Let the jingle jangle of the holiday season start right in your own kitchen with the sounds and smells of home baking – all in preparation for a spectacular holiday party! With our fun ideas and handy print-at-home accessories, you’ll be able to whip up a sweet gathering for your family and friends along with those delicious cookies.
☆ Featured Recipes
☆ Appetizer Ideas
☆ Decorating Ideas
Light Up Your Life – don’t stop with just hanging lights outdoors or on your tree. String up lights indoors in your home then turn off all other lighting for a soft glow. Hang them up around doorways, wrap them around white birch tree branches then insert them in a large vase to tuck in a corner. Or, using removable hooks that won’t damage your walls, you can drape icicle light strands around the perimeter of a room. You can also jazz up the room with star-shaped or pretty pearl lights.
Winter White – a very elegant and upscale look to your party can be as simple as all white. Shopping for holiday décor is easier when you know to look out for anything that is white. Think white poinsettias, miniature white Christmas trees, white candles and tableware. You can add interest with different textures in tablecloths, napkins and placemats. For some glimmer, dust your table with faux snow then on it, you can lay a few snow inspired ornaments in groups of three. And for the real crafty person, you can make several paper snowflakes that can be hung from the ceiling at varying lengths with fishing line.
Feeling Felty – create a cozy Christmas atmosphere with felt in various holiday colors. It’s very inexpensive, especially when sold in yards at fabric and craft stores, yet it can help to fill a room when decorating for your party. You can easily make your own tablecloth, table runner or place mats. Simply cut out the shape or length desired for the base, then using large cookie cutters, trace and cut out shapes of Christmas trees, stars, candy canes, etc., in contrasting felt. Use craft glue to place them directly on the tablecloth or felt. Glue them in a pattern or a single shape as an accent:
☆ Holiday Party Fun
The 12 Days of Christmas Hide-N-Seek
Here’s a fun activity to keep young and old guests entertained during your party. Collect 12 objects such as ornaments, cards, or decorative items to represent each of the 12 gifts from the traditional song. Then scatter the items throughout your home and have guests try to find all 12 objects before the night is over.
Break the Icicle
Often holidays can gather groups of people in your life that don’t really know each other. To get everyone chatting away and having fun, collect inexpensive icicle ornaments from craft or dollar stores, enough for each of your guests. Then using 3 different colored ribbons loop them through the icicles so they are long enough to be necklaces. Distribute the necklaces to each guest as they arrive and explain to them that based on their color ribbon they have to:
- Red Ribbons – divulge their favorite holiday memory
- Green Ribbons – tell about their most awful present ever
- Silver Ribbons – sing their favorite Christmas Carol
Homemade Ornaments, Everyone
A great spin on a Trim-a-Tree party is to require that each guest arrive with a homemade ornament to place on the tree. Those guests who are creatively gifted usually get the most oohs and ahhs, while those without creative talents usually get the most laughs! You can also provide a theme if that helps, try a reindeer ornament theme or a picture based ornament. Then you can have a judging contest where the most voted on ornament receives a special prize.
Bobbing in the Eggnog
If you and your guests are game for a little not-so clean fun, turn your punch bowl into laugh central as guests take turns bobbing for apples or mandarin oranges floating in the eggnog. Lend your guests an apron and have towels handy. Your photos are guaranteed to be one of a kind!
Gather for a Good Deed
Have your guests take a break from the festivities to express the true spirit of Christmas by taking your party outside. Have everyone surprise a neighbor in need by decorating the outside of their house as a group. Perhaps it’s an elderly person, a home with a sick family member or a friend who recently lost a job. Working as a team will make this is a quick activity that will bring out the best in everyone for the holidays.
☆ Party Accessories
Click on any item below to download the themed accessory. You can then print and use them to help make your event a success!
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