I'm still very busy with the holiday rush, so I started thinking about other ways to have a fun, but easy New Year's Eve party. A cocktail party is another approach for a relatively simple, but stylish, way to welcome the New Year. You could simplify things by coming up with a specific menu of cocktails you plan to serve, instead of stocking up for every possible drink. Make it a pot luck party by asking each guest to bring an appetizer. Most people enjoy making that course because it's fun and can be pretty easy, unless they are the dessert type. And if that's what they are, well, let them bring cake!