How to organize a Mardi Gras party?

One of the things that I like to do is to organize parties at our home. In any case, with almost 9 months of cold temperatures in New England, there are very few opportunities to do anything else. But you can't have the same type of parties every time. So what we do is to pick a theme and that is what makes it all the more interesting and that is why when we send out an invitation, people cancel their other engagements and come to our party. So this past Christmas, we decided to do a Mardi Gras/New Orleans (Bourbon Street)/French theme party. Mind you, we did not want a Mardi Gras festival in our home. We wanted a theme and so we thought that if we could borrow a few things from here and there, we will be all set.

Decorations for Mardi Gras Party

Since it was a Christmas party we decorated the house as we always do for Christmas but this time we did not use the traditional tree. In fact, I went into the woods behind our backyard and cut a branch of a maple tree that was just about 6 feet. I planted it in the family room and then we decorated it as always with ornaments. If you want to take a look at how our tree looked, a picture is at the bottom.

Mardi Gras paraphernalia for guests

We checked out a couple of online stores that sell Mardi Gras party supplies (you get the genuine stuff there since most of them are based in New Orleans). We bought throw beads, feather masks, and masks on a stick. Of course, we also bought some temporary tattoos with the Mardi Gras theme.

When our guests arrived we offered them beads and they could also pick a temporary tattoo which all of our guests were quick to apply. And everyone grabbed their masks. This was a great way for people to feel relaxed and get to know each other better.

Appetizers and dinner

Since our meal was expected to be an eclectic combination of New Orleans and French, this is what our menu looked like.

Wontons with figs and goat cheese
Pumpkin soup
French bread
Aubergine au gratin (eggplants)
Potato au gratin
Jambalaya
Creole style okra, corn, and tomatoes
Pecan pie

Entertainment

A lot of the time was spent at the party in essentially being playful and teasing each other. Secondly, it was a family gathering including kids so we kept everything "G"-rated but everyone had a great time. And just to be different, we played "Who wants to be a millionaire?" If you have a laptop, you can simply go to the website and play this game online. It is a lot of fun since the audience also gets a chance to participate.

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