Quick Christmas Themes
Okay. We told you how to have a Tree Trimming party; and we told you how to have a Christmas Open House; and we told you how to have a Cookie Christmas party. Want a few more quick and easy Christmas theme party ideas? Try these...
Ugly Sweater Party
Acquire a horrific Christmas sweater, and get your guests to do the same. Decorations should be as cheesy as possible, too. Play the most annoying Christmas music you can find (Grandma Got Ran Over By a Reindeer, Jingle Bells by the Singing Dogs, I Want a Hippopotamus for Christmas). Top the party off with an Ugly Sweater Runway Contest where family and friends vote on the ugliest sweater, and make sure you take pictures! They will be priceless!
Acquire a horrific Christmas sweater, and get your guests to do the same. Decorations should be as cheesy as possible, too. Play the most annoying Christmas music you can find (Grandma Got Ran Over By a Reindeer, Jingle Bells by the Singing Dogs, I Want a Hippopotamus for Christmas). Top the party off with an Ugly Sweater Runway Contest where family and friends vote on the ugliest sweater, and make sure you take pictures! They will be priceless!
Christmas TV Specials
What is more Christmas-y than those make you feel warm inside Christmas specials? Have a fun night with friends and family by scheduling a viewing party! Keep it simple; serve coco, cookies and popcorn... and pizza if you need to feed a crowd. Pop in one of these classics:
A karaoke caroling party. This is FUN--especially after about two glasses of eggnog, and you don't have to tromp through the snow.
We recommend handing out some fun Christmas wearables to get everyone in the spirit. Who wouldn't feel like festively belting out Frosty the Snowman if they were wearing a jolly Elf hat? Props bring out the performer in all of us!
Deck the HallsWhat is more Christmas-y than those make you feel warm inside Christmas specials? Have a fun night with friends and family by scheduling a viewing party! Keep it simple; serve coco, cookies and popcorn... and pizza if you need to feed a crowd. Pop in one of these classics:
- A Charlie Brown Christmas
- How the Grinch Stole Christmas!
- Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer
- Frosty the Snowman
- The Star Wars Holiday Special (if you can find a copy)
- Pee-Wee’s Playhouse Christmas Special
- He-Man and She-Ra: A Christmas Special
- A Very Brady Christmas
- ALF's Special Christmas
- Christmas Comes to Pac-Land (yes, as in Pacman)
A karaoke caroling party. This is FUN--especially after about two glasses of eggnog, and you don't have to tromp through the snow.
We recommend handing out some fun Christmas wearables to get everyone in the spirit. Who wouldn't feel like festively belting out Frosty the Snowman if they were wearing a jolly Elf hat? Props bring out the performer in all of us!
You can hand out some fun awards at the end of the night; "Best Hand
Gestures during Rudolph the Red Nosed Reindeer", " "Knew all the verses
to Deck the Halls", or "Most Spirited Rendition of the 12 Days of
Christmas".
Christmas Cast-Off Re-Gift Exchange
Re-gifting, the noble act of pawning off an unwanted gift to someone else, can be considered tacky. But it is an excellent party theme! What else are we going to do with the Chia pets, penguin statues, and bacon genies? Just make sure you are not re-gifting the gift given to you by any of your guests. That would be awkward.
Have your friends come with miniature wreaths in hand or make them when they arrive. It's a great activity (and it has the "thank you for coming" gift built right in). Have a board ready (a large piece of foamcore from any art store will do) to display the wreaths when they are done with the artist's name below. Give prizes.
This is also a fun theme for an ornament exchange!
Planet Holly-Day
A take off on the Planet Hollywood theme but centered around Christmas.
Decorate with stars, have fun with the food, make signs at the door and
more. This party works for family, friends and corporate as well.
Gingerbread!
Houses, cookies, you name it. Have everyone come over to make gingerbread cookies and decorate them. There are great Gingerbread House kits out there that are not too costly. Get a few of these, divide your guests into teams and stand back and watch.
Outside, put gingerbread men and women mixed with carolers to greet your guests or decorate your porch with a gingerbread house so everyone knows what your holiday theme is this year before they step foot in the hallway. Try some of these great gingerbread room decorations.
On your mantel, your tree, from the ceiling—in fact, everywhere you look (even the lav), have gingerbread cut-outs, garland and lights.
Use gingerbread floating candles at either end instead of a centerpiece since many a holiday dinner table is very very crowded. Check out this cute gingerbread house balloon.
When people leave, have a gingerbread cookie ready for them, cello wrapped, but personalized with their name in frosting, thanking them for coming!
Snow Ball
This is fun and works for everyone during the holiday season. If you have the budget rent out a nice venue (hall, hotel ballroom, etc.), a Snow Ball is a fabulous theme.
Decorate with snowflakes from the ceiling, glittered and twisting above the dance floor. Glittery tablecloths with metallic threads pulled through are perfect for this (not to the floor, just use them as toppers to save money), or go with a blue and white color scheme. We love decorating with economical snowflake balloons (at the entrance, around the room, as centerpieces).
Add iridescent snow confetti scattered on the tables and buffets for the perfect touch. Put white twinkling lights everywhere, and set up a snowflake machine at the entrance.
Oh! Christmas Tree
Another great event--especially for a fundraiser. Have local florists and artists decorate trees for the event and then auction them off. You make money, and have great fun at the same time. Or consider miniature Christmas tree centerpieces; a tree with mini wrapped gifts hanging instead of ornaments ($5 per gift). Some cities call this event TREES OF LIFE.
The Wrap Party
As Christmas approaches, I love wrapping the gifts I have spent so much time picking out. Wrapping an ugly cardboard box with crisp vintage paper and a red velvet ribbon and topping it off with a handmade tag is so satsifying. When I put my gifts under the tree, family and friends can’t wait to open them because they just look so beautiful. As my mom says, presentation is everything!
As Christmas approaches, I love wrapping the gifts I have spent so much time picking out. Wrapping an ugly cardboard box with crisp vintage paper and a red velvet ribbon and topping it off with a handmade tag is so satsifying. When I put my gifts under the tree, family and friends can’t wait to open them because they just look so beautiful. As my mom says, presentation is everything!
Share your love for a beautifully wrapped gift by having a Wrap Party. Turn a task that can sometimes get tedious into a fun party by inviting a bunch of friends or family members over for an evening of wrapping. (It’ll be even more fun as guests try to hide what they’ve purchased for other guests at the party.)
Decorate your home to look like a present too with a present door decoration and hang red velvet bows on mantles, railings, and on picture frames.
To make this party a success, provide a variety of wrapping paper, ribbons, and tags yourself. Ask guests to bring their own trimmings as well on the invitation. Then, once you all get wrapping, mix and match papers so everyone’s presents turn out unique and beautiful!
To make this party a success, provide a variety of wrapping paper, ribbons, and tags yourself. Ask guests to bring their own trimmings as well on the invitation. Then, once you all get wrapping, mix and match papers so everyone’s presents turn out unique and beautiful!
Create a “Make Your Own Tags” station, so guests can add neat trimmings to their gifts. Provide old Christmas cards guests can cut up, interestingly shaped punches (found at any craft store), ribbon, glitter, and markers.
While everyone is wrapping away, play classic Christmas films in the background, like It’s a Wonderful Life, White Christmas, Holiday Inn, and A Christmas Carol. Serve hot cocoa and everyone’s favorite Christmas cookies as snacks.
Christmahanukwanzaa Party
Celebrate several religious holidays at once with this tongue-in-cheek party theme. Display the most recognizable traditions from each holiday as your décor. Don’t worry; the mix-and-match appeal adds to this fun bash. Make sure to have a glowing Christmas tree, a Santa, and a nativity set to honor Christmas. Make the centerpiece of your table a glowing menorah and scatter dreidels on the table for kids to play with to celebrate Hanukah. For Kwanzaa, decorate in reds, blacks, and greens, and place the kinara (candleholder) in a prominent place with three green, three red, and one black candle (in the middle).
Give your guests a taste of something a little different by serving dishes representing each holiday. For Christmas, serve cranberry sauce and stuffed turkey. For Hanukkah, try potato latkes and sufganiyot (donuts). Yassa rice, benny cakes, and sweet potatoes will be a hit when honoring Kwanzaa, too.
Celebrate several religious holidays at once with this tongue-in-cheek party theme. Display the most recognizable traditions from each holiday as your décor. Don’t worry; the mix-and-match appeal adds to this fun bash. Make sure to have a glowing Christmas tree, a Santa, and a nativity set to honor Christmas. Make the centerpiece of your table a glowing menorah and scatter dreidels on the table for kids to play with to celebrate Hanukah. For Kwanzaa, decorate in reds, blacks, and greens, and place the kinara (candleholder) in a prominent place with three green, three red, and one black candle (in the middle).
Give your guests a taste of something a little different by serving dishes representing each holiday. For Christmas, serve cranberry sauce and stuffed turkey. For Hanukkah, try potato latkes and sufganiyot (donuts). Yassa rice, benny cakes, and sweet potatoes will be a hit when honoring Kwanzaa, too.
Christmas Pub Crawl
Before heading out with your guests on an epic crawl, make sure to deck them out in fun Christmas hats and truly ugly Christmas sweaters. Plan to visit 5-7 places, and have a map handy for guests marking the route and order of the pubs, so if someone gets separated, everyone knows where to meet up next.
When visiting bars, encourage friends to order themed drinks, like their favorite Christmas ales. Also, provide a menu of fun Christmas themed shots and cocktails that bartenders can try:
Christmas Pajama Party
On your invite, encourage guests to show up in their favorite cozy pajamas. From long johns to footie pjs to nightgowns, everyone is welcome! Set up your living room as a cozy lounge with Snuggies, blankets, and pillows piled everywhere. Pop on your favorite Christmas TV specials and light a blaze in the fireplace. Make your pajama party even more special by roasting marshmallows over the fire and setting up a hot chocolate bar. Along with warm hot chocolate off the stove, provide marshmallows, chocolate and caramel syrups, cinnamon, peppermint sticks, and Bailey’s (for adults only!). This party works well for a kids’ sleepover party, too!
Before heading out with your guests on an epic crawl, make sure to deck them out in fun Christmas hats and truly ugly Christmas sweaters. Plan to visit 5-7 places, and have a map handy for guests marking the route and order of the pubs, so if someone gets separated, everyone knows where to meet up next.
When visiting bars, encourage friends to order themed drinks, like their favorite Christmas ales. Also, provide a menu of fun Christmas themed shots and cocktails that bartenders can try:
- Santa Shot: Peppermint schnapps, grenadine and green crème de menthe
- Poinsettia: Champagne, Cointreau and cranberry juice
- Christmas Cookie: Kahlua and Bailey’s with a shot of peppermint schnapps
- Christmas Martini: Gin, dry vermouth, peppermint schnapps
- Black Christmas: Black Sambuca, eggnog
- Christmas Ale Bomb: Great Lakes Christmas ale, Jameson Irish whiskey
Christmas Pajama Party
On your invite, encourage guests to show up in their favorite cozy pajamas. From long johns to footie pjs to nightgowns, everyone is welcome! Set up your living room as a cozy lounge with Snuggies, blankets, and pillows piled everywhere. Pop on your favorite Christmas TV specials and light a blaze in the fireplace. Make your pajama party even more special by roasting marshmallows over the fire and setting up a hot chocolate bar. Along with warm hot chocolate off the stove, provide marshmallows, chocolate and caramel syrups, cinnamon, peppermint sticks, and Bailey’s (for adults only!). This party works well for a kids’ sleepover party, too!
Holiday Cocktail Party
Invite friends over for a relaxing night of cocktails and conversation with this holiday themed party. Ask guests to arrive in evening attire to formalize the get together. Serve family favorite appetizers along with decorated Christmas sugar cookies. Obviously, make the centerpiece of your party a series of delectable cocktails. Either serve them in rounds or create stations around your home where guests can visit and chat. Add some extra pizazz to your drinks by using a Christmas cocktail party kit.
Invite friends over for a relaxing night of cocktails and conversation with this holiday themed party. Ask guests to arrive in evening attire to formalize the get together. Serve family favorite appetizers along with decorated Christmas sugar cookies. Obviously, make the centerpiece of your party a series of delectable cocktails. Either serve them in rounds or create stations around your home where guests can visit and chat. Add some extra pizazz to your drinks by using a Christmas cocktail party kit.
Create a mood your party by playing A Charlie Brown Christmas, an album by the Vince Guaraldi Trio. It has an undeniably jazz-y flavor with a Christmas twist that will add to any upscale evening.
Naughty and Nice List Party
You’re making a list and checking it twice to see who’s invited to your naughty and nice party! Make Santa your focus for this fun get together. From the front yard decorations to the red velvet bag filled with presents, make sure the jolly old man is everywhere! Have Santa himself make an appearance and hand out gifts to guests (as well as a few lumps of coal to the naughty ones!).
You’re making a list and checking it twice to see who’s invited to your naughty and nice party! Make Santa your focus for this fun get together. From the front yard decorations to the red velvet bag filled with presents, make sure the jolly old man is everywhere! Have Santa himself make an appearance and hand out gifts to guests (as well as a few lumps of coal to the naughty ones!).
Serve a variety of deliciously nice Christmas appetizers, like pigs in a blanket and a cheese platter, as well as a few naughty signature cocktails, like the Candy Cane Martini (vanilla vodka, white crème de cacao, peppermint schnapps, peppermint candy stick). Send your guests home with a Naughty or Nice favor; they can choose from a bag of chocolates (“naughty” lumps of coal) or a bag of “nice” sweet peppermint sticks.
Sledding Party
Schedule a sledding party for the kids and young at heart in your family. Advise guests on the invitation to dress warmly and bring a sled if they have one. Even if guests bring their own sleds, make sure to have one of the following of each type for friends and family to try: saucer, runners (for the nostalgia), foam boards, and toboggans.
Schedule a sledding party for the kids and young at heart in your family. Advise guests on the invitation to dress warmly and bring a sled if they have one. Even if guests bring their own sleds, make sure to have one of the following of each type for friends and family to try: saucer, runners (for the nostalgia), foam boards, and toboggans.
Have a “Break Station” where guests can stop to warm up with a cup of hot cocoa. Make the cocoa at home and store it in insulated thermos. Use Styrofoam cups to serve the cocoa (add some marshmallows in, too) and a have plate of sugar cookies ready for guests to refuel.
Deck your guests with Santa hats so everyone matches as they go down the slopes. These work well as favors, and they’re an easy way for family and friends to find each other on a crowded hill, too.
After everyone’s noses and toes feel frostbitten from the cold, head on back to your place for a warm bowl of stew and a favorite Christmas film. Guests will love burrowing in warm blankets with a mug of cocoa on the couch after an hour or two out in the cold.
Holiday Lights Party
One of my favorite Christmas traditions is spending an evening driving around town and admiring the Christmas lights. Make this tradition an annual party by gathering family and friends together for some hot cocoa and a drive. Make the party even more fun by “voting” for the best decorations.
One of my favorite Christmas traditions is spending an evening driving around town and admiring the Christmas lights. Make this tradition an annual party by gathering family and friends together for some hot cocoa and a drive. Make the party even more fun by “voting” for the best decorations.
Letter to Santa Party
A cute idea for a kids’ party! Get all the little ones together to write their letters to Santa! Serve Christmas cookies while they painstakingly write their lists, and after they’re done, provide markers, glitter, and other art supplies with which to decorate their cards. Finish the party by stamping the letters and mailing them at the local post office before taking each kiddo home.
A cute idea for a kids’ party! Get all the little ones together to write their letters to Santa! Serve Christmas cookies while they painstakingly write their lists, and after they’re done, provide markers, glitter, and other art supplies with which to decorate their cards. Finish the party by stamping the letters and mailing them at the local post office before taking each kiddo home.
Add to the Christmas magic by then writing a letter back to each child from Santa himself. The post office provides a “North Pole” postmark through December to make your surprise that much more authentic. Consider adding some Christmas confetti to the envelope for some extra sparkle.
Breakfast with Santa
Everyone loves the rare occasion when breakfast is served for dinner. Brinner! When you add Santa and Christmas to the mix, you’ve got a holiday party everyone will love! This party centers on an excellent menu, so break out the Christmas morning favorites for this get-together. Try serving a French toast bake, bacon, homemade hash browns, and chocolate chip pancakes. Provide fresh fruit for appetizers and circulate the room with mimosas and Bloody Marys before everyone digs in. Create a dessert table with coffee and coffee cake, blueberry muffins, and shortbread cookies.
Everyone loves the rare occasion when breakfast is served for dinner. Brinner! When you add Santa and Christmas to the mix, you’ve got a holiday party everyone will love! This party centers on an excellent menu, so break out the Christmas morning favorites for this get-together. Try serving a French toast bake, bacon, homemade hash browns, and chocolate chip pancakes. Provide fresh fruit for appetizers and circulate the room with mimosas and Bloody Marys before everyone digs in. Create a dessert table with coffee and coffee cake, blueberry muffins, and shortbread cookies.
Try one of these “make your own” stations to personalize your brinner party:
- Crepes: Fun to make and delicious, have the crepes already made with a variety of fill-ins available on a buffet. Some fun fill-ins: Whipped cream, strawberries, blueberries, raspberries, peanut butter, marshmallow fluff, bananas, yogurt, and chocolate chips.
- Waffle Bar: If you have a waffle maker on hand, create a Belgian waffle bar. Make sure a bowl of batter is already premade, and guests can make their own and top them with whipped cream and their favorite fruits.
- Omelet Station: While someone will have to man the griddle, guests can choose their own ingredients for their omelest. Consider printing a list of ingredients for each guest (onions, cheddar cheese, green peppers, sausage, tomatoes, pepper jack cheese, etc.), which they can then check off and give to the cook. This keeps the station organized and won’t confuse orders, especially if your party is large.
Twelve drummers drumming, eleven pipers piping, ten lords a-leaping, nine ladies dancing, eight maids a-milking, seven swans a-swimming, six geese a-laying, FIVE GOLDEN RINGS, four calling birds, three French hens, two turtle doves, and a partridge in a pear tree!
Take this classic Christmas song and make it the foundation of a party that will be sure to become a tradition for years to come. Progressive parties keep your guests excited and moving. In a progressive party, each guest becomes a host at one point in the evening. Guests move from home to home and experience each part of the party at a different place. This type of party keeps guests interested, and progressive parties often go well into the night, especially if there are five or six destinations.
Make 12 Days of Christmas the theme for your progressive party by assigning each host two days of the song and one part of the menu. For example, have six courses in the party: drinks, soup, hot appetizers, salad, main course, and dessert and coffee. (Switch this around if you like, of course!) Then have guests choose which “days of Christmas” they would like to theme their fare on. If one host is serving drinks, they may want to serve a pear martini for day one, “Partridge in a Pear Tree,” and a Gold Rush Cocktail (bourbon, lemon juice, and honey syrup) for day five, “Five Golden Rings.” You get the idea!
This is also a great opportunity to show off decorations. Make sure you schedule this party close to Christmas, so everyone can admire each other’s trees and outdoor lights as they travel from house to house (either on foot or by car!).
We hope these ideas will help you plan a fabulous party. Merry Christmas from everyone at Party411.com!
Merry Christmas from everyone at Party411.com!