If you are planning a gathering for New Year’s Eve or New Year’s Day, here are some things to keep in mind as you make your final arrangements this weekend:

• Any type of New Year’s party, whether for New Year’s Eve or for parade and bowl watching, calls for minimal clean-up.  You do not want to start 2008 with a huge mess to clean up. For a large party, it may be worth paying someone to clean up.  Otherwise, enlist one or two people to load the dishwasher and gather the trash before leaving.
• If you are serving alcohol at your New Year’s Eve Party, make sure that you’ve taped a card with the phone numbers for local taxi services in an easily accessible place.  (You may also want to have some cash on hand to pay for taxis just in case.) Also, make sure that each party has a designated driver and have plenty of non-alcoholic options on hand.  In some states, a party’s host can be held liable for accidents caused by guests they let drive while drunk. 
• New Year’s Eve and bowl parties lend themselves to simple preparations.  You want to serve finger foods that folks can eat while standing around chatting or cheering on their alma maters.
• If you are part of a couple, New Year’s Eve is a good night for a quiet, elegant dinner at home.
• If you will be home alone on New Year’s Eve, make sure you plan things you enjoy doing.

What will I be doing for New Year’s Eve?  I plan a long hot bath, a good book, a nice glass of wine, and a favorite movie on DVD.  I can’t wait!