New Year's Eve is a classic time to throw a party—everyone is in a festive mood, and looking to mark the end of the year and to kick-off the new one with a bang. Knowing How to Throw the Best New Year's Eve Party is a valuable skill, since it can be expensive to attend an event hosted by a restaurant or night club, and these venues don't always meet everyone's expectations, given that they cater to the masses.

The most important aspect to throwing a successful party is understanding the expectations of your guests. The more accurately you match the party to what the attendees are expecting, the better it will be.

While you may be tempted to invite every last person you know, this will not necessarily result in the best new year's eve party. Most of us know various groups of people who don't necessarily know each other. When bringing together a big group of people, you should consider how well everyone will interact with each other, as well as differences in their interests and desires. Of course, you do not need to restrict yourself to inviting only people that already know each other; just avoid inviting too many people with very different expectations.

The number of people you invite will also affect the atmosphere of the party. There is nothing wrong with having only a handful of friends over, or with a packed house, but be sure to consider whether you would prefer a more intimate, conversation-filled evening, or a party where you can dance the night away shoulder-to-shoulder.

The invitations themselves may be as simple as brief emails (use blind carbon copy if you don't want people to know who else is invited), an online invitation service such as Evite or Pingg, or, for a more formal touch, printed and snail-mailed. Send the invitations at least 2-3 weeks ahead of time, as most people will have firmed up their new year's plans by then.

As with most parties, the food and drink can make or break the event. http://ca.askmen.com/money/how_to/30_how_to.html Again, the expectations of your guests is key: you may want to plan a full sit-down dinner, or perhaps just order a stack of pizzas and some wings. Another alternative is to prepare (or order) a variety of finger-foods, which has the added advantage of avoiding the need for plates and cutlery.

In terms of drinks, it is perfectly fine to advise guests to bring their own, which you may want to supplement with a few bottles of wine and a case or two of beer. And of course, be sure to provide champagne for the big moment.

Entertainment-wise, if you have multiple rooms that are large enough, you can have multiple activities simultaneously. For example, go for music and dancing in one room, poker and/or a Wii session in another, and a quieter area to allow for conversations in another.

During the party, of course you should enjoy yourself and the company of your guests, but you should also keep an eye out for possible areas of improvement. Circulate throughout the space, and don't be afraid to ask people how they think things are going. Some guests may offer up valuable tips for small adjustments that can be made to improve everyone's experience--something as simple as opening a window to cool the room down, or changing up the music.

Finally, ensuring that everybody leaves safely is always important. http://www.ehow.com/how_2004137_new-years-party.html Since most guests will come find the host to say goodbye before they leave, this is the right time to find out if they are planning to drive, and if so, whether they have been drinking. Be quick to offer alternatives if the answer to both is yes: call them a cab and offer to call in the morning to arrange to get their car back. Or better yet, offer them a couch for the night.