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_{Seasonal Parties}

_{January February March April May June July August September October November December}

_{Please send me your ideas for seasonal parties!}

_February

_{Sweetheart Messages}

_{This is an especially nice coffee idea if the soldiers are TDY for Valentine's Day. A month ahead (perhaps at the preceding coffee) try to get a commitment from everyone for the February coffee-just say you're planning something special and you need a count. What you need are names so you can hand out a questionnaire to each husband to fill out and return to you (or via your spouse) before the coffee. It may take some prodding of some husbands but it definitely makes for a fun coffee. Husband's responses range from humorous to tender, brief to wordy. You definitely come away knowing one another better!}

_{As you receive each response, put it in a plain folder to maintain "Top Secret" status until the coffee.}

_{Decorations follow the holiday theme-red or white doilies, red or while table cloths with white or pink napkins, candles, etc. Red hot hearts, conversational heart mints sprinkled around. Party favors could be a satin heart and for sure their husband's letter. Door prizes could be a centerpiece of flowers for the letter that is the most humorous or revealing. Food served could be chocolates or strawberries and cream.}

_{The hostess will read each soldier's Top Secret answers to the handout questions. She could give the spouses an opportunity to guess each mystery person or just reveal name at the end of each letter.}

_{Letter to husbands:}

_{Dear Soldier,}

_{Your spouse is special and unique! We want to honor her at the ______ Coffee in February and we need your TOP SECRET help. If you will answer the following questions and return them to me by Feb.___ so that each woman will have her letter read to her. This is a very special way for us to get to know and appreciate each other. I appreciate you help. Please remember TOP SECRET. Return the letter when complete to: _______________. Go ahead and get "mushy", she'll love you for it.}

_{Thank you,}

1. _{How did you meet your wife?}
2. _{Nickname? How did she get it?}
3. _{Amusing story about your wedding.}
4. _{What is her favorite thing to do?}
5. _{What makes her special to you?}
6. _{What makes her eyes twinkle?}
7. _{Why are you most proud of her?}
8. _{How has she helped make you a better person?}
9. _{Humorous anecdote.}
10. _{Why would you marry her all over again?}

_{St. Valentine's Day}

_{This St. Valentine's Day party uses a "Speakeasy" motif.}

_{Guests' invitations contained a riddle that provided a password to get into the party. Guests were then frisked at the door to see if they were "packing heat". Each guest had to portray their favorite gangster/moll character and named accordingly to their costume. A door prize is awarded for best costume and whoever won the Charleston contest. Use water guns for party favors.}

_{Valentine's Lunch}

_{This is something special for sweethearts with busy work schedules.}

_{Wives host a Valentine's Day potluck lunch in a home on post or near to where the battalion is located. Guys come when their schedule permits for a quick lunch with their sweetheart. Wives stay on into the afternoon to celebrate. Each guy receives a heart lollipop tied with a red bow as he leaves.}

_{Even working wives can stop by on their lunch hours to spend part of their day with their husbands.}

_{Birthday Supper}

_{The theme of this dinner party honors our country's first commander, General and Mrs. George Washington.}

_{Printed invitations were mailed bearing this information:}

_{Red, white and blue colors were used in the decorations. Use anything you can find with Washington to decorate. Serve traditional foods.}

_March

_{Mardi Gras}

_{Decorations should include: confetti and streamers, plastic beads, masks, and play doubloons (coins). Traditional Mardi Gras colors are purple and gold. Play jazz music for atmosphere.}

_{The traditional alcoholic drink is the famous Pat O'Brien Hurricane. This can be served in Hurricane glasses, of course.}

_{The meal should have shrimp Creole with rice, red beans and rice, or jambalaya. Any form of Creole cooking would be appropriate.}

_{St. Patrick's Day Party}

_{Green and white decorations such as Irish hand sewn leprechauns on the table, shamrocks and Irish maps set the mood for a St. Patrick's Day celebration. Everyone is asked to wear something green or Irish.}

_{As guests arrive, place a sticker on their backs with an Irish person, place or thing, etc., (for example: McNamera's Band, John McCormick, Shamrock, Too-Ra-Loo-Ra-Loo-Ra, Leprechaun, Waterford Crystal, Galway Bay, Gaelic, Dublin,….). You can make them difficult or easy depending on the guests and the guests try to guess what the sticker says by asking Yes or No questions to the other guests.}

_{Party favors can be shamrocks in a tiny green planter, or any thing Irish you can find.}

_{Award door prizes for the best limerick and best costume, the winners can receive a bottle of Irish Whisky.}

_{Another idea is to have everyone one bring a small gift, $2-3, and it has to be "green" and wrapped.}

_{Serve corned beef'n cabbage, salad, Paddy's Pigs, Blarney Kisses green daiquiri punch, Irish coffee, dark beer or green wine. Mold your favorite cracker spread in a Shamrock mold lined with parsley. Roll cream cheese with a rolling pin and cut out with a shamrock cookie cutter and top with green jalapeno jelly. Another idea is to serve baked potatoes and have the guests bring toppings.}

_April

_{Easter Brunch}

_{This brunch has been used to entertain 8-10 relatives on Easter, couples baby showers, even a 40th birthday surprise party.}

_{Use lots of flowers and an Easter egg tree to decorate. If you collect decorated eggs - display them! Party favors are little cups of jelly beans or something similar at each plate. Wear your Sunday best and a frilly apron. Have a buffet full of food! For instance, an egg-sausage casserole which can be put in the oven before church, cinnamon rolls, 2-3 coffee cakes, honey baked ham, fruit compote, orange juice or cranberry - liquor punch, and coffee. You could have more of a Russian theme with vodka cocktails, Pashka, cold Borscht, etc.}

_{Brunch is a nice time to entertain. Sometimes Friday and Saturday evenings get filled up fast and people may be "freer" on a Sunday morning or noon.}

_{It has been suggested to have an Easter bonnet coffee for the ladies, so I have included the thought under seasonal parties. Ladies could wear hats they already own or go so far as to create their own designs to wear! Prizes can be given for funniest, prettiest and most creative with the hostesses as the judges.}

_{What Comes After the Egg}

_{Have a "What Comes After the Egg" Party - the chicken of course! Use and kind of chicks as your centerpiece. Make a cake in te shape of a chicken. Ask everyone to bring their favorite chicken dish and a card describing something they "chickened out on." Read the cards during the party and guess who it is.}

_{IRS Party Night}

_{Hold this party close to April 15th!}

_{Make invitations out like a 1040A form, except reprint each line asking absurd, silly questions in place of IRS questions.}

_{Everyone is to dress like a HOBO! Prizes will be for the best costume and for the best tax joke.}

_{Serve Hobo Stew and beer, "under the railroad track" style.}

_{This party is as a Hail and Farewell too.}

_{Kentucky Derby}

_{For a fun get together try the Kentucky Derby. It's good for a large crowd because you could have a garden party and serve from a buffet.}

_{Ladies wear large hats and party/tea dresses. Gents wear bright slacks, sports coat and straw hats. Clothing vintage to the 1930's - 40's would be great!}

_{Pass out racing sheets with a list of all the horses running and then listen to the running of the Derby on the radio. As guests arrive, pass out numbers and the one holding the number of the actual Kentucky Derby winner, horse, wins a bouquet of roses.}

_{Provide a country ham, biscuits, baked beans, slaw and most important, a punch bowl full of mint juleps with sprigs of mint for each cup.}

_{Derby Day Party Kits are available from private concerns in Louisville. These kits contain posters, glasses, napkins, stirrers, etc. To obtain current information on these companies contact the Louisville Convention and Visitor's Bureau, 501 S. Third Street, Louisvillle, KY 40202.}

_June

_{The Blushing Bride}

_{Have an "already wed" shower! Who says you can only celebrate getting married before the big date! Invite everyone to come dressed in their wedding dresses and bring their wedding albums. Decorate with while bells and crate paper and make everything super frilly and go all out, play shower games.}

_{Give prizes for most story book wedding and most disastrous wedding (something goes wrong at all of them). Reminisce and have a great time.}

_September

_{Back to School}

_{Have a Back to School dinner. Send out invitations on paper shaped like apples. Ask your guests to dress like they did in high school. Borrow cafeteria trays from your local school. Serve corn, pizza, celery sticks with peanut butter and milk in small cartons. Use a lunch box stuffed with back to school items as a centerpiece.}

_October

_Oktoberfest

_{Oktoberfests are a good excuse to party and visit with your friends. You may dress in your German folk outfit if you like. Surrounding you should be German music, fall decorations, beer steins and a German Welcome sing. Print the menu in German too!}

_{Food served could be a buffet of four different sausages, sauerkraut, Ruben casserole, German potato salad, red cabbage, cucumber salad, breads and usually 2-3 fabulous desserts. German chocolate cake is always a favorite! Also have on hand a large tub of beer and different wines, hot wassail and lots appetizers.}

_{If you want to play games, try the log sawing competition, etc. You must play the chicken song for everyone to dance and hopefully have room for everyone to polka!}

_{Halloween Party}

_{Of course you use black and orange as your color theme along with all your pumpkins, witches, goblins and spider webs!!}

_{Invite everyone to come in costume.}

_{Hollow and carve small pumpkins for each table as a decoration. Use a large pumpkin hollowed out as a punch bowl and small gourds as bowls for dips. Another tip for the punch is to fill a rubber glove with green water and freeze it. Once it is frozen peal off the glove and float the hand in the punch. Drop a few fake bugs in the chips and dip. You can serve some foods in Trick or Treat bags or give each person a Trick or Treat bag full of candy to take home.}

_{Prizes for games were ceramic witches and whatever you find in stores. Games to play include bobbing for apples, Twister and best costume contest.}

_December

_{"'Twas the Night Before Christmas"}

_{This is a different Christmas party to attend. Everyone is sent an invitation that includes the poem "Twas the Night Before Christmas" and everyone that comes to the party comes dressed as something from the poem. For instance, make a house out of a huge cardboard box, painted bricks, make a chimney and windows, etc. Have whoever is the tallest of you and your spouse be the chimney and cut out windows for the shorter person to look through. Then you can go as "…and all through the house…"}

_{Give prizes for the most unique and funny.}

_{New Year's Eve Party}

_{Ask everyone to pay a fee per couple in advance so that you could hirea DJ with his equipment and supply a well stocked bar. Their money can pay for it all: party favors, champagne, DJ and bar.}

_{Balloons, streamers and confetti were everywhere. Party favors are horns, hats, confetti and champagne for the toast at midnight.}

_{Ask everyone to bring a dish of food.}

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