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Speaker 1: Welcome to Before Breakfast, a production of iHeartRadio. Good Morning,

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Speaker 1: This is Laura. Welcome to the Before Breakfast podcast. Today's

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Speaker 1: tip is that theme parties aren't just for kids. When

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Speaker 1: you're planning a gathering, it can be fun to think

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Speaker 1: beyond the time and place and consider whether a theme

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Speaker 1: could make your party feel more special. So I recently

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Speaker 1: helped my daughter plan a Spa themed birthday party. We

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Speaker 1: ordered tween sized robes, face masks, nail polish, all that

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Speaker 1: good stuff. By thinking through the theme, she knew she

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Speaker 1: would have more fun with her friends than if she

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Speaker 1: just invited everyone over for pizza and a movie. Now,

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Speaker 1: of course that would be fun too, but the Spa

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Speaker 1: part would make it more memorable. I think she's onto something,

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Speaker 1: and not just for twelve year old birthday parties. A

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Speaker 1: theme can elevate almost any gathering. We know this instinctively

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Speaker 1: with seasonal parties around this time of year, you might

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Speaker 1: just get invited to a Halloween costume party. Come Thanksgiving,

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Speaker 1: you and your family will gather to express gratitude alongside

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Speaker 1: expressing your desire for more pie. December might bring cookie exchanges.

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Speaker 1: You figure out a time and place to get together,

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Speaker 1: but for seasonal parties, you also know there is something

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Speaker 1: else making the gathering coherent, which is one reason that

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Speaker 1: people feel so festive, even though sometimes the holidays and

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Speaker 1: their parties can be exhausting. I would argue that adding

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Speaker 1: themes can elevate gatherings any time of year. For instance,

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Speaker 1: if you are celebrating an adult's birthday, you can choose

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Speaker 1: a theme that relates to the birthday boy or girl,

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Speaker 1: either as a young person or today. Maybe you choose

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Speaker 1: the year a newly minted fifty year old graduated from

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Speaker 1: high school and invite people to wear clothes reflecting that year.

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Speaker 1: It goes without saying that that year's top forty hits

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Speaker 1: should be playing on the stereo. Or maybe you choose

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Speaker 1: the person's current passion as a theme, gathering the friends

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Speaker 1: of a budding chef at a culinary school for a

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Speaker 1: class followed by dinner. Or maybe the person is an

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Speaker 1: outdoor games enthusiast and you can build the party around

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Speaker 1: cornhole or Gaga or something like that. Of course, you

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Speaker 1: don't have to have an occasion like a holiday or

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Speaker 1: birthday to throw a themed party. If you and your

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Speaker 1: friends all love crafts or wish, you could find more

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Speaker 1: time for crafts. Have a crafting party. You could set

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Speaker 1: everyone up to do the same craft, say sculptures with

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Speaker 1: copper wire or making friendship brace. Or you could provide tables, chairs,

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Speaker 1: and snacks and invite everyone to bring their own craft

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Speaker 1: projects to work on. Priya Parker, author of the Art

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Speaker 1: of Gathering, urg es hosts to think about the purpose

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Speaker 1: of their gatherings and that can help you decide on

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Speaker 1: a theme party that might be right for you. She

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Speaker 1: points out that a category of party isn't a purpose.

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Speaker 1: In other words, put luck, dinner, or even costume party

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Speaker 1: doesn't really qualify as a purpose. Go beyond what you

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Speaker 1: are doing to also consider why you are gathering in

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Speaker 1: the first place. Think about your hopes and your intentions

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Speaker 1: for this gathering. Do you want to create an occasion

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Speaker 1: for laughing and having fun together after a stressful season.

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Speaker 1: Do you want to help your friends circle get to

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Speaker 1: know each other better. Maybe a crafting party will let

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Speaker 1: you and your friends tap into your creative side and

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Speaker 1: spend an afternoon doing something for the love of it,

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Speaker 1: not because it's productive. Maybe the fifty year old's nineteen

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Speaker 1: ninety one themed birthday party will remind him that he's

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Speaker 1: known his friend group for a long time. Getting together

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Speaker 1: with friends and family is great, but you don't have

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Speaker 1: to settle for just picking a date and a time

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Speaker 1: and a default place. Instead, think about why you want

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Speaker 1: to get together and consider whether a themed gathering might

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Speaker 1: help you achieve that purpose. A theme can give your

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Speaker 1: party of focus and perhaps a sense of playfulness and

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Speaker 1: fun too. You'll create connections and memories that go deeper

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Speaker 1: than they otherwise would. In the meantime, this is Laura.

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Speaker 1: Thanks for listening, and here's to making the most of

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Speaker 1: our time. Thanks for listening to Before Breakfast. If you've

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Speaker 1: got questions, ideas, or feedback, you can reach me at

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Speaker 1: Laura at Laura vandercam dot com. Before Breakfast is a

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Speaker 1: production of iHeartMedia. For more podcasts from iHeartMedia, please visit

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Speaker 1: the iHeartRadio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you listen to

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Speaker 1: your favorite shows.