When you're planning a backyard party, draw inspiration from the season.
A backyard typically lends itself to a laid-back, relaxed party. It's an event that tends to be easy to put together and pull off. When you're planning your backyard party, let the season be your guide. Plan one group of activities and foods for a party you throw in the summer and another for a gathering that takes place in the fall or winter.
Instructions
Summer Celebration
1. Keep your decorations simple. Hang streamers and clusters of balloons purchased at a dollar store. Or if you want to be more elaborate, have a country theme. Tie red and blue bandannas on the backs of your outdoor chairs. Stack a few bales of hay along the edge of the patio for additional seating. Top each table with an old-fashioned lantern. And make your guests part of the decor by asking them to wear denim skirts, jeans, cowboy boots, cowboy hats and belts with big buckles.
2. Set up several fun-in-the-sun activities. Options include a water-balloon toss, limbo, horseshoes and croquet. Buy a net for volleyball; it shouldn't cost more than $20 or so. Bring up the ping-pong table from the basement, and set out some hula hoops. Ask an artistic friend to do little body paintings on guests' cheeks, arms and hands. If you have a pool, organize guests into teams for water polo or water volleyball, have relay races or just let everyone enjoy the pool at their leisure.
3. Serve guests summer-appropriate food and drink. One time-honored plan is a traditional barbecue with ribs, barbecued chicken or pulled pork and sides of baked beans and potato salad. For dessert, offer peach cobbler.
Or try something a little different, and go with fun finger foods: deviled eggs, egg salad and ham sandwiches cut into quarters, tuna Nicoise lettuce wraps, chicken skewers, brownie bites and lemon bars.
Or go for something very outside the box: a Hawaiian luau menu. Treat guests to crab claws, barbecued steak, shrimp kabobs and vegetable stir fry. For your beverages, serve margaritas and pina coladas for adults and milkshakes and slushes for kids.
Fall and Wintry Revelry
4. For a winter party, decorate in winter white. String up white holiday lights. Drape the tables with a white tablecloths. For centerpieces, carve snowmen out of Styrofoam. Decorate with white balloons, flags and crepe streamers. Hang a Backyard Winter Bash banner, and pass out white party hats for guests to wear. If it's very cold, consider putting up a tent and using outdoor-appropriate heaters to keep your guests warm.
5. Set up amusing cool-weather activities. If it's still warm enough, let guests bob for apples, join in sack races or try their hands at a bean bag toss. Before guests arrive, hide items in the backyard, and then send them on a scavenger hunt. Have a corn-shucking contest. Or just let everyone carve a pumpkin or work together to make a scarecrow.
If there's snow on the ground, use it for any number of contests: snow sculpting or snowman or igloo building, and award prizes.
6. Plan a menu to warm your guests. An old-fashioned hot dog roast roast is always a good time. Provide ingredients for making s'mores, as well. If a bonfire isn't possible, plug in a couple of crock pots to keep two hearty soups piping hot. Offer guests cheese-broccoli soup, minestrone, clam chowder or chicken soup. Or just serve up a savory, meaty chili with various foods to spoon it onto, such as baked potatoes, nachos or cornbread. Serve up hot chocolate or hot cider.
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