Easy St. Pats Open House Party. Sham-ROCK the House.

A wee bit o’celebration is just what you need for St. Patrick’s Day and shamrocks are the perfect theme. Since many states have passed laws for smoke-free bars, I bet there are going to be a lot more open house St. Patty’s Day parties hosted by the O’Conners, the O’Grady’s and the O’Whatheirnames!

Here is an easy, step-by-step St. Patrick’s Day party that will make planning as easy as kissing the blarney stone. Do it all, or just do some. Either way, it’ll be a party one will remember at the top o’ the morning the next day!

St. Patrick's Day Invitation

 Fun St. Patrick's Day invitation wording will get your guests excited for the party:

• Please join us for a wee bit o'fun at our Annual St. Patrick's Day Party!
• Grab a beer! St. Patrick's Day is here!
• A bit o'malarky and lots of green beer... the only place to celebrate St. Pat's is HERE!
• Join us for beer and corned beef at the Miller's Annual St. Pat's Party!
• St. Patrick's Day is a real treat... lots of beer and plenty to eat!
• Join us for a (beer) barrel of fun and a corned beef feast at our Annual St. Patrick's Day Party!
• You're invited to an Irish Bash! Join us for a wee bit o'fun!

• Create your own "Blarney Stone"! The stone, which is located at Blarney Castle in Ireland, is said to bestow the gift of eloquence for those who kiss it. Cart a rock in from the garden, or make one with paper mache. Have your guests kiss it as they walk in. It may just make the conversation at your party a wee bit more eloquent!
• Welcome everyone with a banner. You can create your own or have a custom St. Patrick's Day banner made for your party. But what do you say on it? It depends on where you are going to hang it. Here are a few fun banner sayings and ways to use them -
  • Welcome to the Miller's Annual Blarney Blast! or Wee welcome your to our St. Patrick's Day Party! (leave the year off and you can reuse the banner)
  • The Stepic's St. Patrick's Day Pub (great for outside the house or over the bar)
  • At the Fortner's St. Pat's Party, it's easy to be green! (a nod to our favorite frog, Kermit. Place a basket of green wearables near this banner for guests to "get their green on")
  • Irish you a Happy St. Patrick's Day! (this one will get some laughs)
  • Shamrockers Party Here!
• For tasty table decorations, scatter chocolate gold foil wrapped coins on your surfaces. Small pots filled with yummy gold will make everyone feel lucky!
• Flowers always make great decorations. Green and white carnations will do the trick, or arrange something a little more fancy with green button spray chrysanthemums, bells of Ireland, and white roses. Supermarkets and florists will have St Patrick's Day bouquets for you to choose from, which will make it easy!

Personalize Your Party! Place Lifesize Leprechaun Cutouts with your face(s) welcoming all of your guests (you can even add a speech bubble!)

There are also plenty of fun St. Patrick's Day decorations available. Here are our favorites this year:

Decorate Guests Too! (the wearin' o' the green)

• St. Pat's Stove Top Hat
• Shamrock Necklace
• Green Beads
• Irish Flag Necklaces
• Green Boas
• Green Sequin Ties
• Green Glow Necklaces
• Beer Sunglasses

Set up an area for photo ops too! Everyone will look great in their wacky green accessories. All you need is a digital camera, blank wall and backdrop. Try one of these

• A simple green piece of fabric
• Shamrocks cut from green construction paper
• A banner or sign
• Crepe paper in varying shades of green or rainbow colors

St. Patrick's open house Buffet, Menu and Drinks

Serve your guests food buffet style. It will be easier for them to nosh this way, and easier for you to serve!

• What to serve? Here are our top picks:
• Corned Beef Sandwiches (rye bread, Swiss cheese, mustard, horseradish), with potato salad, fries, chips, or pickles for sides
• Corned Beef and Cabbage
• Lamb Stew
• Irish Soda Bread
• Shepards Pie
• Colcannon
• Corned Beef, Hash and Fried Eggs (for a St. Pat's brunch)
• Beer Battered Onion Rings
• Beer Cheese Fondue
• Guinness™ is a stout beer that is popular for St Pat's, George Killian’s Irish Red, or the ever popular green beer
• Irish Whiskey
• Irish Coffee - made by adding an ounce of Irish Whisky to a mug of hot coffee. For a sweeter drink use Bailey's Irish cream.

Black and Tan - a pint glass with two different beers, an ale and a stout, layered in it.

• The ale goes in first; fill the glass just slightly less than half full with your favorite chilled Irish ale.
• Float the stout on top of the ale, rather than mixing the two layers. To do this, place a spoon over the glass, convex side up, and slowly pour the stout over the back of the spoon so it drizzles into the glass as gently as possible. Allow the stout to settle, and then make a toast and drink up!
• Many microbrews will put out a special seasonal stout right around St. Pat's, see if you have any goods options locally
• Other green cocktails; appletinis, margaritas, anything with Midori in it
• Soft drinks that are green (or are at least in green cans) - Mt. Dew, 7UP, Sprite
• Green sherbert punch, limeaide - good for the kids!

Drinks are also important on St Patrick's Day. Not everyone is into imbibing though, so it's good to give choices. You know your crowd; what they like to drink and how much.

Hand Out Favors to Say "Thanks for coming!

• Single serving size boxes of Lucky Charms
• Bag of gold chocolate coins
• Candy bar with a custom St. Pat's wrapper
• Bag of Skittles
• Claddagh ring
• Dessert buffet with all green candy (ie - Andes mints, shamrock gummies, green jelly beans, green candy fruit slices, rock candy) and St. Patrick's Day favor bags

MAKES ONE GREAT SHAM-Rock the House CELEBRATION