As sad as I am to see the football season end, it’s officially time for the best game of the year: Superbowl Sunday.
Whether or not your team made it to the big game this year (or even to the playoffs, like my Bucs), I feel like the Superbowl is always a fun excuse to get some friends together, eat like there’s no tomorrow and watch two teams compete for the title of being the best. The funny commercials and the halftime show are just added bonuses.
Another reason I love the Superbowl is because it is one of the easiest parties every to host. People just want to wear comfy clothes, eat a lot of food, drink some beer and watch tv. Easy peasy.
That being said, there are a few ways to elevate your Superbowl party slightly to give it a little extra oomph.
One of the easiest ways to make your Superbowl party a little more exciting is by decorating just a bit. Don’t worry, you don’t have to go overboard. But a goal post set in your bowl of candy, a football field runner for your food table or even a simple “Touchdown” cupcake topper add an extra element and will make it seem like you’re the hostess with the mostest to your guests.
Of course, the most important element to any Superbowl party is the food. Let’s be real, especially if your team isn’t in the game, that’s why we’re all here. A really fun way to wow your guests is to merge the decor and the food. This sounds daunting, but I promise, there are really easy ways to create football-themed snacks.
For example, you can always go with football shaped candy. You can find these at any local grocery store in the weeks leading up to the big game. Just buy a package or a few, put them in some small dishes and your work is done.
Sandwiches are a great finger food to offer your guests that isn’t super messy but that you can also incorporate the football theme. Just cut the subs into smaller, football shapes or buy bread already shaped that way, and then put a small bit of mayo on top in the design of the laces on the football. These will look so cute, and take no skill at all.
For dessert, you can always bake a football shaped cake and frost it accordingly. If you’re looking for something a little easier, though, I suggest chocolate covered strawberries. These are super easy to make, and then you can add the white laces on top of the strawberries to incorporate the theme.
Of course, you can’t go wrong with the traditional favorites: pizza, wings, and dips. To save you from the stress of doing all the cooking, I suggest making the party potluck style. You can handle one or two food items and then have your guests bring their own favorites.
Another tip for the game is to play some of your own games while you’re watching. Yes, I’m talking about betting games. The most common one is Superbowl Squares, but there are a ton of other fun options so that you can switch it up and do something different.
The Rules of Betting Squares
Start with an empty 10 by 10 grid. This will give you 100 Squares that you can let your guests select. Now assign one team to the columns, and one to the rows. Lucky for you, you can use the J. Leigh Events square template for your party! As your guests arrive begin having them fill out the form by letting them choose their squares. What each square costs are up to you. Each square could cost a quarter or you could assign each square to cost $5. Once all the squares have been filled, it is time to assign the numbers. Randomly assign numbers 0 through 9 to each column, followed by doing the same for each row. Now each square represents a specific score in the game based on the column and row numbers. Your Football Squares grid is now complete, and you just need to wait till the game is played to determine who will be your winners. A winner is usually determined at the end of the 1st quarter, 2nd quarter, 3rd quarter, and final score. The winner is determined by looking at the last number in each of the teams' score, and then matching those numbers on the grid and seeing which square intersects those two numbers. If the score at the end of the game is AFC 33, and NFC 24, then the square on the grid that has AFC with number 3, and NFC number 4, would be the winner. Now for the important part, payout! The payout for the winners vary depending on your setup, but usually the 1st through 3rd quarter get about 20% of the pot each, and the final score would get the remaining 40%. And that is squares!
No matter who you're rooting for this year, I hope you have a fun and safe Superbowl Sunday. And don't worry fellow Bucs fans - next year will totally be our year!
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