The big night is just around the corner. Don’t have plans yet? Here are five simple celebrations to suit nearly every situation.

1. The Hotel Bash: These are a tad pricey, but if you want a safe way to have a full blown night on the town with bands, cocktail attire and all of the trimmings, a couple of tickets to one of these overnight events is certainly in financial line with what you might spend to organize and host one of these events in your own home. And even then, unless you live in a city with an unlimited supply of taxi cabs, you’d be hard pressed to make sure every single guest spent the night in safety. Bonus? You don’t have to cook or clean.

2. An Intimate Gathering of Friends: Whether it’s a group of couples, singles or a mixed crowd, New Year’s Eve is an excellent time to share a quiet sit down dinner and reflect upon the past year as well as upcoming goals. So throw on some jazz and get cooking! Or, you could do something simple like a wine and cheese party or an appetizer bar. Here’s a fun cocktail to try around midnight, especially for the single folks: The French Kiss is a cocktail requiring 1 1/2 oz G'Vine French gin, 2 tsp agave nectar, 1 1/2 oz lemon juice, 4 oz chilled Zardetto Prosecco, 1 slice of orange, 1 Maraschino cherry. One year in Berlin, rather than join all of the downtown craziness at the Gate, several of us got together for wine, conversation and fondue. There was much more time to interact that way, and we didn’t have to go out in the cold.

3. Family Style Open House: This one’s good if you have several friends with children. Work in a board game bonanza, or have a tournament featuring several boards of one particular game such as Scrabble, Monopoly, Risk, Yahtzee or Bingo. Serve a long submarine sandwich sliceable for individual servings as Linsey suggested in a recent post.  Include veggies, dip, and perhaps some specialty microbrews and all natural sodas. If you’re feeling like you want to spend a few extra bucks, have a few small prizes available.

4. Host a New Year’s Day Brunch:  These are easy to host, super affordable, and can be as casual or elegant as you want them to be. Need to keep it on the cheap and easy? Go for some simple fruits, bagels and cream cheese, muffins and a huge urn of coffee. For an activity, everyone can go sledding outside Or, you can sex it up a bit by serving fruit tarts, sliced ham, mini quiches and mimosas.  This could be a slightly dressy affair featuring sensible shoes and an afternoon of post season sale shopping afterward.

5. Romantic Getaway for Two: This can be an overnight at a romantic bed and breakfast, or a quiet evening at home with chocolate covered strawberries and champagne. Throw in some couples’ music for dancing, or watch the global festivities on T.V.

Those are my ideas. I welcome yours. Pick one that suits your situation and lifestyle, and have a fabulous evening. Happy New Year, everyone!