Host New Year's Eve and set a New Year's Day table

Set the departure plan when you send the invitation

Ask each guest to plan a sober driver who won't drink or use drugs, or a ride, before the party. Give guests the nearest transit option and a clear pickup address. Offer alcohol-free drinks in easy reach. If a ride plan changes, help arrange another ride or a place to stay; don't try to judge anyone's impairment at the door.

A standard US drink is about 12 fl oz of regular beer, 5 fl oz of table wine or 1.5 fl oz of 80-proof spirits. Those measurements help with shopping. They don't tell you when someone can drive. A 12 oz craft beer at 10 percent alcohol counts as two standard drinks. Put water and alcohol-free choices on the shopping list first, then decide whether alcohol belongs at this party at all. A driver who took an impairing medicine needs a different ride too.

Give midnight its own clear table

Put food out at 9:00 PM and pull unrefrigerated perishables by 11:00. At 11:45, set the countdown items where guests can reach them. At 11:55, gather by the clock. Count twelve grapes into each participating guest's bowl before the party so nobody is picking from a pile at 11:59.

Keep cooked trays at 140 F or above until they go out at 9:00. Refrigerate or discard perishable food at 11:00 unless it has stayed hot or cold throughout service. Make Friday's meal fresh on Friday.

Decide which midnight foods belong on your table

In Spain and parts of Latin America, twelve grapes are eaten at midnight, one at each chime, one for every month ahead. For 12 participants, buy 144 grapes; for 20, buy 240; for 30, buy 360. If only 10 of 30 guests want them, set 10 bowls and 120 grapes. Let guests choose whether to take part.

Japan has a different New Year's Eve food: toshikoshi soba. Long noodles stand for long life. Temples ring 108 bells, 107 in the old year and one in the new. If you serve soba, use the package's serving count and cook it before the countdown.

Count Thursday snacks

Tell guests whether to eat dinner before arriving. For Thursday snacks, plan four savoury pieces and one sweet piece per guest. A tray holding 12 pieces needs four trays for 12 people, seven for 20 and ten for 30. Buy one eight-ounce glass of water per guest before refills: 96, 160 or 240 fl oz.

Cook Friday's meal for Friday's guests

Black-eyed peas and greens are a Southern and African American New Year's Day custom. Hoppin' John combines peas with rice, traditionally smoked pork, onion and spices; the greens are often collards. Count Friday's guests separately before buying. At half a cooked cup of each dish per person, the amounts are:

If Friday is a meal for eight, cook four cups each of peas, rice and greens. Use your recipes' dry-to-cooked yields to buy peas and rice. A meat-free version works if guests know what will be served. For a 1:00 PM meal, a pea recipe taking 90 minutes starts at 11:00 and a rice recipe taking 30 minutes starts at 12:15. Cook greens on a third burner or before the rice.

Keep the night itself plain

Watch Night is a distinct African American observance of faith, remembrance and freedom linked to the Emancipation Proclamation taking effect at midnight in 1863. If guests come from a service, give them the arrival time and let them join when they can.

At 12:10 AM, offer fresh small platters only if guests still want food. Put cold food on ice from the start if it will stay out longer than two hours, and keep it at 40 F or below. By 12:30, focus on planned rides and keep a warm place for anyone waiting for pickup.

First, ask each guest to plan a sober driver or a ride before the party.

Create the invitation

Count food portions

Count guests