Would you agree that if this past year has taught us anything, it would be that we shouldn’t take for granted the opportunity to gather together? And that we should gather as often as we can?

I wonder if, as time passes, that more and more it will be our celebrations and parties that keep us connected and help us make memories. Plus, in today’s very disconnected society, it’s clear that we need to assertively take steps to create relationships with neighbors and keep our existing friendships strong. Gathering for a celebration or good party is a fun and easy way to do this.

SO let’s celebrate more; let’s throw more parties. But of course, all this said, we know attending is one thing, throwing the affair is another, in terms of time and effort involved. Hence my theme: how to make gathering less time- and effort-intensive.

Below are some quick and easy ways to jazz up your party repertoire. The idea is that if it’s easy, we’ll be more inclined to do it.

Professional party planners always start an event by creating a notebook for the purpose, organized into sections. And I bet you seasoned party-throwers out there would suggest that a key section would be THEMES? Why not a “Welcome to Autumn Party,” or a “Surviving Covid Celebration,” or a “We Are Grateful Party,” (honoring World Gratitude Day coming up on September 21), or an apple-themed party celebrating National Johnny Appleseed Day on September 26 (with a built-in theme very obvious). You get the idea. A theme gives any party or celebration a leg up.

Another section would be DECORATING IDEAS, and then we’d definitely need a FAVORITE RECIPES section (that complimented the themes). Another good section to our customized party-planner would be RESOURCES (addresses, phone numbers, and products of any business we might frequent for our party purposes). And being the organizer that I am, I would also add an ASSESSMENT section—a place to note the event, purpose of it, who was invited, what went well, what should be done differently next time, new ideas to try, etc.

Then once we’ve made up our mind that more gatherings are going to fill our calendar, we will want to start collecting things we’ll need. I’ve been flipping through magazines (Martha Stewart’s Living is good for this) and clipping pictures, recipes, and so on, then tucking them into my party notebook for future reference. I’m also acquiring items I find on sale that would contribute to my goal—pretty paper goods, strings of lights, cutlery holders, a couple large ice and drink tubs, nice baskets—classic items that can be used over and over. (NOTE: the dollar store is a great place to go for these things.)

Finally, I’ve set up a “Party Center” in my pantry to efficiently house all my party gear—remember, if we make it easy on ourselves, we’re more inclined to do it.

Now I know a gathering doesn’t need to get this involved or complicated, and I hope I haven’t overwhelmed or dissuaded you from the whole idea with all these suggestions. Really, the key is to just get organized, start connecting, and celebrate more. Orchestrate more time with those we care about and let the party begin!