I threw my first theme party a couple of months later. And not only did I astound my friends with the opportunity to come over to my house and do "body art" (a glorified term for finger paints), but until I moved I had leftover prints of friends’ hands, feet, arms, and even faces on a wall in my basement in brilliant tempera paint.

If you're tired of the same old beer and nachos parties and longing to try something different, you're ready to progress to that next stage of organized revelry: throwing a theme party.

Good theme parties can range from the baroquely elaborate, where guests and hosts get decked-out in full costume, to more laid-back affairs. Although some folks may eschew theme parties, viewing them as something out-grown in childhood, chances are it's because they haven't been to a good one. With a bit of creativity and a little advance planning, you can throw a theme party that will be as much a blast to host as it is for guests to attend.

A stellar theme party I attended was a Halloween bash friends threw. Costume competitions awarded fairly generous gift certificates to a local game store. Decorations included the transformation of the entire back yard into a graveyard complete with tombstones for each guest. Refreshments included punch with edible eyeballs (gelatin, juice & candy concoctions) and grave dirt with worms (chocolate crumb cake of some variety). This party was 6 years ago and I still remember it clearly, thanks to the energy and efforts of our hosts. From the look of the house, to the food and the sounds, everything was a part of the theme, and our hosts’ enthusiasm spilled over onto the guests.