Sometimes it's nice to host a cocktail party in your home. It's a fun, intimate way to enjoy an evening with close friends and new acquaintances. More importantly, it's more affordable than spending an evening in a bar, and it's safer as well. To spice up a party, you might want to introduce a theme. The options are endless, but here are a few ideas to get you started.

Movie and Television Themes

One of the obvious choices is a Sex and the City theme. You can serve cosmopolitans and appletinis. Guests can come wearing their favorite designer apparel or clothing that resembles high-end fashions. You could play SATC episodes in the background and you could decorate in pink, black, and silver, colors featured frequently on the show. How about using The Office as a theme?

People could dress in their least favorite cubicle wear and act out the roles of the show's drab characters to everyone's amusement. Another option is a James Bond theme. You could serve classic martinis and focus on black and white decorations. Guest would wear formal attire and you could incorporate a scavenger hunt to pay homage to Bond's sleuthing abilities.

Era Themes

Nostalgia pleases people, so why not create 1950s, 1960s, 1970s, or 1980s themes? For the 1950s, you could serve old-fashioned favorites such as Manhattans, Grasshoppers, Gimlets, and Tom Collinses. People could wear form-fitting A-line or poodle skirts, cardigans, vintage Levis and cat-eye glasses. Elvis, The Beatles, Patsy Cline, and multiple other artists could be included in your I-pod shuffle, or maybe you could even rent a vintage jukebox. For the 1960s, you could focus on a peace and love theme, where people dress in bellbottoms, mod dresses and plenty of accessories like long, dangling necklaces and huge hoop earrings. The Rolling Stones, the Doors, The Who, and the like would be great bands to feature. One might serve Sloe Gin Fizzes, Royal Coolers, or Mint Juleps. A very fun 1970s theme would focus on flamboyant disco attire and you could play Saturday Night Fever for your guests. You might serve Harvey Wallbangers, Planter's Punch or Pink Russians. Finally, the 1980s produced some of the most memorable mainstream pop and alternative rock music, so the soundtrack could feature bands like Duran Duran, Madonna, and the B-52s. People could come dressed in neon clothing complete with jelly bracelets and fishnet gloves. Tequila sunrises and Pink Panthers would be staple drinks. No matter what era you choose, you and your guests would have a blast.

Holiday Themes

A holiday theme might not be as original as others, but people love to get together over the holidays, so why not require everyone to dress in red and green for a Christmas party, and ply them with eggnog while you all sing along to classic or more modern Christmas songs? Halloween parties are always a hit, and you could feature cocktails that are red, such as the Blood Drip, which uses red hard candy to resemble blood flowing over a martini glass. Throwing jelly worms into a cocktail can automatically make it Halloween-esque as well. Hosting parties is a great way to reconnect with people during this advanced age where most socializing takes place via the internet. Wouldn't it be nice to catch up with loved ones in person? Throw a theme party and you can make it happen.