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| Girls' Night In By: Emily Long It’s Friday night, and you need something to do. There are no interesting movies showing at the local theater, you’re tired of the skating rink, and you’ve been bowling too many times to count. You want to hang out with your friends, but nothing is more boring than sitting at home. Who says you have to leave your house? With a little imagination and advance planning, you can host a simple yet fun party for your girlfriends. You can always invite people over for a spontaneous movie night, but if you start thinking a few days ahead of time, you can be ready with food, activities, and even invitations. For a Friday night event, begin planning on Tuesday or Wednesday. You want to be sure that your guests don’t make other plans, and you should give them time to get excited about your event! Make phone calls or use an email invite system, such as EventBrite or evite. These sites simply require you to register, and then you can design and send online invitations and track RSVPs. If you start planning a week or more in advance, you can visit a stationary store and send out paper invitations. However you choose to invite your guests, get them energized with your party theme. You can ask your guests to help you by bringing specific products or planning individual activities. Use one of the ideas below, or come up with your own! Cooking Party: Plan a simple menu and make dinner with your friends. You can ask everyone to bring the ingredients for their favorite dish, or you can surprise them with some of yours. Alternatively, you can pick a certain type of cuisine (Mexican, Italian) and prepare and taste different recipes along that theme. See this month’s Ethnic Food article for more ideas. Be sure you use safe kitchen practices, and always clean up when you finish. Spa Party: Who doesn’t love a little bit of pampering? Set up stations for manicures, pedicures, and do-it-yourself facials. Ask each friend to bring their favorite beauty product, and then test them together: you may find a new favorite lotion or nail color! You can find travel-size products, which make great favors, at most drugstores. Chocolate Party: If you and your friends love chocolate (and who doesn’t?), devote your whole night to the many ways you can use it! Provide your guests with different types of chocolate (white, dark, milk, semi-sweet), or ask everyone to bring several bags or bars of their favorite brand, and do a taste test. Make a chocolate cake together. Send everyone home with goodie bags of chocolate beauty products (try Origins Cocoa Therapy, or look for chocolate-colored lip gloss and nail polish at your drugstore) and maybe a few leftover sweets as well. Dance Party: Anyone up for Dance Dance Revolution? Even if you don’t have the video game, you can still practice your smooth steps. Ask each guest to make a playlist of songs from a different genre of music and multiple types of dances. Have a particularly coordinated and creative friend to choreograph a routine and perform it for your family. Host a dance-off contest: the winner takes home a new CD or a framed picture of her moves! Book Party: This is the fun version of a book club. Ask each guest to bring a book (or two) she has read recently. At the party, have each person give a summary of the plot and why they liked the book. Then, exchange with each other. Don’t forget to put your names inside so each book is returned to its original owner! Refreshments are an important part of every party, but you don’t have to stick to the standard pizza, chips and dip, and soda. If you begin planning several days ahead, you can have food that matches your theme. You might serve fruit smoothies at a spa party or energy food, like Luna Bars and plenty of water, at a dance party. Chocolate fondue would be a hit, as would chocolate chip pancakes, at a chocolate-themed party. Whatever you do, keep it simple and fun. You can even do this with only a few hours of advance notice; you can always dance the night away without invitations or special foods! Be imaginative and enjoy your weekend! |
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