All right, girlfriends, the leadership of America is changing. As our first African-American president takes center stage on January 20th, 2009, the moment will be history in the making. While listening to the inaugural speech, girlfriends all across America will be hoping for a brighter tomorrow. Are you planning on watching our 44th president make American history? Who will you share the moment with?

Happily, we can all take part in this exciting occasion, even if we’re not traveling to Washington or attending a fancy ball. Simply invite the girls over and dream of a better American future with your support network by your side. Powerful moments can be even more poignant when shared. Plus, GirlfriendCelebrations has some quick-and-easy ideas to help you make this historic occasion even more fun. Inauguration Day is on its way and your last-minute party planning should start today!

Setting

In the comfort of your own living room, you and the girls can relax and mingle. Just be sure to have enough chairs for each of the guests and make sure that everyone is able to see the screen. (Take a moment to rid the screen of dust bunnies, won’t you?). Simple patriotic touches of red, white and blue will dress the room up nicely. A few inexpensive ideas might be: a red tablecloth or runner to dress up a table, a small flag in a plant arrangement, or light strings of red white and blue to drape around the room for a festive touch.

For a fun photo op, create your own hand fans with the face of President-Elect Obama. This way, all the girls can have their picture taken with the President—perfect for the girlfriend photo album. Simply print a picture of President-Elect Obama, like the one here. At a copy center, enlarge it to life-size, cut out the face, glue to card stock and staple to a paint stick.  Voila! You have the face of the President ready to party with the girls.

For your TV planning purposes, click here for a succinct guide to the day-and-night TV coverage. In between on-screen happenings, you may want to play some Bob Dylan, Miles Davis or Fugees for your guests. These artists are on the list of President-Elect Obama’s musical favorites.

Invitations

With the inauguration mere days away, it might be best to just phone your friends. However if your friends are computer savvy, anyvite or Evite is a speedy solution to the invitation dilemma. You might try writing something like this:

“Let’s eat, drink and be merry

as history makes its way

for the

Inauguration of President-Elect Obama

and for the promise of a new day!”

Please join me and some friends

January 20th, 2009

(time, place and rsvp here)

Food and Drink

Simple munchies with an Obama-inspired flair are the theme  for this event. Try serving bowls of steamy Barack Obama Chili with warm loaves of corn bread. With sides of cheese, onion, pasta, hot sauce and fritos, you can create your own chili bar. Fruit kabobs filled with strawberries, purple grapes and chunks of apple make for a simple, red-white-and-blue snack. Add a creamy fruit dip or two, like the ones here, to turn it into a yummy dessert.

On the drink menu, serve up a cold iced tea—one of Obama’s favorites is bottled Honest tea in black forest berry.  Mugs of frosty Bud Lite are another option for beer lovers; it’s the new President’s beer of choice.

If you are looking for more in the way of a party menu, try the tasty suggestions of Bill Daley from the Chicago Tribune, whose recipes are inspired by Obama’s global heritage.

Connecting Activities

Play a game of Presidential Small Talk Trivia. Games are great for drawing people out of their shells. This trivia game will help generate small talk among your girlfriends, while offering a deeper glimpse into the the life of the public figure we know as our President-Elect. The winner will be the girlfriend with the most correct answers.

Presidential Small Talk Trivia

©2009 GirlfriendCelebrations.com

1. In high school, Barack Obama was know as “O’Bomber” for

a. bombing his Calculus tests. b. his skill at football c. his skill at basketball d. his skill with spit bombs

2. Barack Obama has read the complete series of

a. The Lord of the Rings  b. Star Wars  c. Zane Grey  d. Harry Potter

3. Our President-Elect is an avid collector of

a. SpiderMan/Conan the Barbarian comics  b. books on the history of Abraham Lincoln  c. baseball cards  d. ticket stubs from events he has attended

4. In 2006, Barack Obama won a

a. Pulitzer Prize  b. Emmy  c. Grammy d. NCAAP Award

5. Besides president, one of the things Barack Obama wanted to be when he grew up was

a. doctor  b. architect  c. social worker  d. archeologist

6. One of Barack Obama’s favorite films is

a. One Flew over the Cuckoo’s Nest b. Hunt for Red October c. Caddyshack d. The Color Purple

7. Barack Obama’s favorite book is

a. Moby Dick  b. Harry Potter  c. Five People You Meet in Heaven  d. The Art of the Start

8. Barack Obama would like to install what on the White House grounds?

a. miniature White House play house  b. horse stable   c. basketball court   d. golf course

9. If the President elect were to play one of his favorite games with you, which one would it be?

a. Yahtzee  b. Backgammon  c. Scrabble  d. Jenga

10. When not being driven around by the Secret Service, the President elect drives around in a

a. Cadillac Town Car   b. Ford Escape Hybrid  c.  Toyota Camry  d.  Chevrolet Equinox

answers:  1.c, 2.d, 3.a, 4.c (for the audio version of Dreams From my Father), 5.b, 6.a, 7.a, 8.c, 9.c, 10.b

After trivia, engage your guests in conversation by talking about:

1. What their hopes are for the new President.

2. What the new President should try to tackle first.

3. What mistakes he should avoid as new President.

Your girlfriends may not always agree on politics, but it can lead to some engaging conversations. Just remember to keep your cool and not let it get heated. Besides, you can always agree ahead of time to disagree.

Party Favors

None needed! You’ve got your friends, you’ve got hope, and you’re living in the greatest country on earth. What more could you possibly want?

We at GirlfriendCelebrations hope that together with your friends, you will have some fun, learn new things and fuel your dreams on Inauguration Day. How will you spend the day? We’d love to see you share your party plans and tips in the comments.

Stay tuned to GirlfriendCelebrations for more great girls night and girlfriend party ideas.

For additional patriotic party tips, see our Positive Politics Party.