Parties that have frozen o'deuvres, canned beer, boxed up wine, without any music, and all the lights on would not make a very great party at all. There are rules for entertaining good food, good drinks, and atmosphere.
Even casual parties need to serve fresh food. Serving finger foods is a good idea this is because there are no utensils used so there is less of a clean up afterwards. Serve the food on trays this way there will be enough so you will not need to run back and fourth from the kitchen. You also need to enjoy your party.
Never ever serve canned beer. Wine should be bought in bottles. There are still great deals even though it is not from a box. It is also o good idea to have a few bottles around the house, for guest that may pop by and like to have a few drinks.
The atmosphere is made up of three main things; music, lighting, and decoration. Every party needs to have some music. Where there is good music there usually is dancing, and parties are a lot better if there is dancing. With the lights on nobody will even think about dancing. A dimmer switch should be considered if you plan on having more then one party a year.
The focal point of the room will be the table that you will be serving on and the liquor so make it look good with a table cloth and some flowers. If it is a theme party you are having then you need to decorate accordingly. There is no need for anything tacky, just flowing decorations.
