Hi, Girlfriends! We’ve had a lovely holiday hiatus, but now we’re back with a whole new year of ideas to help you have fun and meaningful times with your girlfriends. Did you spend enough time with your girlfriends in 2008? Do you wish you’d taken more time for female friendship?

Melissa Mellott and girlfriends start the New Year off right—together!

Seven Steps to Better Girls Nights

1. Give yourself permission. Women are great at nurturing—so why don’t we nurture ourselves? First things first: You have to believe it’s OK—in fact, it’s essential—for you to spend one night a month away from the husband, the kids, the dog, the apartment, the job, or whatever it is that you tend to. Spending time with your girlfriends makes you a better, healthier, happier person, and that’s good for all facets of your life. Don’t believe us? See Girlfriends Are Good For You for the proof!
2. Commit to one “date” a month with your girlfriends. Whether it’s girls night out or girls night in, girlfriend brunch or even a girlfriend getaway, promise yourself that you will make this time once a month, and then get your girlfriends on board.

3. Calendar your dates. The single most important step to enjoying the benefits of female friendship is putting those dates on the calendar. If you have a girlfriend group, meet in January and ask everyone to bring their calendars. Try meeting once a month to start (our surveys show that most girlfriends think this is the right frequency to get together). Many girlfriend groups meet on a consistent day, such as the third Thursday of each month, year in and year out.

4. Put a different girlfriend in charge of planning each month’s festivities. It’s no fun being the one who always does the work, is it? So split up the planning responsibilities by having a different girlfriend host each month. She determines the theme, the location, the menu, and other details. Costs can be evenly split, or the hosting girlfriend can treat—that’s up to you and your gal pals.

5. Think about themes. Exploring a different theme each month adds variety and interest, giving you something to look forward to and ensuring that your girlfriends keep coming back. Perhaps you already know December’s party will involve the holidays, or July’s party will be a beach barbecue, because that’s your girlfriend tradition. Put it on the calendar now. Otherwise, let your girlfriends use their imagination! Of course, they can check www.GirlfriendCelebrations.com for the latest girls night and girlfriend party ideas each month, or search for a particular theme, from Awards-Show Mania to Valentine’s Day. (And, be sure to share your girls night party theme ideas with us. We’d love to hear how you celebrate with your girlfriends.)

6. Build in meaning. Learning more about each other is vital to strengthening your friendships. So take your girls nights beyond eating, drinking and gossiping. Experiencing something new together (like learning to bellydance, or volunteering at a homeless shelter) is a classic bonding technique. Or, add a brief connecting activity that helps you understand your gal pals better. It doesn’t have to be lengthy, embarrassing, or corny. You’ll find fun and easy connecting activities in nearly ALL of our girls night party plans. It takes a tiny bit of effort, but pays off in stronger friendships—and that’s definitely worth it.

7. Review, and revel in it! After each girls night, take a few minutes to evaluate. You may want to do this on your own, or together via email. How did the girls night go? Did it meet your expectations? Did you get what you wanted out of the evening? What would have improved the experience? What will you do different next time? Make a few notes and pass them on to the girlfriend planning the next event. Finally, don’t forget to revel in your achievement. You did it! You made your health and well-being a priority by putting your girls nights on the calendar. Enjoy every minute of your girlfriend time this year. Cheers!

For more girlfriend party planning tips, see January Party: The Very Important Planning Event and Girlfriend Parties on a Budget.

Any tips we’re missing, girlfriends? What makes your girls nights better, or your girlfriend group run more smoothly? Please join the party: We’d love to hear your comments!

Girlfriends, are you making any New Years resolutions? If you’re looking to make some changes in 2009, enlist your girlfriends to help you stay on track. Use your next girls night to find a “Resolution Buddy”—a partner who will help you keep that promise to exercise five days a week, quit smoking, or be nicer to your husband. Here at GirlfriendCelebrations, we work on improving ourselves all year long. We’re always starting something new. However, the start of a new year *is* the perfect time to reflect on what needs to change in your life and start making that change with vigor. Read on to see what we’re doing and how you can find a buddy too:

The next time you gather your girlfriends, invite them to come prepared with one or two “resolutions” written down and calendars in hand. Read through your resolutions over coffee or cocktails. Similar themes will emerge. Surely one of the women you know has similar goals for fitness, spirituality, or self-improvement. Then, pair up and schedule some dates to either pursue your goals together, or to check in with your buddy on her progress. Make sure you have multiple, regular dates scheduled on your calendar before you leave the gathering. You’ll be much more successful in keeping your resolution when you “buddy up,” according to Kim Simpson of IResolveTo.com. She writes:
“Teaming up with a friend will help you to make a successful, rewarding journey. Here are just a few of the benefits of teaming up with a kindred spirit:

Need some inspiration for creating your New Year’s resolution? Visit IResolveTo, which even sells t-shirts that allow you to wear your resolution so you can’t forget it! Or check out Amazon’s Top Ten Resolutions.

So what’s our resolution? Among other things, Tina and I will be keeping each other on track with a resolution to improve our rear view! We’ve both decided to try the Bootcamp for Butts exercise and skincare program from Mamma Mio. We talk on the phone almost daily anyway, so it shouldn’t be too hard to check in with each other on whether we’ve done our daily skincare and 3-minute exercise routines. (Three minutes a day? We can do this!) If you want to try it with us, here’s a link to the Bootcamp for Butts Kit. And no, there won’t be any photos, but we will let you know how it’s working out. We’ll also be blogging about some other changes we’re making in the coming year, but we’ll tell you about that on another day.

In the meantime, we’d love to hear about YOUR resolutions in the comments. Report in to us on how you are doing. We really mean it. And find your real-life resolution buddy this week. Remember, Girlfriends Make Life Better!™

]]> http://www.girlfriendcelebrations.com/celebration-ideas/find-a-resolution-buddy-and-make-those-changes-stick/feed/ 5 http://www.girlfriendcelebrations.com/celebration-ideas/a-little-pink-party-to-support-friends-with-breast-cancer/ http://www.girlfriendcelebrations.com/celebration-ideas/a-little-pink-party-to-support-friends-with-breast-cancer/#comments Tue, 21 Oct 2008 13:00:31 +0000 Tina http://www.girlfriendcelebrations.com/?p=126

As Breast Cancer Awareness month continues, GirlfriendCelebrations.com would like to help you support your girlfriends with breast cancer, the best way we know how—with a little pink party! Not just for October, this party works perfectly ANY time of year to support a friend recently diagnosed with breast cancer, to honor a breast cancer survivor you love, or to raise money for a special breast cancer organization. The issue of breast cancer really touches us all. As Becky Olson and Sharon Henifin, founders of BreastFriends.com, state, ”One in eight women will be diagnosed with breast cancer. The other seven will know her.” If you know someone affected by breast cancer, you surely want to help her feel less lonely and isolated, but you may not know how. By gathering together we can truly help—one party at a time—by celebrating and supporting our sisters, girlfriends, mothers and daughters touched by breast cancer. (By the way, please check out Becky and Sharon’s website. It offers tons of useful information to girlfriends trying to help someone with cancer. Their “hat shower” idea inspired us as we worked on this party plan!)

Invitations

If you’re looking for a quick, electronic ‘vite, try creating one on Smilebox.  This cool new web-based service lets you send cards and invites with your own favorite photos and music. For those who like to invite the old-fashioned way, try a basic pink invitation, which can be purchased from a retail store such as Target or Hallmark. A tiny pink ribbon can always be affixed to the invite as a symbol of the night to come.  If you purchase the invitation blank, or choose to make your own on the computer, try writing something like this:

Our hats are off to Janie!

With a little attitude

And a lot of heart

Please join us

To lavish hats and love

on our girlfriend

Janie Smith

Saturday, Oct. 24th at 7p.m.

If the guest of honor is pre-chemo or going through chemo, ask each guest to bring two of the same hat or scarf.  One clean, never-worn chapeau for the guest of honor to wear when she’s feeling blue, and the other for each girlfriend to wear at the party or to appointments with her. This may help to comfort and alleviate a little pain in the devastating experience of losing her hair. By wearing a hat with your friend, you can gently remind her of your support and your sincere wish for her to not feel “alone.” Keep in mind that the best time for this party is before the guest of honor loses her hair.  Once the hair starts falling out, her head can become very tender.

If the guest of honor is past chemo or you are giving to a charitable organization, ask each girlfriend to bring two clean, never worn hats.  Donate the hats to a charitable cause like HeavenlyHats.  Just be sure the hats are brand new and never worn due to the reduced immune systems of some girlfriends with cancer.

Setting and Setup

A small, intimate gathering at someone’s house is the best locale for this event. This is especially true if the guest of honor is going through chemo (she could have a weakened immune system). She will most likely appreciate the thoughtfulness of a “girls night in.”

Decorating with different shades of pink can add cheer to the room.

Pink table setting

Don’t forget to have cameras and a video camera on hand. Ask each guest to take a few snapshots. This will give you photos from different points of view as well as involve each girlfriend for an individual touch. Don’t forget to take a group photo as well. The pictures will be visible evidence of all the love and support in your girlfriend’s life.

Food and Drink

Yes, a pink party would not be complete without pink food! Some pink party food ideas include: Marbled Cherry Brownies, fruit kabobs with pretty pink dip, Pink Ribbon bagel bites from Panera with strawberry cream cheese (proceeds from the sale of these will benefit breast cancer causes), and a Strawberry Yogurt Sundae Bar filled with yummy toppings.

For a pretty drink in pink, why not serve: pink lemonade, cherry 7Up adorned with cherries, or make a batch of fruity pink flamingos and top with umbrellas.

(Please keep in mind that raw fish, seafood, meat or eggs should not be served to those girlfriends with weakened immune systems due to the possiblility of food borne illness.) Serving healthful food is the best way to support your girlfriend.

Activities

Play a game of “Who am I?” Pin the names of famous breast cancer survivors on guests’ backs as they arrive. Each guest will need to figure out who they are by asking only questions that can be answered with a yes or no.  This game is designed to get the group chatting. Some celebrity breast cancer survivors might include: Edie Falco, Gloria Steinem, Kate Jackson, Melissa Etheridge, Olivia Newton-John, Rue McClanahan, Linda Ellerbee, Jill Eikenberry, Cheryl Crow, Sandra Day O’Connor, Ann Jillian, Lynn Redgrave, Cokie Roberts, Shirley Temple Black, Suzanne Somers, Jaclyn Smith, Deanna Favre and Anastacia.

Play “What I haven’t told you”.  Ask each guest to write a compliment or something positive (a few sentences, please) about the girlfriend of honor prior to the party and bring in hand.  As the guests arrive hide the compliments away from spying eyes. Before the game, you might explain how many times we take our friends’ positive attributes for granted. Often our girlfriends don’t really know how we feel. Then, read the list of compliments. Everyone must guess which compliment came from which guest? The person who guesses the most correctly may win a token gift. But the guest of honor will have the most priceless prize of all–knowing the admiration and love of all of her girlfriends.

(If your party is for a charitable organization, have guests write a positive comment about each girlfriend in attendance, along with their name, on a pink slip of paper and sign it. Then sort the comments so each guest can go home with a pile of pink slips to read, about their own most positive attributes!

Make a sign-up sheet to help out your girlfriend: Have dates of chemo treatments listed for girlfriends to accompany her and support her during this unpleasant time. Also, list dates that she would like meals brought to her and her family when she might need them the most, dates when someone could watch her kids during a doctors appointment or give her a few hours alone with her spouse, dates to grocery shop for her when she might not feel like going out after chemo. Think of something she might need to do but might be too tired and drained. This will mean so much to to the girlfriend you are supporting!

Party Favors

-After the party, mail to each girlfriend a copy of the group picture along with the best protection bookmark.

-Fill a pink ribbon travel mug (like this one from Sears) with chocolate.

-Give a pink candle tied with a pretty ribbon. Attach a pink slip of paper with directions to light the candle for five minutes every night in honor of our sisters, friends, mothers and daughters who are fighting the fight.

As the days pass, don’t forget to stay involved in the life of your friend who has been diagnosed with breast cancer. Loneliness can lead to despair and hopelessness. Acknowledge your friendship and support her often with visits, phone calls, emails and letters. The memories you make will be cherished forever.

We sincerely wish you and your girlfriends a beautiful celebration of life and friendship. Share your comments and ideas below.

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January is underway! Need to organize a girlfriend get-together fast? Allow us to direct your attention to a few previously published parties that work well this time of year. All-new celebrations are coming soon! Meanwhile, you can throw these together in a flash:

Pink Elephant Party: A hilarious way to get rid of some unwanted holiday gifts

Simple Spa Party: It’s the dead of winter; treat yourself and your pals! 

VIP Event: Girlfriend group planning makes this a Very Important Party

Have fun and don’t sweat the small stuff. Let us know how your party goes! 

Start the year off right and do something good for yourself: Make a date with your girlfriends! This month’s celebration pays dividends all year long. It’s time for some Very Important People (you and your girlfriends) to get together for a Very Important Planning party–your annual V.I.P. event. The purpose? To get your girlfriend celebrations organized for the year, having fun in the process. Planning doesn’t have to be a chore–we’ll show you how it can be fun. And, with everyone in on the decision-making, you’ll get a better turnout at your monthly get-togethers throughout the year. 

The Setting 

This party is best held in the light of day, because after sundown our desire to accomplish starts to sway. Trust us on this one!  Leave the formalities for the rest of the year, and keep it simple and convenient. Just meet in someone’s kitchen over Kahlua and coffee, or meet for brunch at a favorite locale.

The Invitations

This is an invite that must be done by phone or in person. It’s too important to leave to snail mail, and too personal for email. Simply tell your girlfriends that attendance is mandatory to ensure a year full of fun, show up with their calendars and you’ll do the rest.

Food and Drink

Simple is best. Most of your time is going to be spent planning, so make refreshments quick to prepare and finger-friendly. Coffee, tea, and a simple dessert or coffee cake fit the bill. You can offer a selection of herbal teas for variety, or add Kahlua to the coffee for a kick. Or, meeting at a local coffee shop allows you to forget the food and focus totally on your friends.

Perfect Planning

After everyone has had a chance to catch up a bit, have everyone gather with their calendars. Aren’t you excited? It’s time to schedule an entire year of girlfriend celebrations! This should be fun, so don’t get bogged down by the details. Keep a can-do attitude as you open up your busy calendars.   

1. Schedule the dates. The simplest way to take care of this step is to choose the same date and time each month–for example, the third Thursday of the month at 7:00 pm. Once a month is probably the most your friends will be able to commit to. If not everyone can make it each month, don’t get discouraged. Just do the best you can, and try to pinpoint dates and times that work for most people, most months. 
2. Assign responsibilities. Give each girlfriend responsibility for planning and hosting one or two monthly gatherings during the year. This is a crucial step –don’t leave the table until it’s done! In our opinion, the simplest and most enjoyable way to plan the year is for the "hosting" girlfriend to have complete responsibility for her gathering. She will choose the location and the theme, invite the group, and provide the refreshments and favors (if any). However, there are other ways of handling this. If you have a girlfriend who is willing to host the party every month (bless her heart), then the rest of you can divvy up the responsibilities of theme, food and drink. Or add a twist to the process by Passing the Basket.
3. Discuss party themes. Perhaps you know December’s party will involve the holidays, or July’s party will be a beach barbecue, because that’s your girlfriend tradition. Put it on the calendar now. If you’ll allow some variation within your set themes, discuss that at the table. Otherwise, let your pals use their imagination! Of course, you can check www.GirlfriendCelebrations.com for the latest new party ideas each month, or to search for a particular theme. And be sure to share your unique girlfriend party themes with us!
4. Lay the ground rules. Having a few guidelines makes planning easier and prevents ruffled feathers later on. The most important "rules"–and maybe the only ones–are guidelines for cost and time. How much are your friends willing to spend per event, and how much time are they willing to devote? Everything else depends on the personality and preferences of your girlfriends, but here are some questions to consider. Are nightclubs acceptable meeting places for your group? Is it OK to invite others from outside your group? Are there any allergies to food and drink?

New Year Wishes

Here’s an casual activity you can add to your gathering to start the new year in a spirit of fun. Have each girlfriend write on a slip of paper a wish for the new year. It needs to be a wish for a person at the party, not for the world at large. The wishes can be funny or serious. For example: "I wish to appear on Oprah," or "I wish for good health."  Put all the wishes in a pretty bowl and everyone draw one and read it. It can be funny to see who ends up with which wish!

Or, for those Betty Crockers out there who won’t have a party without serving a favorite cake or brownie, you can hide the wishes in pieces of cake very simply. Just take the small slips of paper and roll them around toothpicks. Insert a toothpick into a cooled cake or brownie, twist the toothpick and slowly pull up, leaving the wish in the cake. You can top the brownies with powdered sugar so the holes don’t show, or quickly frost the cake. Just be sure to warn your girlfriends so they don’t swallow their New Year wish.

Party Favors

Get everyone a small daily planner, which can be purchased inexpensively at the dollar store or local pharmacy. To personalize it, make copies of your favorite girlfriend photo(s) and slip inside the outer cover. Now, you can make every "date" with your girlfriends (don’t you wish)! 

Have a great girlfriend year! And remember to let us know your V.I.P. event went. Just use the comments form below.

Coming Soon: Aaaah….the Simple Spa Party! 

Having "signature" items that pass from girlfriend to girlfriend is a tradition that can make your get-togethers feel a little more special. To inject a little more fun into your girl-group vibe, you may want to try this:

Get a big wicker basket and decorate it with a beautiful bow. Also purchase an inexpensive corkscrew. The girlfriend who gets the basket brings it to the next get-together brimming with munchies. The person with the corkscrew brings a special beverage. After the party, pass the basket and corkscrew to different people. This takes some of the burden off the hostess, and creates a sense of excitement when you "pass the basket."

Have a special tradition you share with your girlfriends? Let us know, below!