It’s Christmastime and we’re helping everyone plan their annual Christmas parties! From yummy treats to festive feasts, we’ve gathered some holly jolly ideas to make this year’s party a true Christmas celebration. Continue reading "Holly Jolly Christmas Party Ideas" »
Christmas Bake-Off Ideas
Baking is a long-time holiday tradition, full of amazing cookies, cakes, and other delectable goodies. This season, try making the activity into a bake-off competition! Continue reading "Christmas Bake-Off Ideas" »
Celebrate Christmas With These Fun Party Themes
Christmas is right around the corner and everyone is looking to celebrate this holiday. Stand out from the crowd this December with these Christmas party themes! Continue reading "Celebrate Christmas With These Fun Party Themes" »
Helpful Decorating Hacks for Surviving the Holidays
This holiday season, don't get bogged down with stress on how to make the perfect displays in your home. With these simple decorating tips, you will have more time to spend with the family doing things that matter the most! Continue reading "Helpful Decorating Hacks for Surviving the Holidays" »
3 Festive Winter Party Ideas
With the winter and holiday season quickly approaching, there will be plenty of parties to attend. Why not host your own fun party? Here are a few winter party ideas to get your bells jingling! Continue reading "3 Festive Winter Party Ideas" »
Party Tip of the Week: Christmas Party Themes
Holiday movies and music, lists for Santa, and a shimmering tree–these are some of the things that make Christmas the most magical time of the year! Why not throw a party to remember this holiday season? Try a new theme or put a spin on your tradition holiday celebration with one these party ideas.
Polar Express Pajama Party
Ugly Christmas sweaters have been the go-to dress code for many recent holiday parties. Try something different this year with a pajama party for kids! Host a Polar Express pajama party with train tickets as invitations. Have someone, maybe Santa himself, read the story "The Polar Express" by Chris Van Allsburg or watch the movie. As a party favor, provide a bell for each guest, which fits in perfectly with the ending of the story.
Progressive Dinner Party
A progressive dinner party is another option for celebrating with friends and neighbors. Choose three host homes to visit–one for appetizers, then main course, and finally, dessert. Plan to stay an hour at each stop. Each guest may be assigned a menu item to bring to the host. One option is to do an around the world theme and have different foods from different countries with matching decorations and games.
Santa's Workshop Party
The holidays are a time for giving, and it would be great to encourage the generosity of others in your holiday planning. Host a Santa's workshop party. Everyone that attends receives a Santa hat as they arrive. Guests bring a toy or other donation for needy families in the community. Then put on some music, bring out the hot cocoa, and wrap your gifts to give to a local charity.
Whether you decide to have a large event or simply go Christmas caroling around your neighborhood, plan a wonderful celebration to share with friends and family!
Christmas Parties With A Twist
Christmas party themes are full of holiday spirit. You see the classic Ugly Sweater parties with the spiked eggnog and the dirty santa gifts. But this year, how about something a little different? Wedding and Party Network has three great ideas to make your Christmas party one to remember.
Lights, Camera, Movie Themed Parties
Draw inspiration from a popular seasonal movie to create a holiday party theme.The Nightmare Before Christmas, for example, can give your Christmas party a Halloween twist. This Not-So-Scary-Christmas theme combines two very fun holidays into one wonderful event. Adding Santa hats to black cats and draping faux spiderwebs over red poinsettias is a great way to mingle the elements of each holiday into one fun-filled party.
Tip #1: You can twist black and white pipe cleaners to make Halloween themed candy canes.
Tip #2: For entertainment have the movie playing in the background the same way you would music.
With so many wonderful holiday movies there are endless party themes possibilities.
Party to the Holiday Tunes
Turn up the holiday music and start the party! Make a popular holiday song into the theme of your celebration. Grandma Got Run Over By A Reindeer, for example, lets you get really creative. All you have to do is listen!
Use the song lyrics as the inspiration for your event. Decorate with blue and silver candles, serve eggnog and play card games too, just like the song cheerfully belts out. Make sure to have the lyrics printed out in case some guests don’t know the song.
Tip #1: Draw sled tracks on paper and tape them around a chalked-in body outline.
Tip #2: Make it fun by dressing up. Pick someone to dress like grandma and another guest as a reindeer and watch them act out the song as it plays. Your guests will be laughing all night long and hoping to play grandma next year.
Choose your favorite holiday song and let your creativity go to work!
A Cozy Soup Soiree
Everyone loves a good potluck and soup is a great way to warm up your guests from the chilly temps. Melt the cold this season with a soup bar.
When deciding what soup to serve, your options are endless. Offer classic soups like homemade chicken noodle as well as some with a Christmas twist, like winter squash soup or a hearty stew. Invite guests to bring their favorite sides, or even a delicious dessert that will go well with hot cider and mulled wine.
Tip #1: Tell your guests that their ticket into the soup bar is Christmas sweater attire.
Tip #2: Decorate your soup bar with a wintry flower arrangement. Combine amaryllis with, evergreens and deep red cranberries in a frosted vase or red tin pail.
Christmas parties don’t always have to be the usual “singing carols and drinking eggnog.” Mix it up, and you’ll have the most interesting and original party around!
Host A Holiday Craft Party This Season
Listen up all you DIYers, this is your time! There is no craftier season than December so start making plans now. Are your Pinterest boards already overflowing? Good! Grab your favorite project ideas, your best buds and host a fun holiday craft party to get in the spirit of the season. We know you'll love getting together with your friends and unleashing your creative side. Relax, create and enjoy each other on this most festive time of year!
Holiday Craft Party Ideas
Break out the hot glue gun! Ornaments are so fun to make and give as gifts. They are wonderful for your own tree but also as toppers on presents or stocking stuffers.
You can pick some simple ideas that can be done with the group or everyone can bring supplies for their own ideas. We love these simple cinnamon stick stars! And these is your chance to finally make those clever online ideas you love all your own. Cover your table and work area with some brown craft paper and get started making holiday magic.
For some extra cheer, cook up some fresh apple cider – spiked or not is up to you! It will be a joy to savor the flavors of cinnamon and spice while making some craftiness goodness for your holiday celebration.
To help with organization, try setting up dedicated work spaces for particular tasks
like hot gluing, cutting and definitely for anything needing glitter!
Are holiday cards a tradition for you? If not, why not start! Sending holiday cards are such a great way to reach out to loved ones and rarely-seen friends. Whether it is a traditional Christmas card, a funny photo card, or your own unique season's greeting, there is nothing like getting a real piece of mail from a loved one.
Don't get bogged down by feeling like you have to write an epic Christmas letter or send all the school pictures. While those things are nice, just a quick line and signature on a pretty card is enough. So tell your friends to start gathering addresses.
Perfect time for some piping hot coffee and maybe a variety of biscotti to munch on while you chat and seal. Mix it up with some fancy creamers or favorite coffee shop add-ins like whipped cream and chocolate sprinkles.
Remember, the United States Post Office recommends mailing your cards
by December 20th to make sure they arrive in time for Christmas!
This one is a favorite during the holidays. Each person makes an extra large batch of cookies and everyone swaps so you get to go home with many different varieties to offer at your house. Elect one person to bake plain sugar cookies before the party.
When the gathering begins, some can start decorating the pre-made sugar cookies while others can be mixing and manning the oven. This way there are fewer battles for counter space and switching up will be a breeze.
Bar cookies, drop cookies, rolled cookies and shortbread – Try all different types for great diversity. Grab your apron and turn on some favorite tunes to get in the spirit. You'll love baking up a storm with friends!
Since it will be impossible bake cookies without sampling a few, consider serving something light to cut all the sugar. Offer up a colorful veggie tray with dip to snack on while the oven works it's magic. Though you might want to break out the milk when it comes time to officially taste test all the varieties. Everyone needs feedback, right? Go here for more Christmas Cookie Swap Ideas.
Have everyone bring a big platter to take their cookies home.
Use cupcake wrappers to display smaller cookies and waxed paper to keep sticky types separated.
Who doesn't remember cutting out snowflakes as a kid? Try it again as an adult and you might be surprised by the complex and lacy designs you can make. If you need a little reminder, do a quick search for "snowflake cutout patterns" and you'll be on your way. These make beautiful decor for windows, walls or the tops of presents.
Tape multiple snowflakes to a piece of string to make a dainty garland, perfect for draping along your banister or mantle. With a ream of white paper and some sharp scissors, put on a favorite holiday movie and start snipping away with friends.
Serve your guests some creamy hot chocolate with lots of marshmallows and some warm muffins for a cozy evening snack.
To preserve particularly stunning snowflake creations, get a roll of clear contact paper
and sandwich your cutout in-between 2 pieces. Press flat and trim excess to 1/4 inch all the way around.
Photos provided by Robbie Ribeiro, Michaela Kobyakov and Robert Proksa
Host a Gingerbread House Decorating Party
Decorating gingerbread houses is a classic holiday activity. The great thing about it is it can be a party theme for kids OR adults because it allows you to get in touch with your creative side. Kids love that, and so do adults. Everyone also loves candy, so it's a win-win. So, get your favorite candies, some hot glue or icing, and roll up your sleeves for a gingerbread house decorating party.
How do you setup a gingerbread decorating party? It's easy. Just gather all your supplies and create a decorating station for each person. Lay out the pieces for the gingerbread houses with the hot glue gun so everyone can put their house together. Then, down the center of your table place the candies for decorating the houses with so everyone can share. Need ideas for what candies to use? Here are some ideas for candies that work well for gingerbread houses:
- Chewing gum (for shingles or wood siding)
- M&Ms
- Skittles
- Candy corn
- Lifesavers (stacked together to make posts)
- Red hots
- Smarties
- Peppermints (for windows or the tops of trees) Or you could also use a sucker for trees
Of course, the possibilities are practically endless. Take your favorite candy, think about its' shape, and see what creative way you can use it for your house. Thinking outside the box is a great way to ensure your gingerbread house is unique.
Decorating Inspiration
Basic Gingerbread House: The simplest design to go by is using graham crackers to make a simple, one-story house. Stick them together with hot glue or icing to make the bottom, top, and sides of the house. Then diagonal them to make the rooftop. If you want, you can use candy or another snack food to layer on top of the roof to give it some texture. This makes a small house, but it's great for kids to be able to do and decorate. You can always keep it going and add a second, third, or fourth(!) story onto your house. You can also break some crackers in half and make a chimney.
Adding That Extra Something: For rooftops, use gumdrops, vanilla wafers, mini cookies, or mini frosted Shredded Wheat. For shutters, you can use mini candy bars or Andes mints. For fences, layer some pretzel sticks or candy canes. A neat idea for an ice skating pond is to use blue mints microwaved on parchment paper until they melt. For snow you can use confectioner's sugar or edible glitter. There are a ton of ideas out there, just get creative with it and make it your own.
Gingerbread houses are perfect for you and your kids to both get involved with together. It's also another great excuse to host a holiday party. So, hurry up, start planning and get your creative juices flowing!
How to Host a Christmas Cookie Swap
I was recently invited to a party all about cookies. I mean, what could be better than that? Everyone is encouraged to bake about three dozen of their favorite cookie recipe, pack them up, and bring them to a girl's night. Basically, it's an excuse to get together for some much-needed girl time, and then get to go home with samples of everyone's freshly baked cookies!
So, exactly how do you host a party like this? I've got a few tips that will make a cookie swap party a huge success!
Before the Swap: When you invite your girlfriends, make sure you inform them exactly what the party is all about. Explain the rules and make sure they know to bring copies of their recipe on index cards to pass around. If there is a special family history attached to the recipe, have them write that in as well. If some of your guests aren't well acquainted, there may be some food allergies you aren't aware of, so it's important to have the ingredients available for each type of cookie. You can also have wax paper on hand for the girls to separate their cookies if they want. Everyone will also want to bring a container or two to put their cookies into. It would also be a cute idea to provide the containers, they'll make great party favors!
Setting Up: Really the only area that needs special attention is the area where everyone's cookies will be displayed. And it can be as simple or elaborate as you want. Just keep the cookies the main event. Just having a table–dining room, coffee, or folding–where the cookies can go is all that's necessary. You can probably find really affordable platters (or ones you already have will work perfectly) to scatter on the table for the cookies to sit on. They don't even have to match. The cookies themselves will spruce them up. Have a selection of drinks too. This is a great time to pull out a punch bowl if you have one. There's also the option of having a few salty snacks to balance out all the sweetness, although it isn't necessary.
Looking forward to the party, I've been exploring my cookbooks for some classic cookie recipes that will flood my house with the aroma of the holiday season. Here's one of the contenders that sounds really yummy, yet super easy to make a lot of. This recipe makes about 120 cookies:
Spritz:
2 cups butter (4 sticks), softened
1 1/2 cups confectioners' sugar
2 teaspoons vanilla extract
1/4 teaspoon almond extract
4 cups all-purpose flour
1/4 teaspoon salt
1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. In large bowl, beat butter and confectioners' sugar until light and fluffy. Beat in vanilla and almond extract. Reduce speed to low; add flour and salt and beat until well combined, occasionally scraping down bowl with rubber spatula.
2. Place about a tablespoon of dough for each cookie onto cookie sheet and press down slightly with a spoon.
3. Bake until edges are golden brown, 10 to 12 minutes. With a spatula, transfer cookies to wire racks to cool completely.