Let the celebration begin
BY TRESA ERICKSON

Got a son or daughter who will be graduating from school soon? Want to throw them a party to celebrate their milestone achievement but not sure where to start? Here are some tips.

Whom will you be inviting to the party and what activities will you offer? These are the first two questions you must consider. Are you inviting everyone, all of your child's friends and their families, plus your friends and family, or are you limiting your guest list to just family and close friends? Are you planning to sit around and chat and engage in the usual party games, or would you rather have something for everyone to do like skating or swimming?

The number of people you invite and the activities you plan to engage in often dictate where you should hold the event. The more people attending, the larger the venue may need to be. Your backyard may be too small for 75 people to mill around. A park might be better, especially since it will give party guests plenty of options for outdoor fun.

Once you have a venue in place, you can start thinking about the decorations. These can be quite simple and include the usual party notions, like balloons and streamers, or you can get more creative and incorporate pictures of your child over the years into the decorations.

No graduation party would be complete without a tasty menu. No matter how many adults will be coming to the party, avoid serving alcoholic beverages. You don't want to incur the risk. Serve water, tea, juices or soda instead. Try to create a menu that will please everyone from seniors to teens. The more options you offer, the more guests will have to choose from. If you have the funds, you might want to consider hiring a caterer and leaving everything to them.

Of course, you will not want to forget the piece de resistance, the graduation cake. You can make the cake yourself, purchase one from a bakery or have one made. If you have a large number of guests coming, you may want to have a couple of sheet cakes on hand, along with the graduation cake.

Throwing a graduation party takes time and effort, but the look on your graduate's face will make everything worthwhile. They have just achieved a milestone. Let the celebration begin!