So you forgot about New Year’s Eve…

GUESS WHAT. NEW YEAR’S EVE IS TOMORROW. I KNOW. IT’S ABSOLUTE MADNESS.

I wish I could say I’m shitting you, but I’m not. Christmas always messes up my internal calendar, so New Year’s sneaks up each year and scares me half to death when I realize I have a few hours to plan a party. This year I managed to remember on Monday; last year, it was sometime around 11 a.m. on Dec. 31 while I was sitting at my desk.

In case you’re having a NYE-themed panic attack, here are a few ideas to keep tomorrow fun and festive. Many of the supplies can be found around your house or at a 24-hour store; worst case scenario, hit a Party City on your lunch break.

IDEA ONE: Turn your Christmas tree into a New Year Tree

Remove extra ornaments and leave only the most glitter-covered, NYE-ready options. Put holiday items like noisemakers and hats in the tree, and top with extra metallic garland. I also took apart an inexpensive New Year’s Eve garland I found at Party City last weekend and used the pieces like ornaments.

IDEA TWO: Create easy garland numbers

Put all that extra plain garland to good use (or go buy it cheap at someone’s post-Christmas sale) by wrapping it around cardboard to spell out the year. [I was inspired by this adorable tutorial, but I didn’t have all the required supplies.] Before grabbing my garland, I wrapped my numbers in gold Duct Tape; I plan to remove the garland and reuse it for something next year, so I didn’t want to cut extra pieces to fill in the gaps — the gold tape makes those less jarring. I also attached a small wire hook on the back of each number, as they look best hanging from our curtain rod. Depending on your home, I’m sure these would also look great over a couch, in a corner, or above a doorway.

IDEA THREE: Spray paint plastic Champagne flutes

Weirdly enough, I already own a TON of metallic gold spray paint — it’s a long story that involves a lot of picture frames — so this was incredibly simple. Pop the bottoms off of plastic Champagne flutes and take them and your paint to your outdoor/ventilated spray area. Coat each evenly, let dry, and pop them back onto the glasses. So simple.

IDEA FOUR: Decorate using New Year’s Eve wearables

Do you have a pile of old NYE hats? Put them on things in your apartment. Oh, and on you and your guests. Everywhere, really.

You can also use them to create a centerpiece, like I did last year.

IDEA FIVE: Grab NYE strings

I’ll be honest — I grabbed these NYE strings at the party store last weekend because they were cheap. They are surprisingly festive for the low price. I hung them from curtain rods and wrapped them in the tree, but I’d say the biggest statement came from how they look strung from the ceiling and draped across frames. The light shines through and writes Happy New Year on our ceiling, which is a trick I’m sure will only grow more entertaining as the night goes on.

 

Now, decorations aren’t all you need to remember. Don’t forget fun goodies like noisemakers and confetti poppers, or important must-haves like Champagne and breath mints (for kissing, duh.) I’ve already shown you my sparkling NYE attire from Pitaya, but in case a full sequin dress isn’t your style, there are definitely other festive options. You can try a gold look…

…or go for a black-and-white ensemble.

You’ll look great no matter what you wear! Just be sure to keep your guests well-fed…

…and their glasses full.

But that’s proper advice for any get-together, not just NYE. Cheers!

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See you next year!