Are you bored with the same old rut of movie nights, dinner parties and football gatherings? Getting together with friends is always fun, but it can be even more so if you throw a bit of variety into the mix.

Why not try throwing a themed party?

From the invitations to the party favors, a themed party can breathe new life into your social scene and make your party the one people are talking about for weeks. While there are a lot of details to remember, it's actually not hard at all once you get yourself organized.

Carolyn Shepard is a party and event planner in Charlotte, N.C., who has seen a huge increase in the number of themed parties she's asked to handle over the past five years.

"People are tired of the same old thing, but they still don't want to blow their budgets too badly," she said. "A theme party can be as elaborate or as simple as you want, depending on your available cash."

Fantastic Invitations

The important thing isn't how much you spend, in general, but the small touches you pull off to keep the theme going. Start with the invitations. Say you're throwing a '50s party. You could cut black posterboard in the shape of 45-RPM records (you young folks will need to Google that) and write the party info on a "label" made out of white paper. Shepard said one big-budget '50s soiree she arranged had all the invitations done as little leather jackets.

For a '70s party, you can loot the thrift store for a box of 8-track tapes and either attach your invitations to them or write the invites straight on the cases.

Tasty Theme Ideas

The food is another place to make your theme work, but here you'll want to pay attention to the presentation, too. American cuisine doesn't have much in the way of specific dishes identified with decades, although you can certainly make some creative connections. The '50s, thought of by many as the Ward and June Cleaver era, cry out for macaroni and cheese and apple pie, perhaps with meat loaf as a main course. Be sure to have a checked tablecloth and lots of carefully pressed lily-white accents, from napkins to coasters.

Probably the food of the '70s was fondue, and it's actually becoming popular again. However, rather than spend big bucks for a modern fondue set, hit the rummage shops and find an "original" set. They're all over the place! Of course, you can also buy a new one if you're not into the thrill of the hunt so much.

If you've never played with a tie-dye kit before, throwing a '60s party and making a tie-dyed tablecloth out of an old sheet is a party in itself, and your guests will certainly be talking about it for weeks.

If you can't come up with decade- or theme-specific foods, get creative with the names of common dishes. Gumdrops become "Love Beads" for a '70s soiree, and Shepard reported seeing cocktail wieners in barbecue sauce at an Elvis party with a tag reading "Franks You Very Much."

Fun Decor Carries The Party

Your table and room decor will go a long way toward carrying your theme, too. For an '80s party, make sure all lamps and candlesticks have their own "leg warmers" (easily made of crepe paper or old socks). If you're doing a desert theme, hit the thrift shop and buy a sack full of throw pillows to turn one room into a bedouin tent.

The '80s were the age of toys like the Rubik's Cube, and either the real things or the cheapo knockoffs and variants can be had for a song. A few of those scattered in strategic spots will provide good conversation pieces.

Entertainment Tips

Entertainment is another way to carry your theme, and here the options are just about limitless. When it comes to music, you name your theme and there's a CD out there that covers it, from a specific decade to sports themes to science fiction tinklings. If you've got a good home theater system and your theme is fairly modern, you might want to get a DVD or two full of music videos to have playing. Hey, nothing livens up an '80s party like a rousing singalong to "99 Luftballoons," right?

Your party games can reflect the theme, too. One of the classic party games of all time is charades, but here you can restrict the depictions to things within your theme. Start working on that "Grateful Dead" clue involving a happy zombie walk now!

Depending on your group's size and makeup, there is a wide range of activities you can plan, from themed karaoke to trivia contests with appropriately themed prizes. You are the best judge of what your friends would like to do ... just adapt it to your theme!

Hopefully, this will get you started on the way to planning the perfect themed get-together. Shepard said that she's got everything from casino nights to a "Survivor" themed party going between now and springtime.