Super Bowl Sunday is on the doorstep, which means that if you’re planning on throwing a party, you are deep into preparation. Or you may feel more at home scrambling around frantically, after having saved it for the last minute. Either way, here are some staples that your gathering should have, whether you’re a Patriot, Seahawk or just looking to be the host/hostess with the most/mostess.

Bingo

This is a surefire way to get everyone engaged, especially those who aren’t too familiar with the infinite intricacies of the NFL rulebook. If someone doesn’t know the difference between a safety and a safety, they can at least have fun guessing which company will have the first commercial of the game. Find a template on the Internet, or create your own. If you want, this is a fun and innocent way to throw in a touch of gambling. Have everyone who wants to play throw in some money, and whoever gets the most categories correct wins the pot. Speaking of money and sports, here is the one of the more interesting prop bets for Sunday: The over/under for the running time for Idina Menzel’s performance of the national anthem is two minutes and 2.5 seconds.

Appropriate Food and Beverages

This is the day of the finger food, so provide accordingly. Chips, dip in the shape of a football, fried foods, deep-fried foods, mini hot dogs, mini corn dogs and bratwursts are a good jumping off point. For the sake of health and variety, throw in a veggie plate. Similarly, the name of the game with drinks is variety. Water, soda and diet soda for the non-alcoholic fare, and an emphasis on beer for the harder stuff. Throw in some hard liquor like whiskey to mix with some cola, but leave the wine for another day.

Rivalry

It’s all good and fun to root for your team in the comfort of your own domain without any detractors hoping for the downfall of your beloved. However, having the enemy inside of your home base can spice things up in a good way. The most obvious benefit is that you can rib your friends when your team scores a touchdown or field goal. Be careful, though, as you’ll have the same treatment visited upon you should misfortune befall your team. Invite over some people who are good sports, strap up for a game that’s hopefully a nailbiter — unlike last year’s uncompetitive 43-8 final score — and embrace all that is football for the final time this season.

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Follow Alex Guyton on Twitter.