How To Host Your Own Party & Still Have Fun

G’day!

I’ve been on a comedown this week. My 50th party was too much fun and now it’s over. Back to boring everyday life and wondering “Why am I really here?” Seeing Zuckerberg pimping his ear-bending Meta glasses in a purple T-shirt with a dangling gold medallion didn’t help either.

I haven’t felt that kind of birthday party anticipation since I was a kid. I even felt a little shy about it at times, knowing the party was for me. I’m so much better at throwing them for other people or for occasions. It’s hard to celebrate yourself. But you should at these big milestones.

On Friday night, friends started arriving from the city and we ordered Thai and pre-gamed. On Saturday, my friends Mark and Deb hosted a tennis tournament for me because I’m obsessed with the game. They even had a banner made calling me a “sledger”. I can be competitive and mouthy on court. I am Australian. We then had a gorgeous alfresco lunch before returning home to change into our party gear and continue the good times. Life couldn’t have been better. Seeing all my friends together made me so happy.

There was a few speeches. Nick shared the story of how we met in a bookstore and how he plucked up the courage to call me back and ask me out. It felt nice to hear that story again. Never gets old. I have to share it with you one day. Opal read a message from one of my best friends who couldn’t be there, and then, to my surprise both she and Ned spoke. 😭

At one point, some of us paused dancing to watch the Knicks victory, and those with stamina finished the night off with cigs, vino, 80s French pop, and talkin’ all sorts of garbled rubbish heaven.

So this week, I’m sharing a few ways I hosted my party while freeing myself to have a good time. I never wanted the weekend to end. A sign of a good party.

Here are five things that made the biggest difference, the menu, and the candles that go the distance.

Below are the things that helped me host my own party and still have fun. If you have a birthday, anniversary, graduation, or summer gathering coming up, these are the tricks that made the biggest difference.

The rest of this post is for paid subscribers. Upgrade below for all my tips, party videos, and the details behind my 50th birthday celebration.