How to Make the Best of Game Day: Tips and Tricks for a Great Time

Game day is always something to look forward to, even if you don’t necessarily love football. After all, very little can compare to banding together with friends and family to just have a good time while watching your favorite sport. Even though nothing can compare to the level of excitement of watching it live, watching it at home can still be filled with good times. All you need to do is level up your game-watching experience, and we’ve listed a few pointers to help you with that so you can have a great time for any type of game day at home:

Watching an NFL game day isn’t complete without some delicious snacks to munch on. If you’re lost, our article entitled ‘Game Day Hosting: Serving the Best Snacks’ covers a few potential favorites your guests will love while they watch football, such as jalapeño peppers and mozzarella sticks, pulled pork sliders, and loaded potato skins. Not only are they delicious, but they’re also easy to prepare. Add some chopped vegetable sticks with some dip and game day is good to go. One last thing: Prepare more than enough, but don’t serve up the food all at once.

A USA Today article on football game day essentials lists all the things necessary for the ultimate football Sunday party, such as a state-of-the-art TV and an epic sound system. While you don’t have to buy a new TV and sound system, you’ll need to prepare lots of extra chairs so everyone can sit comfortably along with a long table or two to spread out the snacks for everybody. Additionally, don’t forget to bring out an icebox for cold drinks.

A day of watching sports often comes with long lulls in the action. And one way to fill the time could be to play some group games. If you have a pool or foosball table all the better, but it you want a game you can all dip in and out of why not try an ongoing poker game. A few rounds between plays will keep everyone occupied and the energy levels up. This is why Cleveland Brown diehard Tony Eastside used the PPPoker Twitter hashtag to say how football and poker are the perfect match, especially during the playoff season. Playing poker, or any other game for that matter, adds fun to game days, as you and your guests will have something else to do during breaks. Regardless of what you have planned out, the point is to make the entire experience memorable, and a bunch of activities can serve as an appetizer to the main event.

Of course, you’ll want your guests to be comfortable — and there are plenty of ways to do this. A Huffpost article on how to make house guests feel welcome notes that the first thing you should do is tidy up. Daniel Post Senning, co-host of the Awesome Etiquette Podcast, suggests cleaning your house beyond a standard you would accept for yourself. Other suggestions you can implement for game day include providing some simple amenities, printing out the Wi-Fi password, and buying simple gifts for your guests.

Finally, document your game day experience with lots of pics and videos. You’re creating memories, so you might as well capture all the fun and good times. If you’re hosting your own game day, don’t forget to tag us via the official Horses and Heels Instagram account