Parties that have frozen o'deuvres, canned beer, boxed up wine, without any music, and all the lights on would not make a very great party at all. The rules for good entertaining are; Good food, good drinks, and good atmosphere.
Even casual parties need to serve fresh food. Serving finger foods is a good idea this is because there are no utensils used so there is less of a clean up afterwards. Serve the finger foods on a tray so you don't need to run back and fourth from the kitchen. You also need to enjoy your party.
Never ever serve canned beer. Wine should be bought in bottles. There are still great deals even though it is not from a box. It is also o good idea to have a few bottles around the house, for guest that may pop by and like to have a few drinks.
The atmosphere is made up of three main things; music, lighting, and decoration. Every party needs to have some music. Where there is good music there usually is dancing, and parties are a lot better if there is dancing. With the lights on nobody will even think about dancing. A dimmer switch should be considered if you plan on having more then one party a year.
The table with the finger foods and the liquor will probably be the focal point so pretty it up with some flowers and a table cloth. If it is a theme party you are having then you need to decorate accordingly. Nothing tacky is needed.
