Looking for a unique idea for your next New Year's Party? Here's an activity that makes for a memorable and meaningful experience and also gives your guests the chance to let their creativity shine. The effigy party has been an annual tradition at my New Year's celebrations for some time now and never fails to be a big hit.

Here's the theme of the party:
Each person invited is instructed to create and bring to the party an effigy to burn. The doll represents the negative energy/traits/emotions etc. that the person wants to be rid of in the coming year. Sort of like a New Year's resolution in reverse. Making the dolls gives the guests something to bring to the party and they make great conversation pieces while on display before the ceremonial burning. If you host this party year after year, you'll find guests really start getting into it and try to outdo each other from year to year.

The dolls (see photos this page) can be made from all kinds of materials. For instance my doll from last year was made of bread dough and sugar frosting as I was trying to curb my carbohydrate addiction. My niece Tracy fashioned her doll out of empty Coca-Cola cans as she wanted to break this habit.

The effigy ceremony can be as whimsical or as serious as each guest chooses and sharing the meaning behind the doll is optional. Most do, but some keep it personal.

Sometimes it can get emotional. One friend ceremoniously burned the business cards and other corporate symbols from a lucrative job that he hated while sharing the realization that the people in his life were simply more important. The whole group ended up in tearful, loving hugs.

Of course, in order to host this party, it is necessary to have a safe indoor fireplace or an outdoor firepit and cooperative weather -- if you live in Minnesota, you might not want to do this party outside. Luckily for us Californians, outdoors on New Years Eve usually works out just fine, except if the weather is dry and the Santa Ana winds are kicking up.

Once you know where the party will be hosted, and the limitations of your firepit, you can better instruct or give effigy creating tips to your guests. For instance, if you have a small indoor fireplace, it is important for guests to bring small sized offerings and to limit themselves to natural materials. This is a good idea in general. Nothing can ruin a successful party atmosphere like the stench of burning toxic plastic fumes.

In past years we have held this party on the beach with a large bonfire, in which case guests were encouraged to bring life-sized effigies. The photo at right shows a collective effort between my friend Mitch and I. We had both had a disasterous year in the area of romance. The doll we made from old clothes destined for the thrift store was stuffed with paper, old letters, photos and mementos from our respective relationships. The "head" of this effigy was made of the dead flowers I had gotten as a last gift from my former beau, before being unceremonially dumped just before the holidays. That was one blaze I enjoyed.

Tips & Precautions

• Always have a fire extinguisher, water and baking soda handy.
• Never have a fire indoors without a proper chimney and ventilation.
• Try to stay to natural materials -- avoid burning plastics.
• Be careful of objects on the dolls that might fly off or explode in the heat.
• Check local fire ordinances before planning this party.

Effigy Doll Material Suggestions

The dolls can be made from almost anything and need not take an extraordinary amount of time or effort. Use your imagination. Some popular household items that past guests have transformed into effigies include:

• edible bread, pie or cookie doughs
• inedible modeling dough such as Play-Doh®
• fabric and yarn scraps
• old items of clothing: pants and shirts on a large scale, socks, hats, gloves or mittens on a small scale
• old paper towel or toilet paper tubes
• sticks and twigs
• popsicle sticks
• pipe cleaners
• paper

Effigy Gallery

Follow this link to see some of the dolls created for our 2001 New Year's Eve Party!