Why We Host A Mid-January Party Every Year

Our social calendars are pretty jam-packed from November through December and that’s without even including the actual holidays. The list of family and friend obligations goes on and on—between Friendsgivings, office holiday parties, gift swaps, festive dinners and gatherings, and New Year’s Eve bashes, we are inundated with celebrations. 

Maybe you’re like me and want to join in on the fun of hosting a soiree, but simply just don’t have the time. Enter the mid-winter January party. Rather than filling the calendar with yet another social affair between Thanksgiving and New Year’s, give it a few weeks for the holiday frenzy dust to settle and everyone will be ready for a party again.

The tradition started with my college roommates. All of our friends were throwing Christmas parties, but they were all packed into the few weeks before everyone headed home for the semester. There was hardly enough time to attend all of the festivities, let alone have our own. But we still wanted to host a fun shindig, so we opted to throw a belated New Year’s party—a fun way to gather all of our friends back together after the busy season. We threw tinsel, tossed confetti, crafted fun drinks, put out a bounty of treats, hung the largest disco ball I'd ever seen, and turned on the tunes.

It was a highlight of the season and truly everyone showed up, thus I’ve carried on the tradition with a new twist each year with new friends in new cities. Since there isn't a holiday attached to this time of year, the options are endless when it comes to creating a theme. Last year, we did an around-the-world theme with drinks and snacks representative of different regions—Champagne and charcuterie, margaritas and chips and salsa, sake, etc.

January always feels like an extra dreary, cold month, so hosting a party gives everyone something to look forward to. Plus, it’s a fun pick-me-up if you’re sad that all the holiday cheer has passed and need a perfect addition to your social calendar’s quiet time of year. Best of all, entertaining in an off-season takes the stress out of trying to fit everything in during the holidays and means more people are free to attend your fête. Keep it casual with various bar and snack set-ups for guests to mix and mingle freely or for a smaller crowd, elevate it with a seated dinner.

I'm not sure yet what's in store for keeping the merriment going this January, but I know I have more than a few friends eager to find out!