For the last five years my mother and I have hosted a “Night Before” New Years Eve party at our ranch partly inspired by Jeffrey Katzenberg’s “Night Before” the Oscars party. Though his party is all about raising money for The Motion Picture and Television Fund, ours is more about the avoidance of hosting a big New Year’s Eve bash and all that that entails. The night before the big ball drop doesn’t hold quite the same pressure for off the charts merry making and allows for a quieter, more relaxed friends and family vibe. We’re still celebrating the season and ushering in a New Year with joy and laughter just without all the popping champagne bottles, riotous countdowns and forced smooching. I look forward to it every year and start planning menus and decor early November. This year we chose a traditional red and green color palette, an old school menu of steak roulade and chicken cordon bleu with floating merengues for dessert. We sat all our guests at one long wooden farm table where we could feast and make merry together. Our night before the big night turned out beautifully, from the food to the decorations to the company and there wasn’t one forced smooch all night!