New Year’s Eve: it’s a time to celebrate the blessings of the past and a time to look forward to a future. If you are attending a New Year’s Eve party, you may have a chance to be called upon to raise your glass and give a toast for the coming year?
When giving a toast one should remember to be prepared, keep it brief, and try to have it memorized. Your audience will listen to you better if you have memorized and have practiced your toast. Memorizing and practicing your toast allows you to engage the audience with much better eye contact.
A raised glass and a few simple and sincere words are all that are really necessary.
Here are my Top 5 favorite toasts you may use in order to ring in the New Year.
- Here’s a toast to the future, a toast to the past, and a toast to our friends, far and near. May the future be pleasant; the past a bright dream, may our friends remain faithful and dear. – Anonymous
- In the New Year, may your right hand always be stretched out in friendship, but never in want. – Traditional Irish toast
- Every new year people make resolutions to change aspects of themselves they believe are negative. A majority of people revert back to how they were before and feel like failures. This year I challenge you to a new resolution. I challenge you to just be yourself. – Aisha Elderwyn
- We will open the book. Its pages are blank. We are going to put words on them ourselves. The book is called “Opportunity” and its first chapter is New Year’s Day. – Edith Lovejoy Pierce
- Your Merry Christmas may depend on what others do for you. But your Happy New Year depends on what you do for others. – Anonymous
Here are 5 quick dos and don’ts for a memorable toast.
- Do not begin your toast while food is being served.
- Stay away from alcohol before your toast.
- Don’t worry if you stumble a bit. The audience will be sympathetic and they want you to do well.
- You should pause, smile, and make sure you make eye contact with the guests just before you begin.
- Be yourself, stand up straight, be confident and speak simply and sincere.
Cheers! Here’s to a wonderful 2010!
