Sleepover Party of One

August 11, 2021 10:24 AM

I've got some vacation time coming up and I have decided I want to spend at least one evening having a classic sleepover party. Difficulty level: just for myself. I live alone, no one is allowed to come breathe their delta air in my home.

I already live a life of relative leisure, so I'm looking for specific ways to special it up a bit, make it intentional.

My plans so far:
-move the furniture, put pillows and sleeping bag on the floor
-order a pizza
-have scary movies lined up in advance
-turn my phone off
-wear actual pajamas

I am open to any and all suggestions that will contribute to The Vibe.

posted by phunniemee to Grab Bag (51 answers total)

Make popcorn on the stove.

Paint your toenails. Get those little foam things you put in between your toes to help them dry.

If I were doing this at home, I think I would skip delivery pizza and do a nice charcuterie/cheese/olives/grapes plate instead, but maybe you have delicious pizza options of which I know naught.
posted by Lawn Beaver at 10:27 AM on August 11, 2021 [6 favorites]

Smores can be made in the microwave.
posted by Horkus at 10:28 AM on August 11, 2021 [3 favorites]

Makeover with very brightly colored makeup!
Dance party for one with pop music!

What a great idea!
posted by umwhat at 10:28 AM on August 11, 2021 [4 favorites]

Audiobooks of ghost stories!
posted by corey flood at 10:30 AM on August 11, 2021 [1 favorite]

Face mask? Plan to FaceTime with a friend for at least one movie to snark together?

Definitely need some good candy options. Sour patch kids!
posted by five_cents at 10:31 AM on August 11, 2021 [7 favorites]

Specifically I think you have to do one of those clear peel off face masks.

Light as a feather stiff as a board with the dogs?
posted by obfuscation at 10:34 AM on August 11, 2021 [6 favorites]

Especially since you've got scary movies queued up, I suggest a pillow/cushion/blanket fort.
posted by jedicus at 10:35 AM on August 11, 2021 [6 favorites]

Stay up late and have a proper breakfast (delivered?) no matter what time you wake up in the morning.
posted by nat at 10:37 AM on August 11, 2021 [11 favorites]

Bloody Mary in the mirror at midnight? I'd be too creeped out to try it on my own.
posted by Gray Duck at 10:37 AM on August 11, 2021 [1 favorite]

Or the, uh, no-longer-morning.
posted by nat at 10:37 AM on August 11, 2021

French braid your hair!
posted by bleep at 10:39 AM on August 11, 2021 [2 favorites]

Came in to suggest fort too!

Also, quizzes like the type you'd find in teen magazines (personality, dating, which TV character are you most like, etc.)! Even more fun if you start a Slack channel or whatever & people post their outputs.

Nthing candy!

A late night walk in your PJs when everyone is asleep (if your area feels safe to do this in).
posted by DTMFA at 10:40 AM on August 11, 2021 [5 favorites]

Sneak some liquor out of your parents' stash.

Write down names of your crushes and swear everyone to secrecy.

Stay up way too late.

Ruin something nice by spilling soda on it.

Make a prank call. Could be to one of the crushes.
posted by SaltySalticid at 10:43 AM on August 11, 2021 [7 favorites]

I feel you should make a proper blankets-and-furniture fort rather than just a sleeping bag on the floor.
posted by tivalasvegas at 10:47 AM on August 11, 2021 [3 favorites]

Bubble bath.
posted by kevinbelt at 10:48 AM on August 11, 2021 [2 favorites]

One effortful add-on, if available & if you go the virtual sleepover / facetime route with pals who are local: Make brownies/cupcakes/whatever ahead of time and drop some off with whoever you're going to be sleepovering with (along with nail polish, Mad Libs, temporary tattoos, Cosmo quizzes, teensy bottles of booze you've stolen from a grownup, etc.), so you have the same supplies at the same time.
posted by miles per flower at 10:55 AM on August 11, 2021 [5 favorites]

If you have pets make sure to setup bedding for them as well on the floor this way it will no longer be a solo sleepover party. (I don't drink anymore but I saw a sign once that said, "it's not drinking alone if the dog is home.)

I'm a millennial so I would include items from my childhood such as 90s movies in addition to snacks like Gushers, Fruit By the Foot, and Dunkaroos (or whatever is still available.)
posted by mundo at 11:05 AM on August 11, 2021 [3 favorites]

Braid some friendship bracelets.
posted by hydra77 at 11:08 AM on August 11, 2021 [9 favorites]

Get a bunch of those LED flickering candles and turn off the lights! Both next to the couch and in the bathroom and also in the kitchen so you don't spoil the mood by turning on bright lights.

And get yourself a special treat that you don't normally have - high quality liquor or fancy ice cream or a bag of candy
posted by jpeacock at 11:09 AM on August 11, 2021 [3 favorites]

Play with makeup

Have ice cream in the middle of the night
posted by Constance Mirabella at 11:16 AM on August 11, 2021

A ghost story record I listened to ALL THE TIME as a kid is now on YouTube:

Famous Ghost Stories -- With Scary Sounds!

It was perfect for slumber parties, if we weren't telling ghost stories ourselves--the stories are short, usually simple adaptations from literature (e.g. Sleepy Hollow, or Dickens's Signal-Man), and have bits of basic sound effects during and between them. OOooooOOOo!
posted by theatro at 11:18 AM on August 11, 2021 [4 favorites]

Okay so:

- +1 to face mask. I like mud masks myself. Or a deep conditioner.
- Stupidly long bath, with your ipad/screen/whathaveyou perched on a nearby chair so you can watch an entire movie from the tub. Keep a second fluffy dry towel nearby for your hands so they don't go pruney, there's a whole science to it
- Jiffy pop on the stove
- Strings of twinkle lights
posted by mochapickle at 11:24 AM on August 11, 2021 [2 favorites]

I did this last year for my 40th birthday.

Get a kigurumi/animal onesie! The more ridiculous, the better. I went with a rainbow unicorn one because it fit in with the vibe I was going for.

Party favors may be harder to do since you'll end up with extras, but I definitely bought myself some light-up cat ears and a couple of other small things (like a rainbow wine glass. I forget what else now, but if it was rainbow or sparkly or lit-up or -- preferably, all-three -- I got it).

Pizza is good but I also recommend an abundance of candy and snacks, too. You want a stomachache the next day! (Well, "want" is a strong word.)

Definitely do a makeover!
posted by edencosmic at 11:26 AM on August 11, 2021 [1 favorite]

Is there an actual video store you could visit to get these scary movies?
posted by jabes at 11:27 AM on August 11, 2021 [1 favorite]

Pillow fort
Ice cream floats
Doritos
Sour Patch Kids
VHS/DVD if you can swing it (be kind, rewind!)
+1 for nail polish, and may I suggest nail art or french tips?
Plug this in your headphone jack and call a sibling or old friend

I love this idea and I'm super excited for you!
posted by february at 11:41 AM on August 11, 2021 [3 favorites]

- If you have a tent, set it up (stakeless, of course) in the living room. If not, build a blanket fort. With WAY more pillows and blankets than you really need. (when my kids were teens, they'd seriously set up the biggest tent in the living room, then move the tv and game consoles in there. We had a "great room" and I once came home to not one, but THREE tents, and they'd even moved both couches in them, too.)
- Caffeine, alcohol, hot chocolate, or whatever favorite beverage.
- Coloring books? Sharpie tattoos?
- Music playlist! Dancing?
- More extreme makeup than you usually do. Or if all else fails, go for silly, 3am makeup. Take pics. Share to social media if you're REALLY brave.
- Homemade custom pizza, a taco bar, nacho bar, or some other "party" food.
- Call someone to giggle with at 1am. Authentic would be over a romantic interest or celebrity crush, but hey, whatever works.
- No cleaning up anything til after you've slept in. Then do a good job, or you won't be allowed to do it again. ;)

And now that I'm thinking about this, this would make a fun zoom party idea, lmao.
posted by stormyteal at 11:44 AM on August 11, 2021 [5 favorites]

Pack, and if you didn't pack it you don't get to use it UNLESS it is something you would reasonably borrow from your host. So yes you can "borrow" a pillow, but if you forget your toothbrush you're stuck using your finger.
posted by The corpse in the library at 11:45 AM on August 11, 2021 [4 favorites]

1-2 things that are slightly outside your comfort zone but that everyone else would be doing if they were there. I don't know what that is for you, but like corn chips with peanut butter for example.
posted by aniola at 11:55 AM on August 11, 2021 [2 favorites]

Get some really good rum, some Malibu coconut rum, mixer of choice, limes and paper umbrellas.
posted by gt2 at 12:11 PM on August 11, 2021

Jackbox Party with friends via Zoom etc.?
posted by Candleman at 12:25 PM on August 11, 2021 [3 favorites]

If you're not Zoom-fatigued, a video chat with a friend who is also enjoying a leisurely evening could be fun. Perhaps you could watch the movie at the same time?
posted by bluedaisy at 12:38 PM on August 11, 2021

Braid your hair in a bunch of tiny braids then undo it in the morning and behold the kinky weirdness.

8yo me has advice on what not to do: Run back home to get something you forgot, run smack into a tree trunk in the dark, spend the rest of the night in the ER.
posted by HotToddy at 12:50 PM on August 11, 2021 [7 favorites]

+1 to the these wonderful things already mentioned:

Have popcorn, chips-and-dip, and lots of candy
Do a face mask and/or do your nails
Random short dance parties
Draw on yourself (though I recommend temporary tattoo pens--they come in glitter varieties!--rather than sharpies)
Fuss with your hair: braid it, put in curlers, do a hair wrap with embroidery thread, put in hair chalk, try to dye it with KoolAid

And these favorite activities from my sleepover history:

Bake something from a boxed mix, overdo it on the frosting/toppings
Look through trashy fashion/culture magazines
Try on clothes from the back of your closet (pretend it's your friend's closet), especially sillier or more risque stuff
Write or carve something on the wall where no one will find it for years (inside the closet, behind that piece of peeling wallpaper, etc.)
Play with Ouija board or Tarot cards
At some point go outside in your pajamas
Spike your soda with something snuck from the liquor cabinet

This is such a great idea! :)
posted by rhiannonstone at 12:57 PM on August 11, 2021 [6 favorites]

Rachel Wilkerson Miller recently shared the Supercouch in her newsletter, Just Good Shit.
posted by bluloo at 1:07 PM on August 11, 2021

The ghost and Mr. Chicken is my canonical sleepover movie.
posted by papergirl at 1:57 PM on August 11, 2021 [3 favorites]

My first thought was "light as a feather, stiff as a board" or a seance, but since you're alone a Ouija board might suffice for spooky fun. Also, if you want to be really authentic maybe you can figure out a way to gang up on yourself and do mean girl shit 😄. Get drunk, draw a penis on your own face with sharpie and be real mad at yourself over it when you wake up.
posted by Serene Empress Dork at 2:19 PM on August 11, 2021 [4 favorites]

Print magazines, Mad Libs, candy-colored temp hair color. Before you get in the pajamas, is dress-up in a costume to match the movie simply too unhinged?
posted by kapers at 3:01 PM on August 11, 2021 [2 favorites]

Make a mix! (On Spotify, YouTube, in a media player, etc.)
posted by rrrrrrrrrt at 6:15 PM on August 11, 2021 [1 favorite]

You can probably find fashion/teen magazines on ebay from the year you were 13.
posted by doift at 6:27 PM on August 11, 2021 [3 favorites]

Carly Rae Jepsen has inspiration here for you.
posted by doift at 6:34 PM on August 11, 2021

I love this. Also came in to recommend witchcraft, which I did at all sleepovers. Also, soda with your pizza. Popcorn with your movie. Pancakes for breakfast the next morning. Sneak out and TP the house of your latest crush, or ring their doorbells and run? (No, don’t do that.) Make prank phone calls? (Also don’t do that.) Have so much fun!
posted by namemeansgazelle at 6:34 PM on August 11, 2021 [1 favorite]

You could freeze your bra if you wanted to prank yourself but ...

I also agree with dressing up/putting on makeup on-theme for the various movies. I basically did a broad selection of "sleepover" movies that I remembered from my childhood/teen years (so not just horror) and I definitely put on all the '00s frosted glittery makeup to watch Josie & the Pussycats (that was a bit past my sleepover days but I decided it counted).

Not quite sure how you'd play Truth or Dare solo but that seems like something I would have tried. (It's not quite the same, but when I did mine, I did a few Twitter polls where people would help me pick my next movie & that was fun.)

If you have enough time to get some random issues of teen mags, that would be fun. I wish I had thought of that.
posted by edencosmic at 6:47 PM on August 11, 2021 [1 favorite]

Best answer: After the dog falls asleep draw dicks on their face.
posted by mannequito at 7:32 PM on August 11, 2021 [1 favorite]

Do the thing where you slather cream on your feet then put your feet in plastic bags
posted by olopua at 8:23 PM on August 11, 2021

Low effort baking (cake mix + candy mix-ins = cookie bars)

Arts and crafts (maybe make a voodoo doll out of sheets of felt and either sewing or glue)

DEFINITELY a luxurious breakfast, maybe a frittata situation or +1 to delivery
posted by estlin at 8:31 PM on August 11, 2021

Stuffed animals

A board game. The stuffed animals can be your opponents.

Lights out at specified time.

Sneaking around after lights out using a flashlight.

Sneaking outside after lights out using a flashlight.

Calling someone in the middle of the night because you are homesick. (Pick someone in a time zone who won't mind a call at your three AM, like your sister in Korea.)

Being woken up absurdly early for pancakes

Hanging out on the couch in pajamas and blankets in the morning because it is probably Saturday, watching kids shows.

Discussing philosophy, like the meaning of reality.

Discussing your family and your place in it and why your family is dysfunctional and why you love them anyway.

Falling asleep in the afternoon the next day because you were up too much the night before.
posted by Jane the Brown at 9:10 PM on August 11, 2021 [5 favorites]

This sounds awesome, but we are getting too old for one part of this, so bring the whole mattress to your blanket fort. Your body will thank you! (I don't know, maybe you are one of those people who can still camp like a 20yo, but sleeping on the floor would destroy me.)

I am way into nail polish this year; go for extra glitter sparkles if that appeals to you. I'm sure it's already been said, but build up a playlist from an appropriately nostalgic time.
posted by ktkt at 2:26 AM on August 12, 2021 [1 favorite]

Agreed with above, I stopped being able to sleep on anything resembling a sleeping bag with some extra padding (aka a futon) when I hit 30. If you can’t move your mattress around easily I highly recommend an air mattress, or at least making a seriously engineered layer cake of couch pillows, extra blankets, and fitted sheets, atop which your sleeping bag can rest.

Decide on some comfort movies ahead of time so you can watch them if the scary movies make you too scared.

At my sleep overs we did a lot of video games, this would have been in the PS1 & N64 era. So maybe you are gamer enough to find ways to play some retro games, or you could evoke the experience of watching your friend play by finding some streamers doing let’s plays of like, Ocarina of Time or Spyro.

Definitely acquire some form of temporary hair color or body art, like henna or temporary tattoos (they make really cool ones these days!) or that hair chalk stuff. I remember at one point it was trendy to make face masks out of edible things and I smeared avocado and honey on my face because of it, that might be more fun than the modern sheet face masks. There are tons of those kinds of recipes floating around, most of them are perfectly harmless as long as you aren’t putting essential oils on your skin. Painting nails is good, but if you don’t want to do that you could get press on nails, even ones you can paint before you put them on.

A big part of my earlier sleep overs was the official sneaking out to get a midnight snack. We were supposed to be sleeping but definitely never were and so we had to be illicit about it and not turn on the lights and stumble around assembling vile mixtures of snack foods and leftovers. At some point the bedtime went away so it wasn’t illegal and the sneaking turned into dubious culinary experiments like toaster oven cinnamon toast with extra spices or pan fried potatoes with extra stuff in them.
posted by Mizu at 3:59 AM on August 12, 2021 [3 favorites]

Lights -- Glow in the dark beads and window clings (party favor and costume stores), glow bracelets (Walmart party favors), twinkle lights, LED votive lights in colored drinking glasses, flashlight with different color options.
Cameras -- Cheesy 60s and 70s teen flicks and horror movies. Heathers and Beetlejuice and OG Ghostbusters. Night of the Living Dead and Halloween and Fright Night and The Fog.
Selfies of your temp hair dye and radical makeup and retro fashion choices.
Action -- 2 a.m. munchies at Denny's or some other pancake palace. Streaking (don't do that). Toilet paper your own trees (what was all that t.p. hoarding for?)
Find a bench near a lake and watch the sunrise with breakfast in paper bags and a go-cup coffee. Bring headache meds. And a playlist and earbuds. Good times.
posted by TrishaU at 10:55 PM on August 12, 2021 [1 favorite]

You need a board game. This will do nicely.

And what about a scavenger hunt? You could mask up and go door to door or maybe a scavenger hunt by mail where you mail your list out to friends a week or 2 before your sleepover and save what they mail you back to open the night of...
posted by mulcahy at 12:51 PM on August 13, 2021

oh, movie suggestion, Abbott and Costello if you can find it
posted by tivalasvegas at 1:04 PM on August 13, 2021