Goodbye '16 Hello '17

Whether you're planning a cozy dinner for two or a festive party for twenty, we have a few tips to bring a little flavour and frivolity to this year's countdown.

1. Write your goals or resolutions on your placemats.

Why? Why not? Our festive paper placemats can serve a purpose long after dinner is over. Pour another glass of wine and have your guests write down their goals for the coming year. For more details click HERE.

2. Be savvy about your bubbly

You don't need big-name champagnes to host a sophisticated soiree. There a superb Proseccos or Cavas around, or try our favourite new bubbly, De Chanceney Cremant de Loire Rosé Brut, available at the LCBO. For more details click HERE.

3. Pick the perfect playlist

Strike the right note by creating a great playlist. There's nothing like a few chart-toppers to keep you awake - and hopefully dancing - until midnight. Here's a roundup of some of the year's hottest hits along with a few classics.

1. George Michael, 'Freedom' RIP GM

2. Michael Jackson, 'Don't Stop Till You Get Enough'

3. Bruno Mars, 'Uptown Funk'

4. New Order, 'Blue Monday'

5. Daft Punk, 'One More Time'

6. Madonna, 'Vogue'

7. Chic, 'Le Freak'

8. Deee-Lite, 'Groove is in the Heart'

9. Earth, Wind & Fire, 'September'

10. Pharrell Williams, 'Happy'

11. Diana Ross, 'Upside Down'

12. Peter Gabriel, 'Sledgehammer'

13. ABBA, 'Dancing Queen'

14. Gloria Gaynor, 'I Will Survive'

15. Dead or Alive, 'You Spin Me 'Round'

4. Pick a New Year's Eve Tradition to Bring You Good Luck

New Year's Eve is a time to celebrate a new chapter and hope for better things. And what better way to bring you and your guests good fortune than to try some tradition that allegedly will bring luck your way? Here are three we like:

Lucky grapes

In Spain, people eat 12 grapes at midnight — one at each chime of the clock. Each grape represents a wish for happiness. Immediately after you pop your grapes, pop your bubbly.

Eat Up for Good Luck

Italians eat lentils because the coin-like shape represents luck and prosperity. Americans often choose black-eyed peas — the vegetable was considered lucky because it saved the lives of starving Southerners during the Civil War. Supposedly greens are eaten on New Year's Eve because they resemble money and will usher in prosperity. Noodles are symbols of long life, and grains like rice, quinoa, and barley stand for abundance. Slurp and chew your way to good things in '17.

The Kiss

A kiss at midnight brings luck to your relationship. This can happen anywhere, any time, or any place.