Marlene Parmentier of Hudson, New York, really knows how to throw a theme party. Here's what she did the year she picked clocks as the focus of her New Year's Eve bash.

DECORATION TIME

•Marlene, husband Chuck and kids Meghan, now eight, and Christopher, five, filled white balloons with black confetti (made from construction paper with a hole punch), blew up the balloons and drew a clock face on each with a black marker.
•Black and white confetti and curling ribbon were scattered on the party table.
•Guests brought as many alarm clocks as they could round up. The clocks were all set to ring at midnight and placed around the table.

GAMES AND ACTIVITIES

•Partygoers had their faces painted white, with clock hands drawn on in black.
•Guests played the mouse ran up the clock (based on red light, green light). One kid (grandfather clock) stands with his back to the players (mice) and calls out hours at random, and the mice race to take that number of steps before he turns around. Those who fail must return to start. First mouse to "run up the clock" wins.
•Partyers played hide the clock: Adults concealed a ticking clock somewhere in the room, then called in the kids to find it.
•At the stroke of midnight, with the alarms ringing, they popped the balloons and celebrated as the confetti flew out.
•Even the cleanup the next day was fun, Marlene says. "The children made collages with confetti."