Sweet Spot: Throw a Candy Party!

For anyone with an undeniable sweet tooth, this is the party for you...a wall-to-wall candy extravaganza! It's a clever alternative to an all-dessert bash, plus it can be lots more kitschy and fun. So, get ready to whip out those Coke Bottles, Gummy Bears, and Swedish Fish, and say hello to a slew of those endearing childhood classics: Bit O Honey, Dots, and Tootsie Rolls. It's time for you and your happy-go-lucky guests to indulge. Willy Wonka, eat your heart out!

• Create invitations by adhering a colorful piece of paper with all of the handwritten party details to the back of a candy box such as Milk Duds, Raisinettes, or Junior Mints. Attach sufficient postage and just mail as is (or if this isn't possible, slip the box into a small manila envelope prior to mailing).

• Create your very own sweet centerpiece by taking empty candy boxes and poking long, thin wooden sticks with pieces of candy at the end through them. Mix these candy "flowers" with real ones -- pink gerber daisies with Good & Plenty, yellow tulips with Lemonheads, and so on. Or have your florist create an arrangement incorporating Pixie Sticks or unwrapped lollipops amidst a bouquet of blooms.
• Cover the coffee table with an array of small, medium, and large bowls filled with colorful treats such as Skittles, Starburst, and Sweet Tarts.
• Browse such whimsical sites as CandyWarehouse or Dylan's Candy Bar for unique ideas and load up on nostalgic favorites such as Charms Blow Pops (toss them in silver pails), Charleston Chew, Necco Wafers, Red Hots, and Mary Janes. CandyWarehouse even enables you to search for candies by color -- tons of fun!
• Make a tempting chocolate platter by sticking toothpicks into bite-size Snickers, Milky Way, Reeses and Babe Ruth and organizing them on an oversized tray.
• Bring out the kid in your guests by handing out Bazooka gum and staging a bubble-blowing contest. The winner gets a copy of the board game Candyland to take home.
• Whip up a signature sweet drink such as the non-alcoholic Jolly Rancher Rita -- 20 oz. margarita mix, 10-12 Jolly Ranchers and 20 ice cubes. Place the Jolly Ranchers in the mix and let them dissolve. Blend with ice and serve.
• Send your guests off with a playful little "goody" as they say their "goodbyes" by leaving travel-size toothpaste tubes in a big bowl by the front door.