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. There are rules for entertaining good food, good drinks, and atmosphere.
Casual parties should even serve fresh, good food. Finger foods are the best because there are no utensils that are needed so there would be 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. You will see nobody dancing with the light on. It is a good idea to have your light switches changed to dimmer switches sometime if you plan to have a few parties over the years.
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 then decorate accordingly. There is no need for anything tacky, just flowing decorations.
