For the Ultimate Super Bowl Party, Rent It!

January 15 - 1967 - The first Super Bowl was played. The Green Bay Packers defeated the Kansas City Chief's - 35-10.

(ARA) – To throw a Super Bowl party your friends will never forget, do something unforgettable. It’s easy to create the ultimate football party with some innovative and creative methods to tackle the party-planning details.

Whether you’re entertaining in your home, backyard or your favorite local hot spot, there are many ways to incorporate items that will impress your guests and make your party the party they’ll be talking about for years to come.

Renting materials from your local American Rental Association rental store is a great way to have access to pieces that are otherwise too expensive in larger quantities. Renting will also give you access to the latest style and décor of equipment. Here are some ideas:

Television
The central piece of any Super Bowl party is the television to watch the game. Make sure to clean your TV screen for a crystal-clear picture and position it in a place where everyone can view it.

Location
Most Super Bowl parties are held inside, but don’t let tradition limit you. Weather isn’t a factor when you can rent tents -- so you can enjoy the game outdoors. Rental companies offer portable heaters to keep you cozy and flooring options to keep your feet dry. Or, throw a tailgating party and surprise guests with an outdoor tent to watch the game under.

Theme
Remember, the sky is the limit. Try picking a unique theme for your party. How about a “Hawaiian Huddle” party including fun colored leis, tropical drinks and a faux sand beach? Or perhaps you can theme a party around a type of food such as “Football Fiesta” and serve items like chips and salsa, tacos and burritos.

Food
Food is an important part of any good Super Bowl party. You can choose to have your party catered, but often doing it yourself is a great way to save money. Choose traditional party fare or try unique items to surprise your guests. Food warmers can be rented to keep food and appetizers warm and fresh. Lessen your workload by just preparing the main dish and asking your guests to bring items for a potluck. To satisfy every partygoer’s thirst, consider renting large coolers to keep the keg cold or portable bar. You could even rent a monster grill or a rotisserie to prepare your favorite food.

Design Details
You have control over how your party looks. Make an impression by choosing table cloths, napkins and other accessories in your favorite team’s colors. If you don’t have enough chairs or table in your home, be sure to rent enough to accommodate all your guests.

Activities
Finally, be sure to consider the guests who aren’t football fanatics by planning additional party activities. Rent popular Texas Holdem tables or a Craps table for short tournaments before the game and during halftime.

Many rental stores offer personalized service through certified event rental professionals or staff who are trained to help you choose the right rentals to make your party a success.  That way you’ll get the expertise of staff and personnel who can show you everything you need to know about what you are renting. For the rental store nearest you, visit www.RentalHQ.com.  Courtesy of ARAcontent

Host a Super Bowl party!

What's the game plan for your Super Bowl  party? Just keep it simple and easy and ensure everyone has caught the spirit by entertaining with food and fun, and why not some black lines under the eyes to block all that glare from the TV? And people thought you weren't a sports fan!!

(ARA) - When Super Bowl XXXVIII was broadcast live from Houston's Reliant Stadium on Sunday, February 1, 2004, millions of football fans worldwide eagerly tuned in for an afternoon of exciting pre-game fun followed by an evening of great football, revelry, refreshments, and friendly rivalry. For those not lucky enough to have a ticket to America's favorite sporting event, it's a premier Couch Potato day.

To maximize the fun, we've collected practical tips to make your Super Bowl Party memorable.

Kicking off the preparations for a Super Bowl party

* Decide on a Super Bowl party guest list. Do you want a small or large crowd? Do you want to include children?

* Keep a list ready for when guests ask what they can bring to your Super Bowl party

* Plan invitations with a Super Bowl party football theme. If you use e-mail, be sure to tell the guests they must complete the pass by RSVPing; E-vite.com is a convenient way to send invitations. If you make your own invitations, cut out football-shaped ones from construction paper. Or bake edible cookie invitations.

Creating a Super Bowl party stadium atmosphere

* Decorate your house with a Super Bowl party football theme and team colors. Make your tablecloth a playing field using this Vinyl NFL Tablecover. Set a festive welcome at the front door with an oversized football on the door that you can make from foam board or use a custom Football Banner. A football-themed rug right inside the door will help keep dirt out of the house. Make felt pennants to hang around the house.

* Ask guests to dress in Super Bowl team jerseys and colors. Wear a referee-style shirt.

* Put Super Bowl themed props around the room, such as megaphones, miniature footballs, and whistles for calling penalties.

* Settle in for a long day of Super Bowl television with comfortable, football-themed beanbag chairs. Have plenty of cushions, footrests, and a cozy afghan or blanket for the couch potatoes.

* Make sure everyone can see the TV. You don't want anyone squinting or straining to see the action. If there's not enough seating, set up TVs elsewhere to handle the overflow.

* Play Super Bowl trivia and award football-themed prizes.

* Enjoy a game of touch football before kickoff and during half-time.

* Don't leave anyone on the sidelines. If children are attending, make sure there are lots of toys and activities to keep them busy. Set up an area for them to decorate their own T-shirts during the pre-game, with iron-on transfers or tube paints.

Super Bowl party food and drink

* Tackle the Super Bowl party menu in advance. This is one party where you do not want to have to get up and down to serve guests or prepare and warm food. Select a menu that allows for lots of couch time.

* Use paper or plastic serving pieces and utensils. Have lots of napkins personalized with a Super Bowl-related slogan or the teams names.

* Serving trays are useful for shuttling food between the kitchen and TV room. Try this 15" Football Platter.

* Place food far enough away from the TV to avoid blocking anyone's view.

* For chips and dips, get bowls that combine the two, so there are fewer items to refill, knock over, and carry.

* Serve other snack foods, like pretzels, in a football helmet. Be sure to line it with foil and a napkin.

* Popcorn in individual, movie-style popcorn servers is a great idea. If you choose to make it plain with butter on the side, serve interesting spices and condiments to sprinkle over it, especially for those who are salt or diet-conscious.

* Let younger partygoers make their own popcorn or get a cotton-candy maker.

* Stock plenty of ice and keep an ice crusher handy. Fill an ice chest or a large metal bucket with your drinks and keep it within guests reach.

* Get everyone a personalized can or glass holder/cooler. These containers have insulated foam liners that keep beverages cool for hours. Their solid bases also help prevent spills.

* If you are serving hard liquor, use a vodka set that keeps individual shot glasses chilled in ice with the vodka carafe in the center. Also, buy large beer steins or handsome Pilsner glasses.

* Prepare pots of food that can feed an army of visitors. Chili is an all-time favorite -- one cauldron can gently simmer all night. Or, get a warming tray for finger foods, like Swedish meatballs. Make football-style pennants to use as grabbers, using construction paper glued to toothpicks. Hot dogs on buns, in a help-yourself tray, are also a good choice.

* Get out the ever-popular fondue set to dip bread into cheese or fruits into chocolate, or make s'mores, roasting the marshmallows over the flame.

Super Bowl party Post-game wrap-up

* At the end of the Super Bowl party festivities, serve coffee so everyone can drive home refreshed.

* Make clean-up easy with a supply of large trash bags.

By following these Super Bowl party tips, you can rest assured that long after the final football has been snapped, everyone will remember not only the touchdown that clinched the game, but also the fabulous job you did hosting the party.

For more information, visit www.lillianvernonproducts.com. Courtesy of ARA Content Editor's Note: Lillian Vernon is the founder of Lillian Vernon Corporation, a 52-year-old national catalog and online retailer that markets gift, housewares, gardening, Christmas and children's products in seven catalogs titles, two Web sites and in 14 outlet stores.

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January is Super Bowl month!

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Decorate around the Super Bowl theme with the party favors for the occasion.

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