Well, here we are in the early days of slushy, mushy March. We are crawling toward spring, but it’s slow. The holidays are behind us, winter has lost its charm, the tax deadline looms, and summer vacations are still months away. It’s no wonder that many of us feel a little “blue” this time of year.

If you find yourself in that situation, why not embrace it – and mix it with a little fun? My recommendation is to plan a “blue” party!

What’s a Blue Party?

I threw my first blue party a number of years ago when my husband and I were separated for five months due to a job situation. Most recently, I threw one with my grandchildren when they experienced a big disappointment. In each case, the “blues” were soon chased away, and we could move on.

There are many ways to do a blue party, but here are a few essentials:

Dress in Blue

Have all your guests dress in blue. This generally isn’t very difficult. Most people have a blue shirt or sweater they can pair with jeans. Blue hair is even popular now!

Decorate in Blue

Next, decorate with a blue theme: blue streamers, blue balloons, blue paper plates and cups.

Add Blue Refreshments

This might seem challenging at first as there aren’t many blue foods. But there are blue tortilla chips, and you can dye the chip dip blue. Blueberries can be served fresh or baked in a pie! You can bake a cake and frost it with blue frosting.

Add blueberry ice cream. At the local grocery store (Aldi), I found a blueberry goat cheese to serve with crackers. And you might be surprised to find how many blue drinks there are!

Blue Entertainment

Now, best of all, plan some “blue” entertainment.

Pop in a Tear-Jerker

Find an appropriate movie, grab a box of tissues, and revel in feeling blue together. Options include

• Casablanca
• Life is Beautiful
• The Notebook
• So many others.

Consult your friends. Every woman seems to have a favorite tear-jerker.

Or Go in the Opposite Direction

Choose a movie with the word “blue” in the title where the content is anything but. How about:

• Comedies like Blue Streak, The Blues Brothers, or My Blue Heaven;
• The romantic comedy Blue Hawaii (an Elvis classic);
• Romantic dramas such as Blue Valentine with Michelle Williams and Ryan Gosling, My Blueberry Nights, or Woody Allen’s Blue Jasmine

Turns out these are only the tip of the iceberg. (Fun fact: Did you know that icebergs actually appear blue, not white, as the oxygen is squeezed out by the weight of the ice?)

Other movies with “blue” in the title:

• The Varsity Blues (1999 comedy drama)
• The Thin Blue Line (1993 drama)
• Blue Thunder (1983 action thriller)
• Blue Steel (1990 action thriller)
• Blue Ruin (2013 thriller)
• Blue Miracle (2021 uplifting drama)
• RiverBlue (documentary)
• Ice Blue Movie (2017 mystery thriller)
• Elizabeth Blue (2017 drama)
• Or reaching way back, there is the 1965 drama, A Patch of Blue

Keep googling, and you’ll find even more!

Or Put on “Blue” Music in the Background

You could listen to any music that qualifies as “the blues.” Etta James or B. B. King, anyone?

Or once again, choose a song with “blue” in the title. While lots of song titles include a color – “Yellow Submarine,” “Purple Haze,” “Brown Eyed Girl,” “Green, Green Grass of Home” come to mind – the color blue outstrips the others by a wide margin.

According to Spinditty.com, there are 88 popular songs with “blue” in the title. Here’s a playlist, mostly oldies but goodies, to get you started:

• “Blue Eyes Crying in the Rain” (Willie Nelson, 1975)
• “Blue Suede Shoes” (Elvis, 1956) and “Blue Christmas” (Elvis, 1957)
• “Don’t It Make My Brown Eyes Blue” (Crystal Gayle, 1977)
• “Blue Velvet” (Bobby Vinton, 1963) and “Blue on Blue” (Bobby Vinton, 1963)
• “Blue Bayou” (Roy Orbison, 1963; Linda Ronstadt, 1977)
• “Blue Moon” (The Marcels, 1961; also recorded by other artists)
• “Folsom Prison Blues” (Johnny Cash, 1955)
• “Blueberry Hill” (Fats Domino, 1956)
• “Blue” (LeAnn Rimes, 1996)
• “How Blue” (Reba McEntire, 1984)

In Neil Diamond’s 1972 “Song Sung Blue,” he sings about how we all feel blue at times but if we put our feelings into song, we “sing out our blues” and we can’t help but feel better. That’s the whole idea behind a blue party: turn “feeling blue” on its head by embracing it and having fun with it!

Let’s Have a Conversation:

How do you combat blue days? Does a “blue” party sound like fun? What would you do at a blue party?