• Celebrate the year of Barack Obama's presidential inauguration and the Balloon boy hoax with a 2009 theme party. With just a year of popular culture to reference, you'll have to be more creative in your endeavors. Capture the look and feel of the final year of the Aughts by making each party detail 2009-specific.
  
  

Music

• From teen party anthems to East Coast hip-hop, 2009 was a year of eclectic hits music. Throw a "Party in the USA" Miley Cyrus-style by playing a selection of songs from 2009 at your theme party. For your guests into hip-hop, include songs like Flo Rida's "Sugar" and Jay-Z and Alicia Keys' "Empire State of Mind." For the more pop-minded guests, play Lady Gaga's "Pokerface," Kelly Clarkson's "My Life Would Suck Without You" and Pink's "Please Don't Leave Me." You could even highlight a famous 2009 Grammy Awards incident and interrupt a Taylor Swift song with a Kanye West song.
  
  

Costumes

• 2009 was not without its cast of wacky celebrities and characters. Encourage your guests to dress up as their favorite 2009-related reality TV star, musician, politician, etc. For example, a guest can dress up as her favorite "Twilight" character or as pop star Rihanna. A couple might come dressed as Jon and Kate from "Jon & Kate Plus 8." Guests may also honor the careers of celebrities who died in 2009 with their costume choices. For example, a guest can don a sparkling glove and a pair of loafers and be Michael Jackson.
  
  

Trivia

• Find out how well your guests were paying attention to news and pop culture in 2009 with a game of trivia at your theme party. Brainstorm a bunch of questions regarding big news stories and events in 2009 and break them down into categories, such as politics, music, etc. For example, you might ask "What golf star was involved in an adultery scandal in 2009?" (Answer: Tiger Woods) or "Who scored a hit with the song "I Gotta Feeling"? (Answer: Black Eyed Peas).