Ahh, Packers season. On certain Sundays, there’s nothing better than putting your sweats on and sinking into your sofa to watch the game.
But with a hearty lineup of early games on the horizon (two at 3:25 and a whopping eight noon-ers between now and year’s end), now’s the perfect time to host a family-friendly Packers party. Believe us, a little effort can have major payoff.
After all, as Vince Lombardi said, “The measure of who we are is what we do with what we have.”
HUDDLE UP
Round up a few families — you know, the ones you love but haven’t seen in ages. They’re probably just as eager for a low-key get together as you are.
EATS & DRINKS
Wow the crowd with a “green and gold” munchies theme. Create a veggie and cheese plate brimming with broccoli, green and yellow peppers, celery and aged cheddar — or whatever produce and cheese suits your tastes. Taco dip minus the tomatoes looks right at home, too. Add chips, crackers, some easy meatballs and M&M cookies made with just the green and yellow candies.
For drinks, you can’t go wrong with a roster of Wisco brews. Fill mini water bottles for the kiddos so they can hydrate like the pros.
Set up your spread with a table runner made from a strip of green felt ticked like a football field with a white paint pen or chalk. Add a vase of sunflowers or pot of yellow mums for a seasonal touch.
GAME ON
Some kids will tune into the game … and others can keep you from catching a single play. So it helps to figure out some fun for them. Give each kiddo a toy football and set up a hula hoop in a hallway for a simple tossing game. A paper goalpost taped to the wall plus a few paper footballs makes for a festive iteration of Pin the Tail on the Donkey. Older kids might get into making predictions on the final score. And everyone will enjoy watching the youngest party-goers face off in a touchdown-dance contest.
WINNING ATTITUDE
Don’t stress about making this the fanciest party ever. The point is bringing some people together for an afternoon of fun — kids’ meltdowns and routine squabbles included. Everyone will just appreciate watching the game outside their own living room. Again, we can’t help but turn to Coach Lombardi for some motivation: “Winning is not everything — but making the effort to win is.”