11 Fun New Year’s Eve Party Ideas for Food, Games & Decorations

Picture a great New Year’s Eve party at your home with all your friends: Sparkling decorations and candles all about. Your guests take hilarious photos, dance with loud, crazy noisemakers, and enjoy a selection of appetizers. When the clock strikes 12, you toast with champagne and feast on a midnight supper.

This scenario has to cost a fortune, right? Well, not necessarily. With a few money-saving tricks up your sleeve, you can host a great New Year’s party on a budget that people will be talking about for a long time to come. From food, to refreshments, to games, you can cut costs everywhere without sacrificing any of the fun! And if your New Year’s resolution is to save money, this is a great place to start.

Party Food Ideas

1. Make It a BYOA Affair – Bring Your Own Appetizer

Phone your invitees and inform them that it’s a BYOA event. There are a number of cheap and easy appetizers that your guests can bring, but if someone doesn’t know how to cook or what to bring, suggest raw veggies and hummus, a fruit and nut platter, or a cheese and crackers plate. If someone claims that even those are too difficult, ask them to bring a container or two of mixed nuts – you can provide the bowl!

2. Serve Champagne Sangria for Midnight Toasting

This is an easy and delicious way to cut down on champagne costs that will be appreciated by all! To make champagne sangria, simply use these ingredients and follow the instructions below:
Ingredients:

• One 32-ounce bottle of apple juice
• One 12-ounce can of frozen cranberry juice concentrate
• One cup of orange juice
• One-and-a-half liters of champagne (or ginger ale for a non-alcoholic version)

Directions:

1. Keep items chilled (or frozen) until use.
2. Combine the apple juice, cranberry juice concentrate, and orange juice in a large bowl. Stir well.
3. Add sliced oranges, kiwi slices, and any other fruit you like.
4. Slowly add the champagne or ginger ale at the last minute to keep it bubbly.

This recipe serves 12, but you might want to double up for thirsty guests!

3. Have a Midnight Supper

After the midnight toast, close the bar and invite everyone to take part in a midnight supper. A baked potato bar is easy, fun, and inexpensive. Bake the biggest potatoes you can find, and follow with dessert!

• Put potatoes in the oven at 400 degrees at about 10:30pm. They should be done in about an hour.
• Set out as many toppings as you like: sour cream, bacon bits, chopped scallions, salsa, shredded cheese, jalapenos, chives, steamed broccoli, butter, mushrooms, chili, and anything else you’d like. Let everyone fix their own potato, as loaded as they want.
• For dessert, serve chocolate cake from a mix with white icing and colored sprinkles. Serve with ice cream and a little hot fudge sauce.
• Be sure to provide coffee with dessert for the drive home.

This menu will cost about $2 per person, which is very reasonable for a hearty supper. If you want to spend more, make a cheesecake instead for a rich finish to your meal.

4. Remember That Timing Is Everything

Since you want to keep the party hopping until (and perhaps well past) the midnight hour, consider starting around 10pm. But if you prefer to start much earlier, have the potato bar ready at around 10pm so guests don’t go hungry.
If your group wants to spend five to six hours together, plan on having a full-scale potluck early in the evening. You can skip the appetizers in this case, but still prepare your midnight supper.

Fun & Games

5. Ask Guests to Bring an Unusual Noisemaker

Have a ”craziest noisemaker” contest and be sure to shoot video! Replay each person with their noisemaker for the crowd and vote on who wins. Provide a prize to the winner, such as earmuffs. Then, get everyone together for the big midnight countdown and create your own symphony of racket, clatter, and boom.

6. “Hire” a Photographer

Ask one guest to serve as the “official” photographer to take before and after photos, or do it yourself. As guests arrive, invite them to pose with one person seated and the other standing next to a chair (like an old-time photo – no smiling allowed). You could provide old-fashioned hats, and maybe a shawl or scarf for props.
Later, take “after midnight” photos of your guests in their holiday party outfits showing off their noisemakers. Post all the photos online to share.

7. Ask Guests to Write Predictions for the New Year

Have your guests sign their predictions and place them into a bowl or a box. Then, during supper, take turns reading the predictions while everyone guesses who wrote them. It can be surprising how difficult it is to guess your friends’ predictions – and it’s a great way to wrap up the night!

Final Word

Have a blast at your New Year’s party, but remember, no matter what, never allow anyone to drive home impaired! Not only do you want to keep your friends safe, but as a host, you could be legally liable for their drunk driving. These are known as “social host” laws, and many states have them.
To protect everyone, have a sober person drive intoxicated friends home, call a cab, or take their keys and let them sleep at your place. A simple bacon, eggs, and coffee breakfast will be fine for these overnight guests.

Fun Things To Do in December

Baking together is one of many activities you can and your children can do together to enjoy this special time of year.

 

Photo © Dave J. Anthony / Getty Images

There are so many fun things to do in December with your family. Pick any of these month-long activities to enjoy quality time with those special adults and kids in your life.

Send Holiday Cards
Get the family involved in sending out holiday cards. Buy a box at the store or get creative. Homemade cards are a treat to receive but they also give you one-on-one time with your children while you create them together. Paint your cards, use rubber stamps or use the computer to design your own holiday cards.

Have Holiday Pictures Taken
Put on your matching green and red sweaters and capture the moment with family holiday portraits. Posed pictures are the norm but also get creative holiday shots. Keep your camera ready all month long so you can capture unique holiday pictures of your family.

Visit Santa Claus
Take the kids early in the month to see Santa and avoid the crowds closer to Christmas. The guy with the white beard in the bright red suit can be a scary sight to younger children so prepare them for what to expect during their visit with Santa Claus.

Bake With Your Kids
You probably spend a lot of time in the kitchen in December. Let the kids be your little helpers. Bake with them to extend your holiday fun. Make gingerbread houses from scratch or bake cookies.

Wrap Presents Together
Usually kids wake up to find presents have been magically wrapped overnight. Keep a few out and ask your children to help wrap presents with you. Spend some special time with each of your kids as they wrap presents for their siblings, grandparents, aunts, uncles, etc.

Donate Time and Goods
December is a great month to introduce your children to the concept of charitable giving. Donate your family's time. Drop off a toy at a qualified charity event to help other kids in your area. Participate in a fundraising walk or run. There are many ways to help others during the holidays.

Get to Know Your Neighbors During Hi Neighbor Month
Getting to know your neighbors has many benefits. You can make some new mom friends. Kids can meet playmates their own ages for fun play dates. Families who know each other well can benefit from swapping free child care, even starting a neighborhood babysitting co-operative. Neighbors can look out for each other through neighborhood watches. Start with a simple introduction. Show up with baked treats as a friendly hello or organize a neighborhood block party.

National Stress-Free Family Holiday Month
The crowds, traffic and family time overload can be stressful even if you're usually the merriest of people. December is National Stress-Free Family Holiday Month. Part of its purpose to help you survive the holidays and reduce your family's holiday stress.

Safe Toy and Gift Month
With so many toys coming to good little girls and boys this month, it's only fitting that it's Safe Toy and Gift Month. As you shop for new toys or inspect your current ones, be sure you follow the toy safety checklist. But also use this month to talk about toy safety with your children. What may be age appropriate for one child could be dangerous to another. It's especially true if you have a baby in the house who could easily choke on small parts or be injured from an older child's toys.

Read A New Book Month
Every month should be Read a New Book Month. But during December, you have plenty of opportunities to introduce new books to your children. Pick books centered around the month of December. They can focus on the holidays, an author's birthday and specific events.

Universal Human Rights Month
 Celebrate peace, liberty and freedom with your children. Teach them about human rights. You'll show your kids how to be thankful and they'll learn about respect at the same time.

Write to a Friend Month
Grab a pen and paper. Encourage your children to write their pals. They can write a kid-friendly thank you card to their friends or simply write to say hi. It's an excellent exercise for all age groups that doesn't include phone calls, texts or emails. Preschoolers can practice their writing skills and older children can learn letter writing basics. You're not off the hook either. Write your children letters to tell them how much you love and appreciate them.

8 Easy Front Porch Holiday Decorating Ideas

When decorating your home for the holidays, don't forget the front porch. Spread holiday cheer outdoors with just a few festive touches. Deck out your front porch for the holiday season with our rustic decorating ideas and easy how-to projects.

DIY Reindeer Pillow

Cozy up a front porch chair or bench with this adorable reindeer pillow. With a few basic supplies and our free printable template, you can whip up one of your own in just a few steps.

Add a Special Touch

Embellish store bought finds with a few crafty touches that tie the look together. This rustic twig reindeer is cute enough on its own but better fits our theme with the addition of a satin ribbon and fuzzy yarn-wrapped balls.

Mini Christmas Trees

We found these small faux pine trees at a garage sale and turned them into something special by adding new baskets, satin ribbon, handmade ornaments and yarn garland. Mini pine trees are perfect for displaying by your front door; try adding one to each side of the entry to frame the door.

Easy Ornaments

We continued our yarn theme throughout with these easy do-it-yourself ornaments. With a few basic craft supplies, you can quickly whip up a whole bunch. This project is easy enough for even the littlest crafters so get the kiddos to help.

Embellished Wreath

Take a simple everyday wreath and dress it up for the holidays. This driftwood wreath is perfect year-round, but for the holidays it gets an extra special touch with the addition of satin ribbon and a cluster of yarn-wrapped balls in various sizes and colors. Tip: Use hot glue sparingly, so you can easily pop off the embellishments after the holidays without damaging the wreath.

Gorgeous Garland

Pine garland is perfect for draping along banisters to add a winter touch to your outdoor decor. Another easy option is to string white bunny tail yarn garland around doors and windows to create a mini snowball effect.

Light Up with Luminaries

Hosting a holiday party this year? Line your walkway with these simple DIY luminaries. Fill clear glass or plastic vases with stones or sand and add tea lights or votive candles (we prefer the battery-operated kind). Finish each luminary with a cute yarn bow.

Read more at hgtv.com | 8 Easy Front Porch Holiday Decorating Ideas

The Barringer Team Market Trends Newsletter - Decmber 2013

The following information is from the local MLS database, as of December 2, 2013 and is compared to (November 1, 2013).As we enter the last month of 2013,we are still seeing mostly all equity sellers  as prices are beginning to level off.There are only a little less homes on the market,  and most listings are not  receiving as many multiple offers and most are at the asking price or slightly below, if they are priced right. Interest rates have stayed the same with 30 yr fixed at 4.45% and 15 year at 3.51%.　
  　If you have been on the Fence about selling your home then NOW is still the time to sell. The holiday's there are typically less homes on the market and only serious buyers out looking. (see the article below) If you are curious to see how much equity you have in your house, give us a call for a market analysis!  Just call or e-mail for an hassle free appointment or to just talk about the market anytime. 1-800-894-7282 or sales@tracyhomes.com.

Tracy, CA

ACTIVE STATUS

Total # of residential properties for sale in the city of Tracy: 114 (123)

# of REO (foreclosures): 6 (7)

# of Short Sales: 7  (13)

Average # of days on market: 32 (30)

The median price of all homes for sale in Tracy: $365,000 (385,000)

 

PENDING STATUS

Number of properties currently under agreement: 174 (174)

# of REO: 5 (5)

# of Pending Short Lender Approval: 55 (60)

Median pending price: $317,000 ($301,000)

 

SOLD STATUS

Residential property sold over previous 30 days: 66 homes (76)

REO's sold in the last month: 3 (0)

Short sales sold in the last month: 9 (12)

Median sale price: $342,500 ($330,000)

Median # of days on the market:  15

 

　

Mountain House, CA

 

ACTIVE STATUS

 

Total # of residential properties for sale in the city of Mountain House: 37 (42)

# of REO (foreclosures): 1 (1)

# of Short Sales: 2 (2)

# of New Construction: 7 (10)

Average # of days on market: 32 (28)

The median price of all homes for sale in Mountain House: $436,880 (441,500)

 

PENDING STATUS

 

Number of properties currently under agreement: 40 (33)

# of REO: 0 (0)

# of Pending Short Lender Approval: 12 (12)

Median pending price: $404,975 ($377,118)

 

SOLD STATUS

 

Residential property sold over previous 30 days: 14 homes (15 homes)

REO's sold in the last month: 0 (0)

Short sales sold in the last month: 1 (1)

Median sale price: $417,940 ($415,000)

Median # of days on the Market: 9

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HOMES SOLD IN TRACY IN NOVEMBER

 

Take a look at this chart to see the SOLDS in Tracy for November.  Notice how many sold at asking price or over?  So call us for a free Market Analysis on your home!  209-833-7777.

	-	Address -          Street Name	Address - Street	_Bedrooms	Bathroom	Square Footage	CurrListpri price	Curr Selling Selling Price	DOM
3141		Holly	Dr	3	2 (2 0)	1280	160000	160000	16
358	W	Emerson	Ave	2	1 (1 0)	795	90000	105000	41
1040		Winter	Ct	3	2 (2 0)	1334	279000	275000	46
125		Loma Prieta Cir		4	3 (2 1)	2045	289900	289900	14
139	W	12th	St	2	1 (1 0)	831	165000	165000	20
107		Barcelona	Dr	4 (5)	3 (2 1)	2689	448888	400000	38
1036		Sallie	Ln	3	4 (3 1)	1703	310000	306500	51
499		Gonzalez	St	3	2 (2 0)	1214	265000	270000	59
2630		Ponte Mira		4	3 (3 0)	2235	279000	279000	40
1422		Whittingham	Dr	5	3 (2 1)	2029	375000	372000	33
536		Park Haven	Dr	3	3 (2 1)	1958	360000	350000	67
417		Hollywood	Ave	2	2 (2 0)	2034	330000	345000	14
335	W	Carlton	Way	3	1 (1 0)	1191	250000	230000	45
425		Pacheco	Dr	3	3 (2 1)	1794	279000	279000	45
3135		Milton Jenson	Ct	4	3 (3 0)	2443	399000	399000	69
909		Roosevelt	Ave	2	1 (1 0)	819	198000	210000	10
475		Peerless	Way	2	2 (1 1)	1166	164900	162000	40
305		Cecelio	Way	4	3 (2 1)	2597	379900	380000	64
1311		Roosevelt	Ave	2	1 (1 0)	1064	185000	195000	6
617	E	Robert L Smith		4	3 (2 1)	2407	389000	369000	50
788		Palm	Cir	4	2 (2 0)	1230	86000	100000	1
1986		Calaveras	Ct	3	3 (2 1)	1808	339000	339000	55
1828		Bayberry	Ln	3	3 (2 1)	1902	359999	359000	31
2972		Rugby	Ct	4	3 (3 0)	2397	379000	369900	37
2925		Holly	Dr	3 (5)	3 (2 1)	1104	200000	201000	25
1427		Mansfield	St	5	3 (3 0)	2917	399000	395000	25
335	W	Beverly	Pl	3	2 (2 0)	2048	299000	299000	23
4156		Escatta	Ave	4	3 (3 0)	2611	399000	380000	8
2133		Diego Ct		4	3 (2 1)	2689	435000	410000	46
143	W	Beverly	Pl	2	2 (2 0)	1064	198000	205000	18
4154		Reids	Way	3 (4)	2 (2 0)	2083	399000	399000	10
1760		Thicket		4	3 (2 1)	1899	325000	337000	13
1705		Parkside	Dr	4	3 (2 1)	2080	325000	350000	14
471		Baldwin	Ct	3	3 (2 1)	2135	340000	340000	15
1285		Sunpeak	Ln	3	3 (2 1)	1566	305000	307000	16
2238		Golden Leaf	Ln	4	3 (2 1)	2355	380000	372000	14
1900		Court	Dr	3	1 (1 0)	1016	219995	222000	25
787		Harold Smith	Dr	3	3 (2 1)	1705	330000	334500	6
1340		Standridge	Ct	3	1 (1 0)	1235	201000	192500	6
3055		Elsinore	Dr	4	2 (2 0)	1358	258000	258000	6
1561		Duncan	Dr	4	2 (2 0)	1527	285000	285000	19
1480		Velasquez	Ln	4	2 (2 0)	1834	350000	367500	14
1172		Cochran	Dr	4 (5)	3 (3 0)	2656	385000	397000	7
224	E	Beverly	Pl	4	2 (2 0)	1589	318800	315000	13
1520		Hurley	Ct	3	2 (1 1)	1087	229900	230000	5
215	W	Clover	Rd	3	3 (3 0)	1516	264000	250000	10
2455		Gerald	Ct	4	3 (2 1)	1775	314900	314900	12
422		Glenbriar	Cir	3	2 (2 0)	1421	320000	315000	1
1951		Parkside	Dr	4	3 (2 1)	1630	300000	300000	5
160	N	Club House	Way	4	2 (2 0)	1806	270000	286000	2

S.J. doctors join typhoon relief efforts in Philippines

Kudos to these 2 fine Doctors to help these poor people. Our own son Brian went to help the people of New Orleans with the Red Cross in 2005 for over 2 months.  We were very proud of him for doing that.  It took much courage him and 7 other people to run a shelter for over 1,000 people displaced by the Katrina  disaster.

F.Y.I. Dr .King was our Families personal Doctor for over 10 years a real nice guy and a good Doctor. Found this article in the Stockton Record and wanted to share.

 

 

By Joe Goldeen

Record Staff Writer

November 21, 2013 12:00 AM

 Dr. Katherine Gabon Cadacio of Stockton flew out of San Francisco International Airport last night bound for her homeland. It won't be a vacation.

Cadacio, 42, a family medicine doctor at the Kaiser Permanente Medical Offices on West Lane, is going home to the Philippines on a mission to do what she can to relieve some of the pain and suffering wreaked by the effects of Typhoon Haiyan two weeks ago.

Another area physician, Dr. Bill King, 59, a Kaiser assistant-physician-in-chief based in Manteca, is on call to follow Cadacio to the devastated island nation. They will be among more than 140 Kaiser doctors, nurses and other medical professionals from the large health provider's Northern California network who have signed up to spend two weeks in the disaster zone.

As of Wednesday, the Associated Press reported the Philippines government saying the typhoon had killed more than 4,000 people and left 1,600 missing. Uncounted tens of thousands more are injured and left homeless. Saving lives and providing emergency aid are still the main focus. Corpses are still being collected from beneath debris. But in a week or two, authorities will start transitioning into an "early recovery phase" and planning how best to rebuild the estimated 320,000 destroyed houses.
Cadacio is from Samar Island, a close neighbor of Leyte, the hardest hit island in the Philippine archipelago. She knows many people in Leyte's capital city of Tacloban.

"One of the main reasons I volunteered for this mission - every day since the typhoon hit the Philippines, it took us three days to get in touch with my uncle, who lives in Tacloban. When the news started coming in about the devastation, it would make me cry. I was just praying that Kaiser would offer something like this, so when I got the email I just decided to volunteer right away. To help the people," said Cadacio, who speaks Tagalog and Waray, the local dialect of the population most affected.

"When I was in med school, my parents always told me to make sure when you graduate, you always give back. After I graduated, I went back for four years to my home province Samar," she said.

Now she will return again, only this time she's not quite sure what she will be doing or where she will be assigned until she arrives.

Cadacio and King are traveling to the region on behalf of Relief International, a nonprofit humanitarian agency that provides emergency relief wherever it is needed worldwide. This is the first such mission for Cadacio.

King, on the other hand, was with Relief International in Haiti immediately after that Caribbean nation's devastating 2010 earthquake and has made several trips to Louisiana to help in the aftermath of 2005's Hurricane Katrina.

 

King said he expects to help "a lot of people there with broken bones and wounds. So a lot of people will have skin infections from wounds and cuts. The No. 1 reason people die in hospitals is infection, but if treated early, it can make a difference."

The doctors said one of the basic problems affecting the disaster zone is its water supply.

"There's contaminated water supply from human waste and dead animals. You save lives, especially young children who get diarrhea, when you provide them with a Gatorade-like drink. If there were a cholera outbreak, hours matter. That is the fear when you have a large amount of displaced people with no access to clean water," King said.

While the doctors will be called on for emergency medicine, treating infections and diseases common after a calamitous natural disaster, they also expect to provide critical relief for the local practitioners who have been working nonstop since the typhoon struck Nov. 8.

King credited Kaiser's Central Valley physician-in-chief, Dr. Moses Elam, with granting him and Cadacio permission to participate in the Philippines relief effort.

"I've had four or five people already come up and say to me they would take my patients," King said. The same is true for Cadacio, who said her Stockton colleagues have already stepped forward to handle her scheduled appointments for the next two weeks.

Should You Sell During the Holiday Season?

Traditional school of thought dictates that selling a home during the holidays is a bad idea. People are busy celebrating with their families and will hardly go shopping for a home, right? Not so! There are numerous advantages to listing a home during this season and below are ten great reasons to put a home on the market now.  
This is all courtesy my good friend Brad Korb, a top selling Realtor in Burbank, California who came up with this list.  In my 25 years of selling homes in Tracy, I can agree that this has always been a good time to sell a house in our market.

1. More serious buyers – Less time wasted These are people who are interested in buying so there is a far greater chance of actually selling the property.  Nothing is more promising to a seller than a motivated and qualified buyer that knows what they want and is actively seeking to get it.
2. Fewer Homes On the Market The less competition there is, the higher the chance there is for homes on the market to sell. Where during the peak season sellers might be dealing with some interest from buyers on their home, nonetheless there is more selection for buyers to choose from and they can stray to another property.
3. In January Inventory Increases – Chances of Selling Decreases With so many homeowners assuming the holidays is a taboo time to sell there is a plethora of new listings in January, resulting in a diminished chance of your home selling.  Also, there is a risk that the price you may receive on the home can be less.
4. Decked Halls Look Great Homes are very appealing to prospective buyers when they are decorated for the holidays.  With all the festive décor, lights, greenery and added beauty of the season – the home shows very well and attracts buyers faster than if shown during other times of the year.
5. More Time To Browse Homes Buyers have extra time off from work and are on vacation, which translates to a more aggressive buying pattern and more chances of your home being viewed.
6. More Emotional Buyers Because of the high stress of the holidays, buyers tend to be more emotional during this time than in the summer months. A more emotional buyer will tend to pay more for a new property, so selling your home during the holidays could make you more money.
7. Show The Home With Flexibility Sellers that have their home listed prior to the holidays have the added advantage to be able to “pause” the process so they can celebrate the holidays, essentially not showing the home during a period of time during the break.  When the festivities die down, things can pick up again and the seller has not only managed to save potentially lost time but can also jump right back into the market.
8. Transferred Employees January is typically the month where employees are transferred into new position. In order to capture this demographic of buyers, your home must be on the market since these buyers cannot wait until the spring to buy.
9. Sell Now For More Money Then Delay Closing. Extended occupancy can be negotiated, leaving both parties the leniency to get through the holiday season and past the New Year so that all sides can rest assured the deal is done but it can follow through at a more convenient time.  For sellers this option is great because they are able to secure a higher selling price on the property before the market is inundated with new listings come January when the selling values drop.
10. Fewer Foreclosures On the Market  Many banks will suspend foreclosure listing during this time of year, especially on properties where there are still families occupying the home.  As a result of this, some of the competition that arises for sellers from low-priced foreclosures can be avoided during the holidays. Keep in mind that the idea of your home’s value increasing significantly over the next several months is a myth.  The truth is that housing values likely only go up when consumer income rises. Pay rates increase at a rate of three to five percent each year and that is about the maximum yearly increase we can expect to see in a home as well. So if you are wondering whether or not to put your home on the selling market now, or to wait – one important factor is that waiting will not provide much benefit.