Football is almost over and it’s now turned into my favorite sport. No, I haven’t just discovered football – I’ve watched for years, but I’m not fond of the week to week grind – I’m partial to the parties. Don’t judge! After all, this is what I do best, so I’m just going with my strengths.
Superbowl is the best sports party of the year and since my team (okay it’s the entire family’s team) has a shot at the big game, I’ve begun planning in a big way.
First thing is the guest list – oh my and do I have a guest list. The last time my team made it to the superbowl I had 50 people at my house! So, I’m probably looking at 50, but possibly more. Now, I won’t send out those invitations (by email) until we know for sure who is playing and if it’s not my team – well, I’ll be ATTENDING a party!
So, I have my guest list and since I’m a tad on the planning side – I’ve made it a distribution list on my outlook so I can send those invitations Sunday after the game.
The next biggest thing is staging your house and making a schedule as to when you’ll clean, where to find the extra chairs, setting up TVs in all the hangout spots and making sure there is a fire pit or a heater for those who need to smoke outside. Tables to hold food, a place to stage drinks, and of course making sure you have the wall space to hold all those football pools.
So, we know who is coming, we know how we will accommodate everyone, now we need to look at the decorations. Setting the stage for the party can be elaborate or easy – its completely up to you. I would say one of my most memorable was when I bought a couple of yards of Astroturf at Home Depot and cut it out to cover each of my tables. Then, I took a white marker (yes they make white markers), and with a yard stick drew yard lines. My coffee table, my dining room table and my bar top were all in Astroturf and when the party was over, I rolled them up, crumbs and all and tossed them into the trash. A few pennants, a couple of those throw pillows with the team colors that you keep in a trunk, can come out and perk it all up. I also had a couple of larger trash cans set up around, but not wanting the ugly to show – I wrapped them up in a couple of very cheap sheets from big lots again in the team colors, so they fit in. Throw in a few flowers in team colors for the food table and the bar, and suddenly your house looks like football center.
Here are a few photos of other ideas you can do to decorate for the big game.
Food – well, food is something EVERYONE wants to share, so let them!!!! Let everyone bring their favorite football dish – I mean seriously, this is an afternoon of junk food, beer and everyone being loud, so go with it. I have done this two ways – I have brought out my clear plates and printed off team logos onto plastic clings that I then cut out and placed on the underside of the plates, and I’ve done paper. I don’t judge anyone. I will say the clear plates were spectacular, and I do have a dishwasher, but cutting out those clings were VERY time consuming and although everyone noticed and commented, I spent one night printing and another cutting – so depending up on your time, either one works.
Here are a few photos we found on Pinterest on to help with the football theme!
Drinks – I LOVE signature cocktails. LOVE THEM!!!! I will admit, not everyone likes them like I do, but when at my Christmas party – I served peppermint martinis, they were very cute (sticky but cute). My next blog will address the cocktails and then maybe one on food, but when throwing a party, you need to know if you will limit to beer and wine, or if you will have cocktails also. If you’re going to have beer and wine, take advantage of Flagstaff’s weather. In other words, place your cooler outside for all the beer that doesn’t fit inside. I always have a keg and this year, I plan on doing a microbrew, because it seems that more and more people enjoy these. Living in Flagstaff, I have quite a selection from the local brewers all of which are fabulous! I have a bar in my house, and my husband loves to stand behind the bar and get people whatever they want, so when setting up a bar, make sure to have the basics – vodka, bourbon, whiskey, gin and rum. The mixer essentials – coke, sprite, soda, tonic, cranberry and lemonade and you can mix just about anything. I also make sure I have cut up limes and lemons and then bring on the party. In addition to my keg, I also have a silver trough that serves as a nice holder for the wine and allows people to serve themselves.
I know I said paper plates for the food, but when it comes to drinks, I like my wine out of a wine glass and my cocktails out of a cocktail glass, so if you want to go this route, plan on having glass charms so people can tell their drinks apart. You can find them at Cost Plus Old World Market or at Bed Bath and Beyond and they literally just stick on a glass and you peel it off before putting them in the dishwasher.
I hope you have a great Superbowl and stay tuned for the signature drink blog!!
Debbi