Decorating Ideas for a Western-Themed New Year's Eve Party

Living in the West, and especially in Wyoming, it's easy to find everything you need to decorate, entertain and cook in authentic Western style. As a courtesy to my big city friends and family, though, I've done some thorough research on how they (and you) can achieve the same party atmosphere with more limited local supplies. Here are some ideas on decorations, favors, food and drinks for your Western New Year's Eve bash.

Decorations

Borrow as much as possible here for an authentic western feel. If you have true cowboy or cowgirl friends see if they will loan you a pair of boots to set in the corner, or spurs or holsters to hang on the wall. A coiled lasso also makes a great wall decoration. If you can get a pair of boots in good shape, clean them and use them on tables to put a small glass bowl of salsa nestled just inside the top. Turn a cowboy hat upside down and line it generously with paper towels and wax paper to put chips inside. But whatever you do, please get your friends' permission before doing any of this. There are no guarantees the hat or boots will be returned in usable condition.

Even the most urban of cities will usually have some sort of a local feed and tack store. Browse their shelves for decorating ideas, and be sure to grab a bale or two of hay to set on the front porch or just inside your entry. They may also have some toy cap guns in western-revolver style to use in place of noise makers for your countdown celebration.

There are plenty of online resources for Western and cowboy party supplies for your New Year's celebration. My favorites are linked to this article, but a quick list includes cowboypartysupplies.com, party411.com, and partyamericastore.com. The first website has ideas for games and make-at-home decor, and the last has room rolls to give your house the feel of either an old-time saloon or a very clean and animal-free barn stall. I also recommend using your favorite search engine to search for mail-order tumbleweeds. Nothing, and I mean nothing, says authentic old-west like a tumbleweed or two shoved in the corners.