Dinner parties are often a mishmash of different people coming together under one roof for refreshing drinks and a tasty, home cooked meal. Because of that, conversations can be nothing but awkward explanations of what everyone does for a living. Lame! Kick things off this way instead.

I always feel a little unsure as a guest in someone else's home. I want to be as polite as possible, and that can lead to some anxiety. Can I go through that door? Are those snacks for everyone? Where's the bathroom? Here's a trick that can help worrying guests such as me.

At the start of each year, many of us begin to re-assess our drinking habits to make up for our New Year's Eve debauchery. But don't go teetotal just yet. By employing moderation and intelligent choices, it's possible to drink alcohol without affecting your health. In fact, it can even be good for you.

There are three ways to have a good birthday.

New research shows that many young children, prior to reaching the age of six or seven, mistakenly believe that birthday parties cause ageing. It's a truly adorable finding, but the study also offers an important glimpse into the developing brain and our early tendency to seek out causal explanations for the unfolding world around us.

Throwing the perfect party requires more than good booze, pleasant music and tasty snacks. It requires the right number of people to develop the atmosphere you're after. This formulaic approach to party invites will help you host the biggest bash or the most charming of dinner parties.

Cheeseballs really live up to their name. Not only are they a literal ball of cheese, but there's something kind of charmingly corny about them. Like a tacky Christmas sweater, they're more class clown than class act - lovable, goofy and charmingly unpretentious. They're also infinitely adaptable, and insanely easy to make.

National Novel Writing Month is all about putting your head down and cranking out as many words as you can, but it can still be fun to make it a social experience, too. A write-in is just what you need to keep you and your fellow scribblers motivated. Here's how to set one up.

The success of most parties hinges on the quality and amount of booze served and, while serving a big bowl of punch is easier on the host or hostess, serving a punch that people will keep coming back to it is a little trickier. A good punch is so balanced that one might not even realise there was any ethanol floating around in there, and we're going to show you how to make a really good one. (You should, of course, always tell people if you're serving them booze.)

You talked about your plans with your friends face to face, you made a Facebook event page and invited them - but people still seem to flake out on you. What gives? Well, you're still not making it easy enough for them.

So you've been invited to a mate's Halloweeen party but haven't worked out what to wear. Don't panic! You still have time to create an inspired, no-frills costume from stuff lying around the house. Here are 20 non-sucky ideas that can be whipped together in under an hour.

Like it or loathe it, Halloween has permanently plonked itself on the Aussie calendar and continues to gain mainstream popularity with every passing year. While it's easy to ignore sprogs knocking on your door, dodging Halloween parties is slightly more difficult; especially if you work in a "zany" office that loves an excuse to dress up.

If you've been invited to a Halloween do and have left your costume to the last minute, here are ten impressive looking outfits that don't require much money or effort.

When you're planning a party that's going to feature drinking, one of the worst things you can do is just not invite your sober friends. Oh, they don't drink, I don't want to make them uncomfortable. Let them make that call for themselves. And there's a lot you can do to make sure sober guests will feel welcome and comfortable at a party, even if other people are drinking.

Venture capitalist Hunter Walk is an introvert in an extroverted line of work. To get the most out of big events such as conferences and industry parties, he focuses less on broadening his connections, and more on deepening. He's learned to change his goal from "meet everyone at the conference" to "have five or ten meaningful conversations". Both are useful approaches, but the latter is better suited to his personality, as he explains in a Medium post.

There's no need to make a big deal about leaving every gathering you attend. Just leave -- it's fine.

Legally, all you need for a wedding is a visit to the registry office, and whatever else your local government requires. Everything else is optional. Of course, some things are more optional than others.

Music is essential at a wedding, especially at the reception. But some songs are just way too cliche -- or ear-ravaging -- and people are tired of hearing them. These are those songs.

I recently went into a coffee shop to get a hot chocolate and, to my surprise, they had something called a "Hot Vanilla" on the menu. I was sceptical, but I gave it a try and it was one of the best warm drinks I've ever tasted. It's easy enough to make at home, too.

If you want to bake multiple pizzas for your party, but don't have enough space in your oven, this simple space-management trick will let you cook more at the same time.