want to cook everything yourself – put out some light appetizers during the party – think veggies and dip – and then just before midnight, set up a breakfast buffet using some make ahead breakfast casseroles! Super fun and easy!
- Use your holiday decor to help set the mood. Is your tree still up? Take off the ornaments and just leave the lights on. Or, decorate it with some kitschy bling from the party store – everyone loves noise makers and 2014 accessories! And while you’re at it – put some of these party goods in a big bowl for your friends to grab as the countdown draws near.
- Most importantly, make sure to have the numbers for local cab companies handy just in case they are needed to get your guests home safely.
We hope everyone has a wonderful end of 2013 and welcoming of 2014! We are looking forward to sharing another fantastic year with you all! Happy New Year!!