Katherine Chloé Cahoon

If you’d like to throw an Oscar-viewing party that will shine like the stars, here are some ideas.

Walk the Red Carpet. Run a red carpet up to your front door and snap pics of guests as they enter in style. You can buy red carpet runners at party stores for under $8, or go to a fabric store and buy a swath of thick red flannel cut to the size you need.

Get Your Game On. Let your guests feel like they’re in on the action, instead of just experiencing it vicariously. Playing an Oscar game can do this. Give each guest a sheet containing all the awards and nominees, have them mark each of their top choices, and check them against the Academy winners as the show unfolds. You could even have prizes. Sweetniks sells the ultimate game prize…Oscar lollipops hand-painted with golden shimmer.

Make Me an Offer…You might even pass out faux million-dollar bills and let your guests place wagers on who will be the winners. After all, every film Hollywood makes is a multimillion-dollar wager! But this game can’t break you bank. Here’s a company now selling million-dollar bills for only 10 cents each!