With vaccinations only just underway and the height of holiday season still ahead of us, chances are you’ll be ringing in 2021 a bit differently than you rang in 2020. But staying at home doesn’t mean you can’t celebrate. To help find ways to spruce up a living room or kitchen area for rounding up the fam for the countdown, we reached out to Tiffany Pilgrim of August Events for her party expertise—even in a pandemic.

For starters, she says, try emphasizing clarity and sparkle by filling up vases or glass cylinders with party flair, whether blowers, fun glasses or tiaras—anything that screams New Year’s.

“And don’t forget the drink flair. You can find things like disco ball-themed cups and firework drink stirrers on Etsy,” she explains. “They’re technically drink supplies but double as fun decor and look festive when set out on your table or island.”

Don’t feel the need to buy a whole new set of items for just one night, however.

“Repurposing Christmas decor is a great idea,” says Pilgrim. “You can wire together groupings of three to four Christmas ornaments that fit your color scheme and incorporate those into your tablescapes, or leave them loose or pile them up on a cake stand or in glass vases with fairy lights.”

Then there are the classics. “Mylar streamers are fun for New Year’s,” she says, “and you can really layer them on anything—patio columns, a blank wall, doorways. You can buy them in long curtains or short banners (EnFete on Etsy is a great resource for them).  The more you use them the better they look, so buy a lot and layer things with them.”

 

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Balloons, of course, look at home during any occasion, and Pilgrim suggests ordering a couple of bunches from Animated Art or Balloon Mania of Louisiana and letting them them loose in your living room. “Or order a lot and really cover your ceiling. Stay within an adult color scheme, like black and white or black and gold, to make sure it doesn’t skew too ‘kid’s party’ on you.” If it’s actually a kids’ party, then, well, go crazy!

“Last, I recommend confetti cannons,” says Pilgrim. “These are so fun, single-use, and you can pop them inside at midnight. Kids love them. Adults love them. They’re amazing. These biodegradable ones from Amazon are our favorite—seriously, we actually personally tested a lot and these are the best. The packaging is matte black too, so they look good laid out with your other décor.”

Now that you have the know-how, even dressing up a doorway or creating a countdown-worthy coffee table can be enough to spark a fire of delight on the last cold night of 2020. Stay safe. Have fun. Happy New Year!