Are you planning to throw a Christmas party this year? From themes, to games, drinks, and more, I have so many ideas to help you get started on your planning!
Throwing a Christmas party can be incredibly stressful. From the invitations, to food, and even just wondering if everyone will show up, it can be overwhelming. However, this year does not have to be and I have some tips and tricks for you to keep in mind while you’re planning as well as links to items that may make your planning a little easier!
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How to Throw A Successful Christmas Party!
1. Invites
Let’s start with the basics! Who do you want to invite? When is everyone most likely available to attend?
While you think of that, here are some invitation ideas!
Although it is cute to send mailed invitations, a digital invite made in Canva is free! Canva is a website that allows you to personalize different templates whether it be for Instagram, Pinterest, or invites. It is super simple to navigate and you can really make the invites your own.
However, if you want to mail out an invite, you can print out your Canva design and mail your invitations instead of sending them digitally.
If you decide you’re short on time and can’t figure out how to use Canva, there are plenty of affordable invitations on Amazon! See some fun ones linked in the pictures below.
Lastly, another great way to send invites is by using an app called Partiful! My friends and I just started using this for girl’s nights and it works out so well. You send out a group invite using your friends phone numbers and when you make updates it will send them to your friends as well! Not only that, but everyone can see who RSVPs once they RSVP as well.
2. Activities & games
Activities and games are a must for bringing festive entertainment to your holiday party. Lucky for you, there are so many creative avenues you can take to make your event fun. Here’s a list of a few:
Gingerbread house decorating station
I absolutely love decorating gingerbread houses once Christmas time comes around. Not only is this a fun and festive activity you can have at your Christmas party, but it can even be made into something more competitive. For example, maybe the best voted gingerbread house can win a price or a gift card! Regardless, it is a great and festive way to get everyone in the holiday mood. Here are some great options for gingerbread house kits:
Cookie decorating station
If gingerbread house decorating isn’t really your thing, cookies are even better! Here are the cutest cookie sets I found, however, you can also bake your own cookies and simply decorate from those as well. These are a great idea for games AND desert!
Card games
Although card games often work great amongst small groups of people, it is great to have them available! They can be so entertaining and fun it will definitely get your guests ready for a full event of fun!
Ornament decorating
Ornament decorating is such a festive idea it had to be included on the list of things! If you are looking for help decorating your tree this year, this is perfect. However, it is even better if guests can take them home to their own tree!
Christmas movies or music
Everyone loves Christmas movies and music! A great way to keep everyone entertained can be by having some playing during your event or playing some festive, Christmas music.
3. Themes
Themes are such a great way to make your Christmas party a little more entertaining! Just let your guests know in your invite the theme of the night and get ready to see everyone’s entertaining attire. You can even do a spin on it and have a competition for best dressed in accordance to the theme!
Christmas pjs
A classic holiday theme is Christmas PJs! These are some of my favorite Christmas pj finds so far
Ugly sweater
Although ugly sweater parties are common, you can never go wrong with them! With that said, it is also likely most guests already have ugly sweaters somewhere at home so why not break them out for another festive event! However, if you are one of the people who doesn’t have a hidden Christmas ugly sweater, here are some ideas.
Winter wonderland
Winter wonderland gives everyone the option to get creative with items they already own or go on their own shopping spree! Winter wonderland could be however you imagine it. Some ideas I think of when it comes to winter wonderland is lots of white, silver, and sparkles!
4. Decor
Decor is a huge part of event planning, especially for your Christmas party! Decorations are a must for the holidays and if you need more inspiration on how you can decorate your home for your Christmas event, click here to read more on that. The linked blog post goes over a plethora of options you can use for decorating your home, and of course, they are all Target home decor options (because who doesn’t love Target’s home decor section!)
However, while you’re on this blog post, you could also consider decor items that match your event themes listed in the pointer above!
5. Host Gifts
Christmas is a gifting holiday and it is completely up to you on if you want to either play gifting games or provide gifts for your guests. Here are some ideas to provide you with inspiration!
6. Food planning
So many events revolve around food so it is an important piece for your Christmas party planning! There are multiple options you can take.
- Food catering
- Home made food
For home made food, you can always do potluck style to make things more simple.
For example, maybe ask some friends to focus on their favorite sides and others to focus on the yummiest dessert or drink options. Not only does this free up your time to decorate and plan, but it also saves you so much money from having to purchase and make all of the groceries yourself.
7. Drinks
Drinks are something to consider for your Christmas party! Not all holiday parties need to revolve around alcohol. You can do mock tails, cocktails, or even hot chocolate bars. Here are some related ideas:
Hot chocolate bar
Hot chocolate is a great holiday party addition! Even better, a hot chocolate bar, of course in addition to the bar you may already provide.
Seasonal martinis
I love to use Pinterest for searching for drink ideas and all sorts of things. Here are some cool drink ideas I found on my search that I may try with you all this season.
8. Photos
Finally, last but not least, photos. Photo stations are a great way to elevate your holiday party and there are a few ways you can go about the ideas I have for you all.
Disposable Cameras
You can give everyone their own disposable camera, or use your own as the host, to take lots of pictures of the fun event ahead!
Polaroid Pictures
Polaroids are so fun and a great way to quickly get pictures of the party while you run around and greet your Christmas party guests! You can even give the images to your guests to make the event more memorable for them to look back on. You can also create a holiday party photo album for yourself using the images you take.
Photo booth
A Christmas themed photo booth is always a fun idea for your event. Here are some ideas on how you can get creative with your set up.
