Start the ball rolling

You'll need something to warm you up on a cold night, so why not have a bonfire at the beach? Sit down and prepare your guest list and think of a novel way to send your invitations by mail. Make it something your friends will talk about for days on end. Why don't you try a small scarecrow with the invitation slipped into his little pocket?

Next, prepare your easy menu. The bonfire spread should be easy to prepare- baked potatoes in foil, bonfire toffee apples, key lime pie, spaghetti (if you will) with lots of big meatballs, and all your favorites if you please. Just make sure you don't forget to concoct that hot spicy apple cider and grab a recipe for the special Mai-Tai for your lady friends? liquor flasks.

Or you can call your friends and ask them for any special requests regarding drinks. Inform them that you'll serve these in liquor flasks so there's no problem about spills when the fun goes full-blast. If they ask for Guy Fawkes punch, then prepare the potion on the day of the bonfire.

Your piece d? resistance? The Pudding! Start listing your ingredients ? apples, raisins, currants, beef suet, sweet milk, eggs, flour, nutmeg, bread crumbs, grape juice, and sweet butter.

Let your kids start scrounging for bonfire material ? wood, coal, old tree trunks, paper, cardboard, wooden boxes, old mattresses, tires ? whatever is available and within legal limits, take it. You can also ask hubby to start stacking of firewood and he must find a way. You can also use that discarded Halloween scarecrow for the bonfire, so save it.

The Fireworks

Confetti poppers, cracker snaps in red white and blue, and blue touch paper are safe for you bonfire. Perhaps a confirmation from the proper authorities can ease your mind about the fireworks you can hoard.

Always store your fireworks in a safe dry place or they'll end up soggy and useless for the bonfire. Children should not be allowed to handle the fireworks - it's better to be safe than sorry. You wouldn't want an accident to spoil the party, would you?

Hail, hail, the gang's all here!

Ask your teenage son or a friend to tote the guitar for the singing around the campfire. Prepare those songs and lead the singing. Before you start the fun, have a moment of silence to remember those who perished in the 9/11 tragedy.

Then start the fun with singing games and contests. Children's games have to be supervised so by now, you should have assigned the task to someone equal to the assignment.

Everybody will be huddled by the fire, drinking from their canned beers, or liquor flasks. The children can have their hot cocoa from kid's flasks for the occasion. Serve the food in colorful plastic paper plates with matching paper napkins.

Burn the Guy Fawkes effigy and start the fireworks, and toast your welcome to winter with your liquor flasks.