December is in full force since the holidays are upon us. There are holiday parties, Christmas, Hanukkah, Kwanzaa and a great time for family get together. The holiday decor, snow, sparkling lights and the time for giving is here. So, it's time to celebrate and get those holiday parties ready! Wedding and Party Network has some great party ideas and tips for the month of December to make your party stand out.

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Fun December Facts

December is the 12th month of the year and one of the seven months with 31 days in it. It also starts on the same day as September every year and ends on the same day that April does. In Latin, it means 10, which it was the 10th month in the Roman calendar.

Birthstone & Flower

The birthstones for this month are turquoise, lapis lazuli, zircon, topaz or tanzanite. Gorgeous blues and to a reddish-brown; all are simply beautiful. You can definitely incorporate these colors into your holiday party. The flowers are narcissus or holly, which are both perfect for this time of year. The narcissus is a daffodil, which comes in beautiful whites and yellows.

The holly on the other hand is green with red berries, which you see a lot this time of year. The best way to incorporate these flowers into your party is by adding them to centerpieces for your tables and scatter them throughout your home.

December's Astrology

December's astrology signs include Sagittarius and Capricorn. Sagittarius is the ninth astrological sign and are outwardly expressive and extrovert. However, they are blindly optimistic and careless. Capricorns are practical and prudent, yet pessimistic and grudging. Hosting an astrology party is a fun theme that you may want to have during the month of December since it's a great indoor party.

Special Events & Holidays

Hi Neighbor Month
National Stress Free Family Holiday Month
Safe Toy and Gift Month
Read A New Book Month

December 1st – Eat A Red Apple Day, National Pie Day
December 4th – National Cookie Day & Wear Brown Shoes Day
December 6th – Mitten Tree Day & St. Nicholas Day
December 7th – National Cotton Candy Day & Pearl Harbor Day
December 8th – National Brownie Day
December 11th – National Noodle Ring Day
December 12th – Poinsettia Day
December 13th – National Cocoa Day
December 16th – National Chocolate Covered Anything Day
December 20th – Games Day
December 22nd – First Day of Winter
December 24th – Christmas Eve & National Egg Nog Day
December 25th – Christmas
December 26th – Kwanzaa Begins
December 28th – Card Playing Day
December 31st – New Year's Eve

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The holiday season is upon us, so it's time to start planning your holiday party. However, are you tired of doing the same holiday party themes each and every year? Are you wanting to freshen it up and put a fun twist on your party this year? Wedding and Party Network has some great holiday party ideas that will truly put a great twist on any party to live it up. From the decorations, food and activities, this years party will be absolutely amazing.

For your party, the first thing you must do is pick out a theme. It can be elegant, fun or traditional. Whatever you choose, that's the first thing you must decide to make sure your decorations and everything else match the theme. Once you have picked your theme, it's time to start picking out invitations, decorations and the food.

Holiday Decorations

Ornaments – Holiday ornaments are great decor ideas for your party and just great accents to have around the house during the holidays. Use vases of different sizes and shapes and fill them up with different colored ornaments. Even turn the vases upside down so the ornaments are enclosed for something unique. Also, hang ornaments from chandeliers, light fixtures, curtain rods or anywhere else you may think of. Pair the different colored ornaments with different colored ribbon to contrast each other. Next up, take candlesticks of different sizes and place ornaments on them instead of candles. This makes for a fun centerpiece.

Another fun approach is to actually hang ornaments from the ceiling with fishing line to make a floating tree. It may be a tedious task to align the ornaments up just right in the shape of a tree, but the result is a show stopper. Of course, you can always use ornaments on your holiday wreath, that never gets old and makes a beautiful accent to any door.

Holiday Candy – You just don't eat the holiday candy, you can also incorporate it into your holiday decor. You can fill vases up with candy and then place your arrangement in it or glue candy to cones to make for a candy Christmas tree. Don't forget stringing candy together or hanging it from your tree is always a great idea as well.

Vases – Another simple decoration that can be transformed into an elegant staple piece is a vase. There are so many things you can do with vases. You can create frosted glasses, paint the vases, fill them up with candy, fill them up with ornaments or create a beautiful arrangement using flowers or even holiday picks that you find throughout many stores. Even make a visit to your local florist to have them create a beautiful arrangement for your party. Also, don't settle on just one vase. Scatter them throughout your home in various sizes to add to the decor.

Lettering – Spell out the holidays at your next party by using lettering. You can either cut out letters from cardboard, construction paper or even find chip board at your local craft store. Add an extra touch by painting the letters, adding rhinestone or glitter and tying it off with a ribbon and hanging the letters from light fixtures, windows or from wreaths.

Lighting – This feature is extremely important for your party. Decide what kind of mood and setting you're wanting for your party? Do you want an elegant setting or a more vibrant and cheerful setting? Use candles throughout the party and white holiday lights for an elegant setting. If you're wanting a more festive decor, use colorful lights. Lighting truly sets the mood and helps convey the theme of your party.

These are just 5 tips on holiday party decor ideas. However, there are tons more like, using felt or scrap ribbon and fabric for wreaths, garland to strand on staircases or around doors, plants, feathers, ornaments as place settings or mini floral vases or even large wrapped presents to put out as a topiary as guests enter your holiday party.

The main thing is to get creative, figure out what direction you want to go in and just go with it. Your holiday party will be picture perfect!

Stay tuned for more tips on holiday party food & activities later this week!

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Are you in the process of planning out your Thanksgiving dinner? It can be stressful, especially if you're hosting your whole family at your house. You want this day to be about family and sharing ever lasting memories together. Therefore, in your mind, everything should be perfect. Along with trying to make it perfect, comes stress. However, don't stress over it. There's no reason to, everything will still be fabulous, especially spending this time with family. Wedding and Party Network has some stress free planning tips for hosting your Thanksgiving dinner.

Plan Ahead – This is a MAJOR part when hosting a Thanksgiving feast. Sit down and write out who's coming. That way, you know how much food to prepare and how many place settings you need at the table.

Once you know how many people you have coming, plan out the menu. It's all close family and maybe even friends, therefore, you can plan out their dislikes, likes and even allergies. Plan out vegetarian dishes, the turkey, side dishes and desserts. If you have a set plan, it makes grocery shopping easier and planning out a cooking time line. You can even grocery shop a few days in advance and start putting meals together the day beforehand. Knowing who's coming & what you're cooking is half the task. Once you figure that out, everything else is a breeze.

Decorate – Decorate your home in festive Thanksgiving accents. Use fall colored leaves, pumpkins, acorns, candles and floral arrangements for centerpieces. Also, plan this out at the beginning of Thanksgiving. This decor fits this month and even October. Therefore, you'll have everything already out, except maybe the centerpieces. However, plan a visit with your florist about a week or so in advance and discuss the design and what you're wanting. That way, you have already picked something out and all you have to do is take a quick trip up there, maybe even when you plan on going grocery shopping.

All The Extras – If you get the main components planned out ahead, then you can go the extra mile and come up with Thanksgiving Day crafts for the children, football snacks for the guys and even family traditions that you can start now and share throughout the years.

Planning your Thanksgiving dinner is a breeze. It's simple if planned out ahead, It makes the day stress free and more enjoyable to spend time with your loved ones. So, don't forget to plan and you'll have an unforgettable Thanksgiving with your family.

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Thanksgiving is quickly approaching and it's the time to pay it forward and give thanks for everything. What are you thankful for? Have you shown that you are thankful for what you have lately? If not, Thanksgiving is the time to do so. So, Wedding and Party Network has a few ideas on how you can give thanks.

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  Fall Centerpieces
  Donate to a local charity – A great way to get numerous donations is to host a charity event at your house. Your guests will love having a get together at your house, especially since it will be for a charitable cause.
• At your party, on your place cards, write words of thanks to your guests. You may not show it throughout the year that you're glad that they're in your life. So, writing it on their place card will show exactly how you feel.
• Donate your time – You can volunteer at a local soup kitchen or even the humane society, just to give back.
• If you're not planning a party for family or friends, call them. Give them well wishes and tell them that you're glad that they're in your life.
• Give back to the earth – Start recycling, host a recycling party or even plant a tree. Show the earth you are thankful for the environment.
• If you're being invited to another party during this season, don't forget to say thank you. Show your appreciation and even offer to help out.
• Read the Thanksgiving story – Sit down and share with your children the story of Thanksgiving
• Thanksgiving Poem – For your children, have them write a poem on Thanksgiving and what it means to them. This is a great time to spend time together.
• Memories – Share Thanksgiving memories with each other.
• Parade – Of course, there's a Thanksgiving Day parade. However, think about creating one for your neighborhood. How fun would that be?

Thanksgiving is an important holiday to give back, so share that with your family. It creates for making new memories and a great tradition that can be shared together every year.

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Are you in the process of planning out your Thanksgiving dinner? It can be stressful, especially if you're hosting the whole family at your house. You want this day to be about family and sharing everlasting memories together. Therefore, in your mind, everything should be perfect. However, don't stress over this day. Wedding and Party Network has some stress free planning tips for hosting your Thanksgiving dinner.

Plan Ahead – This is a MAJOR part when hosting a Thanksgiving feast. Sit down and write out who's coming. That way, you know how much food to prepare, and how many place settings you need at the table.

• Planning The Grocery List – Once you know how many people are attending, you will know exactly what to cook and how much. You can stay away from certain dishes if someone doesn't like a particular item or if they're allergic, and be sure to prepare all their favorites. Once you have a menu, you can plan your grocery list.
• Cooking – Once you have the menu planned out, you can create a timeline of cooking. Not all dishes have to be prepared that same day, some can be prepared the day before. So, plan it out so you're not trying to cook everything at once with limited space and hands.
• Decorating – Of course, you have to have decorations during this time of year. However, plan a few weeks in advance and start decorating your home then. Your fall decorations will carry over into this holiday too. Don't forget to visit your local florist to discuss what type of centerpiece you would like as well.

Planning Thanksgiving dinner at your house doesn't have to be stressful. Just keep the main component in mind, which is PLAN AHEAD.

If you are planning a Thanksgiving dinner, let Wedding and Party Network help!

We Are Thankful For…You!
With Thanksgiving approaching, take time out to show your close friends how truly thankful you are for them. What is the best way to show them? Why a dinner party, of course! Sitting around, sharing memorable laughs with each other will remind you how truly thankful you are for each other. There are a variety of ideas when throwing a dinner party, especially one near Thanksgiving. Read more about Thankful For You

Yummy Fall Treats
With fall here, it's time to start planning all your fall parties. You have the perfect backdrop for beautiful outdoor parties now with the gorgeous colors and the amazing weather. So, what is the perfect pairing to your fall party?
Read more about Yummy Fall Treats

Sunflower Wedding Bouquet (College Park Flowers) Reception setting (Kings Creek Flowers) Autumn cake (Dimensions In Cake) Fall bouquet (Inspired Floral Design) Balloon Arch (CR Flowers & Gifts – A Bracebridge Florist) Wedding Aisle (Design House of Flowers) Outdoor Reception (Flowers Etc. Of York)

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Thanksgiving is an important holiday that people celebrate. It's a time for family, quality time and learning about traditions. Everyone gathers around the table to share in a great feast and spend quality time together. After that, it's time for football for some. However, how do you get the kids involved? It's an important day for them to understand the meaning behind the holiday. Wedding and Party Network has some great activities to get everyone involved in this holiday!

Design Your Hats – Of course, along with Thanksgiving, comes the story of the Pilgrims and Indians. This is a must tell story for your kids. Therefore, make this craft a must. Let the family design their own hats. Whether it be a turkey hat or a Pilgrim hat, everyone will have fun decorating their own hat. Maybe even reenacting the story of Thanksgiving Day between the two.

Turkey Luminaries – This is a great craft for the kids to do before the Thanksgiving dinner. Along with any table setup, people like to put out centerpieces and create a fall tablescape. Therefore, let the kids help. By letting them create these luminaries, they can make a great statement piece on the table. Let the kids draw on paper sacks and put led lights in the. A great centerpiece and the kids will feel like they had an important part in this day.

Place Settings – With some families, a kid's table isn't unusual for holiday feasts. Therefore, let them design their own kids' table. For the tablecloth, find long enough construction paper that they can draw on, turkey napkin holders, turkey place cards, utensil holders and even fun place mats. These are great activities for the kids while everyone is cooking or visiting.

Felt Food -An easy project for you and your child to do the night before or even a few days is to create felt Thanksgiving food. Which all you need to do is find different colored felt, fluff for the inside and scissors to cut out the designs. This is great for the kids to play with during the day on Thanksgiving and make their own feast.

Volunteering – This is a great tradition that the family can share in, which is spend time volunteering at your local soup kitchen or food bank. It's a great time to appreciate what you have in your life and this holiday.

This holiday is a great time to spend time with family and be thankful for all you have in your life. While you're cooking and maybe the guys are watching football, the kids can have some fun activities to do during the day and some with the whole family.

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Are you in the process of planning an engagement party? If yes, engagement parties are something that should represent the couple. It's a great time to get together to share this special occasion with friends and family. Engagement parties are focused on the couple getting married, representing them through the party and the joining of everyone together to celebrate. So, since it's all about the couple, everything should represent them. However, if you don't have a clue and want a party theme that is truly unique and can represent them, Wedding and Party Network has a few of our favorite engagement party themes.

A Night In ____ – The theme originates from A Night In Paris, which is ideal for any couple that loves Paris. However, if there's a certain place that they love or have always wanted to travel to, make that the theme of the engagement party. Make sure that the party decorations, party food and everything else represents the place they love.

Movie Inspired – There are some couples out there that share the love of movies together. Therefore, a movie inspired themed engagement party is ideal. Maybe they have certain movie genres, like comedy or horror, that they enjoy or maybe they have just one movie in particular that they love. Whatever movies they enjoy, go with that theme. For a certain movie, make the party represent that movie. Show that favorite movie, serve popcorn and even make a step and repeat for when guests arrive.

Art Inspired – Again, maybe the couple shares a love of art together. If there's a certain type or era they enjoy, make the engagement party centered around that. Create the cupcakes different shades of colors to represent an art pallet, use a rainbow of colors and even create a canvas where guests can sign their names, which will make a unique piece of art in the couple's home.

Lumberjacks & Jill – Do you know a couple who enjoys being outdoors? This shower is for them. Plaid decor, outdoor food, mason jars and all around rustic feel is what this engagement party is all about.

Destination Inspired – Is this couple having a destination wedding? Well, the theme of the engagement party can be the place where they're going to get married at. If it's an island get away, make sure to put leis everywhere and serve tropical food & drinks.

What Do They Like? – Combine everything that they enjoy into this party. If they share a favorite sport's team, food, colors or anything that they enjoy, make sure and include it in their engagement party. The couple will love it and guests will immediately get the sense that they are at this couple's engagement party.

The main key when planning an engagement party is to make sure it's suited towards the newly engaged couple. If it's suited towards their personalities and what they enjoy, the party will be a success!

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Are you planning an autumn or fall party? Do you want your party to show off all the latest trends? You want your party to stand out. Therefore, you  must incorporate the latest party trends into your party. Yes, there are even trends for parties. Wedding and Party Network has some great tips for your party this season that will make it an absolute hit.

Pumpkin Centerpiece

Fall Party Decorations

• Pumpkins – Of course, pumpkins are a must for your party decorations. There are so many things you can do with pumpkins too. Fill vases with small pumpkins for centerpieces, use a pumpkin as your vase for a fall flower arrangement, set them on tables or have your guests get creative with them and take them home as party favors.
• Acorns - Acorns are great for decorations. You can fill glass vases up with acorns and use them as centerpieces. Glue them to a styrofoam ball and they're pomanders, which you can hang from the ceiling or even to a wreath for a wonderful welcoming to your guests.
• Wheat – Tie up wheat into a bundle and place it around the party for a wonderful party accent. Even have your florist use them in your arrangement.
• Don't forget that apples, fall leaves, beautiful string lights and fall flowers are all wonderful party accents too.

Fall Party Accents

• One thing to focus on with this party is the accents, such as what you serve your party food on. Serving food on platters that match the theme makes everything pop even more. Think rustic and the elements of fall when serving your food. Wood platters, mason jars, put a punch bowl in a pumpkin and think about how you can incorporate browns, oranges and deep reds into your accents.
• Activities is another thing to consider when planning your fall party. Some great ides are carving pumpkins with your friends, roasting the pumpkin seeds, baking during the fall season, fall scavenger hunt and even bobbing for apples are great activities. Plan something for the whole family!

When planning your fall party, keep these tips in mind to make it stand out and fit the season. Incorporate the tastes, smell and look of fall into your party. This is a great season and a great time for a party!

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Wow, November is already upon us. This year has flown by. However, who isn't excited for this month? It's the time to give thanks and we're getting closer to the holiday season. The cooler air, delicious apple cider and beautiful autumn colors are here and it's time to celebrate. So, need some party tips or some inspiration this month? Well, Wedding and Party Network has just that for this month of November.

Fun November Facts

November is the 11th month of the year and is one of the 4 months that has the length of 30 days in it. So, where did it get its name? It originated from the Latin word, novem, which means nine. It's the month of spring in the Northern hemisphere and autumn in the Northern hemisphere. November starts on the same day of the week as February in common years, and March every year.

Birthstone & Flower

The birthstone for this month is the topaz and citrine. The topaz features a yellowish color, but can feature wine, pale gray, yellowish-orange or blue-brown. While the citrine features is a variety of quartz whose color ranges from pale pink to a rose-red hue. Both are beautiful colors.

November's flower is the chrysanthemum, which is native to Asia and northeastern Europe. This flower is colorful and fun, plus it would be great in a centerpiece for your party.

November's Astrology

Scorpio & Sagittarius are the astrology signs for November. Scorpios are determined, forceful, powerful and exciting, while they can be jealous, resentful and secretive. Sagittarius are optimistic, honest and intellectual, while irresponsible, superficial and restless. Incorporate their personality into the party.

Special Events & Holidays

Aviation Month
Child Safety & Protection Month
Good Nutrition Month
Peanut Butter's Lover Month

2nd Week – National Children's Book Week – Host a book party!

November 3rd – Sandwich Day – Make gourmet sandwiches for your next party.
November 4th – National Candy Day – Create a candy bar.
November 6th – Basketball Day – Host a basketball themed party.
November 7th – Hug-A-Bear Day, Magazine Day
November 8th – Election Day – Vote!
November 9th – Parade Day – Host a parade in your neighborhood.
November 11th – Veteran's Day
November 15th – America Recycle's Day & Pack Your Mom Lunch Day – Teach the lessons of recycling.
November 16th – Button Day
November 17th – Homemade Bread Day, National Young Reader's Day & Take A Hike Day
November 18th – Mickey Mouse's Birthday
November 24th – Thanksgiving Day
November 25th – Black Friday
November 26th – National Cake Day
November 30th – Stay At Home Because You're Well Day

November is a great month to host a party. There are great party themes out there that you can truly get creative with. Throw buttons in as party decoration in honor of Button Day, host a Black Friday shopping day or make cakes front and center at your next party. With so many ideas out there during this month, your party will be a true success!

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When we think of Thanksgiving, we think about spending time with our family and giving thanks for what we have in our life. Adults understand the meaning and spend all day cooking up a storm in the kitchen. However, do we think about the kids? They may understand that it's a special holiday, however, do they really understand the true meaning behind Thanksgiving? Wedding and Party Network has some tips to get your kids involved this holiday season.

Ask – First off, ask them what Thanksgiving means to them. Once they tell you, explain to them the history and what it means to you. Take words like giving and thankful and explain the meaning behind the words.

Get It The Spirit – Get your kid's friends or the kids in the neighborhood together and recreate the Pilgrim and Indian Thanksgiving story. This will help them better understand the holiday and know the history.

Get Out -During this time, get outdoors with your children. Celebrate the harvest of nature. There are pumpkin patches, apple orchids and different festivals where you can get out. Teach your kids about how the Pilgrims and Indians harvested their food. Celebrate nature by getting outdoors and learning about the sweet harvest that it produces.

Let The Kids Cook – We all have a harvest of our own during this time. When you're in the kitchen or even the night before, let them get in there with you and teach them some of your recipes or let them create one of their own.

Set The Table – With a lot of families, there is always a kid's table since there may not be enough room at the main table. So, let them decorate their own table and create their own centerpiece. This is fun for them and all the kids will enjoy it. They can even create a unique centerpiece, like a tree, and let all the kids hang what they are thankful for on the tree.

Give Thanks – Of course, giving thanks for what they have is most important. Showing appreciation for what they have in their life is truly important.

Make this holiday more kid friendly with these fun tips that they'll enjoy. Thanksgiving is about showing appreciation and spending time with the ones you love and you'll do just that when you share these activities with your children.

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