When Super Bowl XXXVIII is

broadcast live from Houston's Reliant Stadium Sunday, Feb. 1, millions

of football fans worldwide will eagerly tune in for an afternoon of exciting

pre-game fun followed by an evening of great football, revelry, refreshments,

and friendly rivalry. For those not lucky enough to have a ticket to America's

favorite sporting event, it's a premier Couch Potato day.

To maximize the fun, I've

collected practical tips to make your Super Bowl party memorable.

Kicking off the preparations

Decide on a guest list.

Do you want a small or large crowd? Do you want to include children?

Keep a list ready for when

guests ask what they can bring.

Plan invitations with a

football theme. If you use e-mail, be sure to tell the guests they must

"complete the pass" by RSVPing; E-vite.com is a convenient

way to send invitations. If you make your own invitations, cut out football-shaped

ones from construction paper. Or bake edible cookie invitations.

Creating a stadium atmosphere

Decorate your house with

a football theme and team colors. Make your tablecloth a playing field.

Set a festive welcome at the front door with an oversized football on

the door that you can make from foam board. A football-themed rug right

inside the door will help keep dirt out of the house. Make felt pennants

to hang around the house.

Ask guests to dress in

team jerseys and colors. Wear a referee-style shirt.

Put themed props around

the room, such as megaphones, miniature footballs, and whistles for

calling penalties.

Settle in for a long day

of television with comfortable, football-themed beanbag chairs. Have

plenty of cushions, footrests, and a cozy afghan or blanket for the

couch potatoes.

Make sure everyone can

see the TV. You don't want anyone squinting or straining to see

the action. If there's not enough seating, set up TVs elsewhere

to handle the overflow.

Play Super Bowl trivia

and award football-themed prizes.

Enjoy a game of touch football

before kickoff and during halftime.

Don't leave anyone

on the sidelines. If children are attending, make sure there are lots

of toys and activities to keep them busy. Set up an area for them to

decorate their own T-shirts during the pre-game, with iron-on transfers

or tube paints.

Tackling food and drink

Plan the menu in advance.

This is one party where you do not want to have to get up and down to

serve guests or prepare and warm food. Select a menu that allows for

lots of couch time.

Use paper or plastic serving

pieces and utensils. Have lots of napkins personalized with a Super

Bowl-related slogan or the teams' names.

Serving trays are useful

for shuttling food between the kitchen and TV room.

Place food far enough away

from the TV to avoid blocking anyone's view.

For chips and dips, get

bowls that combine the two, so there are fewer items to refill, knock

over, and carry.

Serve other snack foods,

like pretzels, in a football helmet. Be sure to line it with foil and

a napkin.

Popcorn in individual,

movie-style popcorn servers is a great idea. If you choose to make it

plain with butter on the side, serve interesting spices and condiments

to sprinkle over it, especially for those who are salt or diet-conscious.

Let younger partygoers

make their own popcorn or get a cotton-candy maker.

Stock plenty of ice and

keep an ice crusher handy. Fill an ice chest or a large metal bucket

with your drinks and keep it within guests' reach.

Get everyone a personalized

can or glass holder/cooler. These containers have insulated foam liners

that keep beverages cool for hours. Their solid bases also help prevent

spills.

If you are serving hard

liquor, use a vodka set that keeps individual shot glasses chilled in

ice with the vodka carafe in the center. Also, buy large beer steins

or handsome Pilsner glasses.

Prepare pots of food that

can feed an army of visitors. Chili is an all-time favorite - one

cauldron can gently simmer all night. Or, get a warming tray for finger

foods, like Swedish meatballs. Make football-style pennants to use as

grabbers, using construction paper glued to toothpicks. Hot dogs on

buns, in a help-yourself tray, are also a good choice.

Get out the ever-popular

fondue set to dip bread into cheese or fruits into chocolate, or make

s'mores, roasting the marshmallows over the flame.

Post-game wrap-up

At the end of the festivities,

serve coffee so everyone can drive home refreshed.

Make clean-up easy with

a supply of large trash bags.

party tips, you can rest assured that long after the final football has

been snapped, everyone will remember not only the touchdown that clinched

the game, but also the fabulous job you did hosting the party.

For more information, visit

www.lillianvernonproducts.com.

Editor's Note: Lillian

Vernon is the founder of Lillian Vernon Corporation, a 52-year-old national

catalog and online retailer that markets gift, housewares, gardening,

Christmas and children's products in seven catalogs titles, two Web

sites and in 14 outlet stores.

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