Lemondrop

Distract yourself from all the gift giving, decoration hanging and family-member entertaining with a little friendly competition. Escape the holiday hoopla by having your pals over for a tournament of champions, Milton-Bradley-style. Settle those old scores on the board.

Invite
Start with clever invites to get pals in the mood. Pick up a pack of inexpensive playing cards then affix party info on the patterned side using either a pretty pen or by printing a label from your computer. Too short on time for paper invites? An email will suffice -- it's game night, not the Tony Awards.

Next, decide what sort of game night you'll be having.

Conversation-friendly favorites like checkers or Connect Four? Trivia-buff, smartypants games like Scrabble or Trivial Pursuit? Video games like Wii bowling and "Rock Band"? Depending on how many guests you have, you may need to have a few games going at once to be sure everyone is in on the action.

Decor
You don't have to turn your house into Candyland to set the scene (though, really, no one would mind). It's more important to be sure there's room for everyone to get in on the reindeer games. Set up stations for several board games with
cozy seating so no one can blame a bad move on feeling uncomfortable.

Drive the competition with an ultimate prize. Create a trophy people will strive for by nabbing an inexpensive prize from a thrift shop and customizing it for your fete. Fill it with game pieces, or paint it in bright checkerboard hues. Or, splurge on a gift certificate for the winner.

Want to go even further? Host a murder-mystery Clue night (complete with study) and ask guests to dress as their characters.

Food
Chances are you won't have a house full of Hungry Hungry Hippos, so don't go overboard. Snacks that are easy to eat while counting the points are ideal, so stick to classic party fare like chips and dip.

If you feel so inclined, decorate a few basic sweet treats in theme: icing basic brownies to look like dominoes, or frosting triangles of cake in various hues to create Trivial Pursuit-style wedges will have friends thinking you're an ace of cakes.