Has it been a while since you last saw your friends? Do you have some new friends you want to introduce to your crew? Want to catch up on all the latest gossip? Why not invite them over for a sleepover?

Hosting a slumber party is exciting, but can be exhausting if you're not prepared. Use these slumber party ideas. Invite your guests at least one week in advance to ensure a successful turnout. Create a simple snack menu with beverages and snacks. And last but not least, have a couple of games planned to break the ice or to use as a fill in during those awkward quiet moments.

Slumber Party Ideas: Games

White Elephant Gift Exchange: Traditionally, a "White Elephant" is something lying around the house that you don't want (some horridly ugly item that someone gave you as a gift or some other item unwanted for some reason). Each person will wrap the gift without labeling it. All gifts go in the middle of the room. Put numbers in a hat. Let each person take a number. Number 1 starts and can take any gift out of the pile. But the fun part comes when all following numbers can either take your gift or pick one of the unopened ones. Don't get too attached!

Song Chaos: Divide group into teams. Each team sends one person up to the GameMaster who gives them the name of a song. The person returns to group and, in the manner of Pictionary, tries to get the group to guess the name of the song by DRAWING ONLY. As soon as the group knows the song, they must sing it as loud as they can. After singing, they send a new person for another song. Play continues until one group completes five songs. Pen and paper for each team is required.

Sock Guessing Game: You take a new pair of thick thermal socks. Then you put objects into the socks. Make sure you put the same things in each sock. (Things like scotch tape, acorns, pine cone, etc. Make sure you put about 20–25 different objects in.) Tie a ribbon or rope around the opening to make sure nobody peeks. Give everyone a piece of paper and pass the socks around at your party and tell them how many objects there are in the sock and have them write down all they can feel. Using two socks makes the game go a little faster. The person that guesses the most objects is the winner.

I Have Never: Each person receives several counters (toothpicks or pennies, etc.) and sits in a circle. Then take turns around the circle. Each person tells of something they have never done. (Example: I have never forgotten to give someone a gift, or I have never felt snow.) Anyone who has done this must give the speaker one of their toothpicks or pennies. After going around the circle several times, the person with the most tokens wins.

Two Truths and A Lie: A guessing game where you tell the group two truths and one lie and they must guess the lie. (Example: I was elected president of my sixth-grade class; I won the 30-yard dash in seventh grade; and I have traveled to Mexico twice.) This game is not about winning or losing, it's just a great way to get to know each other.

Have a great party! And don't forget to sleep!