I've always looked forward to New Year's Day. It's a day of new beginnings, a return to normalcy after the craziness of the holidays, and it holds all of the hope and possibilities for the coming year. To make things as simple as possible, I suggest holding a New Year's Day, Open-house Brunch as a low stress, comfortable way to celebrate with friends and family.

In planning this kind of party, I join the ranks of the superstitious in believing that what we do and what we eat on New Year's Day will set the tone for the coming year. So I recommend planning a casual and comfortable party, that is filled with elegant, luxury touches to bring good fortune in the coming year.

When you invite your guests, tell them it will be a relaxed party - after all, who wants an upcoming year filled with stress? No fancy clothes required, keep the hours flexible, and start no earlier than 11:00am so that you won't have to get up early to prepare on New Year's morning, while everyone else is still in the midst of celebrating the Eve.

Keep your decorations simple, cheerful and uncluttered. Allow for plenty of 'white' space, which is much more soothing to any guests who overindulged the previous night, than busy, fussy decorations. Plan to have your florist deliver several beautiful arrangements to place in strategic locations around your home including the room where you will be setting out the buffet, the room where you expect most people to eat, and by the door to welcome your guests. Colorful, cheerful, fresh flowers create the kind of sunny mood I'd like to set for the year ahead.

Take advantage of high quality, timesaving, prepared foods and disposable plates, glasses, cups and flatware. After all, you don't want to set the precedent for the upcoming year of being a slave to the kitchen. That is, of course, unless you can afford domestic help to wash your crystal, china and silver after the party! Use your real linens on the table to keep the mood elegant, but do any necessary ironing touch-ups during the week before so you don't have to worry about it on the day of your party. And don't even think of washing them until later in the week.

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