Christmas Party

Throwing a Christmas party is a great way for friends and family to get together and de-stress during the holiday season. Whether you choose to host an ultra-formal gathering or a low-key buffet, your party will be a hit if you keep some simple entertaining ideas in mind.

Christmas Party Themes

Before you even begin planning and prepping, think about throwing a themed party. Obviously Christmas is the underlying theme for the party, but having something unique can make your guests remember the night for years to come.

Themes can range from hosting an extravagant costume night (elves, reindeer, Christmas movie characters) to the simple idea of decorating in all one color. Tying in games and food to your theme will complete the event.

Blue Christmas/Winter Blues

Christmas is not always the happy and joyful holiday it is made out to be. In fact, people are often stressed to the max during this time of year. So, throw a “Blue Christmas” party for your guests. Decorate your tree in blue lights and bulbs. Have blue garland and blue place settings.

Create a fun game by handing out blue Mardi-Gras beads at the door. Explain to guests that every time they hear someone say the word “blue/blew,” they need to collect beads from that person. At the end of the evening, give a small prize to the person who collected the most blue beads.

Make your food fit in with your theme. Have a blue punch available. Decorate a cake in blue, and use blue food coloring when available. Dinner music that should be playing in the background should be mellow, such as Blue Christmas, I’ll Be Home for Christmas, and other holiday classics with a "somber" theme.

Hawaiian Christmas

Sick of the snow? Wishing for sand? Host a Hawaiian themed Christmas party. Make your guests feel like they are vacationing on the beach at your party. No matter how cold it is outside, you can always warm things up inside!

When mailing out invitations, make sure they have a tropical theme. Tell guests to dress in their best vacation clothing. Hand out leis at the door as your friends arrive. Offer to exchange their winter boots for flip-flops.

Create an area for fun Polaroid photos. Dress up a few inflatable palm trees with lights and top off with a Santa Hat. Between the trees, place a small plastic kid’s pool. Fill the pool with sand, and place a blue sheet behind the trees and pool. Now you have an area perfect for goofy pictures with friends!

Serve food that reminds people of the tropics and summer. Make a pineapple glazed ham. A coconut crème pie would be a great dessert, and offer fruit shish-kabobs as an appetizer. Play music by Don Ho and other famous Hawaiians. Be sure to include the song Mele Kalikimaka.

For more ideas on incorporating Hawaiian themes into your Christmas party, visit Mele Kalikimaka.com.

12 Days of Christmas

Create a party that revolves around the song 12 Days of Christmas. Write a little poem in the tradition of the song as your invitations. Use the numbers to tell the time and location of the party.

Before your guests arrive, write out all of the items from the song on separate slips of paper. This theme is best for a large party, as there can be upwards of 78 separate assignments (12 lords leaping, etc). Have each guest draw a paper from a hat. As host/hostess, write down what each guest draws. Then, give guests a sheet with all the other guest’s names on it. Tell your guests they must drop hints all night about their “assignments.” For example, if you received a “ring,” talk about jewelry; or if you got “maids milking,” the conversations you have should somehow include cows, milk, or young ladies. At the end of the evening, the person who correctly guesses everyone’s assignments wins a small prize.

This is a good theme for a buffet. Offer milk products, “rings” (round donuts work well), frog’s legs (green dyed cookies), and pear pie, for example. Play favorite holiday music and carols throughout the evening.

Party Item Checklist

Every party, even if it has a special theme, should have certain things. Make sure you are prepared for your party by taking this handy checklist with you while shopping for your party. Items to get include:

• Invitations
• Paper plates and napkins
• Plastic silverware
• Extra trash bags
• Christmas music
• Replacement light bulbs
• Variety of alcohol, pop, milk, and other drinks
• Small prizes for games
• Decorations to fit your theme

Several days before the party, head to the grocery store. Make a list based on the recipes, and make sure you double check your pantry before you assume you have extra items. Prep as much as you can the day before and morning of your Christmas party, so that you can enjoy as much of it as you can.

If you plan to have a formal dinner party, be sure your good dishes are clean and silverware is polished. Finding cloth napkins in a holiday theme can add a special touch to the dinner table. Keep in mind that formal affairs are more suitable to adult-only parties, while themes and buffets are much more kid-friendly.