Add glamour to New Year’s dinner for two

The end of the year is here and that calls for a celebration. But after partying all-week-long, you may want an intimate dinner for only two as you begin the New Year: maybe with a sister, a brother, a mother or a lover or just a friend. Here are simple ideas to create the right ambience, leveraging on the Christmas decorations in your home or exploring a dinner out at the garden or at the beach:

Centrepiece

It is a dinner so the dining table will be your main focus. Make a New Year’s table cheerful centerpiece using a table clock and position a bottle of wine or champagne in a bucket of ice. You can also add two stems of budding roses to depict the New Year and new season or set up the table in a butterfly theme to symbolise hope for a beautiful life in 2016.

Then set up the rest of the table with festive plates, fork, knife and wine glasses and do not forget to include some candles for a candle-lit dinner and soft music in the background. Serve culturally relevant food that represent prosperity such as black beans in some cultures or certain parts of chicken or goat. Finish off with a sweet dessert to wish your dinner mate a sweet year ahead.

Games

Dinners for two can easily get awkward, so it helps to have an icebreaker to get conversation going.

Place a card at the table for each person to fill their goals for the coming year. Simplify the task by having various goals to read: The Person I Want to be in 2016, The Skill I Want to Learn in 2016 is? The Spouse I Want to be in 2016 is? The project I Must Start in 2016 is? Have each person take turns to share a goal, then listen as the person explains how each goal will be accomplished.

Countdown

Watch the clock for countdown into the New Year and celebrate the moment with a pop of champagne, wine or some non-alcoholic wine.

Make some noise with trumpets, toast to each other on what you wish for the other person in the New Year.

Surprise your dinner mate with a wrapped gift to show your appreciation for them. After all, it has been said that what you do on January 1 is likely to happen throughout the year.

Happy New Year