The holidays are over, decorations packed up, and Christmas and Hannukah parties done and gone. Now what? You don’t have to stop hosting creative get-togethers or hole yourself indoors with recycled furnace air until Spring arrives. With just a little effort, you can create memorable winter evenings at home, in your personal great outdoors. Here’s a fun theme party idea for a crisp January night you can pull off with less than a day’s notice. The New BYOB Party Instead of relying on entertainment from an app or amplifier, or even a box, turn to the skies and host a star-gazing party and invite your guests to BYOB – Bring Your Own Binoculars in this case. Hand out star charts and blankets and let the milky way and Orion entertain you and your guests for hours. Following are some tips for helping your guests look up and enjoy the night: Ground Cover: In January, no matter where you live, the ground is simply not all that warm. To keep guests comfortable enough for gazing, lay down water-proof tarps on your lawn and then set out some thick futon or camping pads. Make it Fun: Type up a list of constellations that will appear in your winter’s night sky on the date of your party. Offer a prize to the first guest to find all of them. Photo Credit: Starry Night Software/A. Fazekas Light on the Lighting: Clearly you can’t do much star gazing with bright lights throughout your yard. But its not safe to be stumbling in the dark from futon to food table, fire pit or your bathroom indoors. Line your walkways and traffic patterns with adjustable LED lighting. You can also use some to accent your garden beds, trees and shrubs, adding an authentic natural glow to your star gazing atmosphere. What to serve? There’s something about stars and the sea. Try a simple buffet of seafood like shrimp, scallops, California rolls and such. To keep things cozy, provide lots of hot water and various flavored tea. When its all said and done, you and your guests will have a lot more to look up for this winter!