New Year’s Eve is just around the corner but there’s still enough time to pull together a gathering of friends and family.Evite (www.evite.com) is my recommended online resource for event planning and invitations. It’s easy to use and it’s free!Get started by selecting the register button at the top right of the screen and then complete your basic details. Please note this site does not recognise Bermuda postal codes, so just select Bermuda and then enter 11111 as a zip code.Once you have completed the required details and selected submit, an email will be sent to the address that you have provided and you must then click on the link that says confirm account. A second screen will appear that will say verify account, at this point select verify. Your account is now created and you can get started.Once logged in you will have full access to all available features on the site. There is an entertaining section which provides great ideas for a variety of different occasions ranging from baby showers to dinner parties and includes suggestions on food and drink, activities, decorations, etiquette and recommended evite designs.There is a blogging section that allows evite members to share stories and tips with each other, some of which could get the creative juices flowing. You can upload photos in the blog section and many find visuals useful when trying to recreate one of the suggested ideas.I suggest you get started by importing your contact list(s) as these email addresses will be needed once you have created your invitation. Once signed in, click on the arrow that appears to the right of your name, a drop down list will appear and then select contacts. You will now have the ability to add contacts and then arrange them by group if you so desire. All you need to do is select the import contacts option and the rest is fairly easy to follow from that point.Once you have selected the Create an Invitation option, you can then select to view options by theme (located to the left of the page) and after selecting a theme, you can view the available options by using the arrows located below the images.After selecting a visual you will then be required to enter details of the event such as date, time, location, etc and you have the opportunity to view the invitation, if satisfied with the results, select next steps.Once you have selected the invitees, we arrive at the final step before sending; informing guests of any additional key information (setting the maximum number of guests per invite) and when you’d like to receive notifications (RSVP’s only, when comments are posted, etc).The other feature I find useful is guest response tracking that keeps a tally based on responses and will show a breakdown by category (yes, maybe, no and those that did not respond) in addition to any comments left by those invited.You can download and print a final list of attendees and after the event; you have the option to upload and share photos or send an e-card to thank those that attended.We’ll start the New Year off by exploring social media, until then have a safe and happy holiday!