St. Pat's Day House Party

St. Patrick's Day is almost upon us, and what a great excuse to have a house party! Some people like to stay off the roads and away from the bar scene. No problem! Your house can be a bit of Ireland for a day. So get out the green, pretend you're Irish, eat Lucky Charms (you know, the cereal that has the leprechaun on the front), search for four-leaf clovers, and have a party.

St. Pats Day Party Invitations
One of those mini-cereal boxes of Lucky Charms. They're cheap—and fun. Open it up, insert a flier with where and when (don't forget the important things like your name and address), and tape it back up. Wrap in brown paper, and mail. On the outside, print: "Invitation enclosed!" and you're all set. Here's an idea of what to say:
You're Invited to A Wee Bit 'o Fun at the _______'s House...
No snakes!
Wear green or paint yourself green—your choice!
Prizes for people who bring four-leaf clovers.
Of course if you are having a larger party, or if you own a bar or restaurant, you might want to consider a personalized St. Patrick’s Day invitation from Party411.com We’ve added some great new designs this year. Our St Pat's ticket invitations are a different way to invite your guests and very effective if you are concerned about crowd control.

Parties are always way more fun when you can dress up...and St. Pat's Day is one of the best dress-up days of the year!  Wondering how to use some of these great St. Pat’s party supplies? Take a look at our Saint Patrick’s Day Pub Crawl theme.
 
Here are a few of our favorite St. Patrick's Day wearables that make fun favors for your guests:
St. Patrick's Day Party Supplies and Decorations
You can buy the usual decorations like St. Patrick's Day cutouts, and green and gold balloons for bouquets here and there OR you can “paint the town green” so to speak by adding just a few touches making other party planners green with envy!

At the door (outside or inside if there's room), have a "blarney" stone for people to kiss. Highlight the area with a sign to let everyone know the riches they can gain:
There is a stone there, that whoever kisses,
Oh! He never misses to grow eloquent:
Tis he may clamber to a lady's chamber,
Or become a member of Parliament.
Also consider a St. Pat's Banner to welcome your guests.  This is a great way to get your guests excited for the party.

If you are at the office, you probably can't have a cocktail (at least openly), so why not indulge yourself with chocolate instead. There are lots of specially wrapped candies around (or just green M&Ms) that will brighten up the table in a fun way.

St. Patrick's Day Food and Drink
Whatever you serve you don’t want much in the way of clean up so put out some St. Patrick's Day paper goods and life is easier! Feeling creative? For centerpieces, cut four-leaf clovers out of green card stock, like 10" wide by 10 high." Take two, and using double stick tape, attach them to either side of the balloon weight. Clever, huh?

You can also add a little luck 'o the Irish to your St. Pat's drinks with personalized beer bottle labels. Throw the bottles in a cooler for easy access.
 
Here are a few ways to spruce up your "pub" area:
  • Let everyone know where the beer is! Use balloon bouquets to draw everyone's eye.  
  • What's a pub without food? Make sure to set out bowls of snacks... pretzels, nuts, chips... anything salty is good!
  • If you are planning on serving green beer by the pitcher, use a fun light up drink pitcher and a few light up mugs; they are always a huge hit!
For food go with a classic on St Pat's -
 
Easy Corned Beef in a Slow Cooker
Serves 15
  • 7 pounds corned beef
  • 2 cans of light beer
  • 10 medium potatoes
  • 2 heads green cabbage
Wash your corned beef and place it in a large slow cooker with the seasoning packet. Cover the corned beef with beer and water and cook for 8 hours on low. Quarter your potatoes and add them to the slow cooker after 6 hours. Cut the cabbage into wedges and add it 30 minutes before serving.

If you are looking for St Patrick's Day drink recipes try any from our list of favorite St. Patrick's Day libations.

St. Patrick's Day Games and Activities
Looking for a St. Pat’s game? Check out our St. Patrick’s Day Game Guide. One funny activity is to get everyone to tell a joke or story using their best Irish brogue. Since many of your guests are Irish only one day a year you are going to get some hilarious attempts.
 
Or get your Saint Patrick's Day party into full swing with a St. Patrick's Day Sing-A-Long! Great fun!

St. Patrick's Day Favors
Well, the best favor you can do your guests is to make sure they don’t drink and drive. Always a good idea but especially important on this day.
For a 'sweet" party favor do a candy buffet with green and St Pat's appropriate candy - 
  • Andes mints
  • Shamrock gummies
  • Green jelly beans
  • Green candy fruit slices
  • Rock candy
  • Skittles
  • Lucky charms
  • Gold chocolate coins
  • and St. Patrick's Day favor bags
Erin go Bragh!