From food and music to games and a great theme, our tips will ensure your house is the place to be this festive season
Pick a Theme
Your party theme could be something as simple as Sequins and Santa Hats or as elaborate as Dress as your favourite Christmas movie character. It’s a good talking point and the more your guests are invested in the idea, the more likely they are to get swept up in the excitement and have a great time!
Give out Name Tags
This is not as dorky as it sounds! While it might put you in mind of a business convention, asking guests to wear a simple name tag takes the stress out of introductions and remembering all the new people you’ve met. Also, you can have a bit of craic by suggesting they look up their ‘Elf Name’ and adding that in too!
Create a Signature Drink
Have a festive cocktail (and mocktail!) ready as a “welcome drink”. Once you have decided on your theme, come up with a cute version of Christmassy drinks like cranberry mimosas, mulled wine, or hot chocolate with whipped cream and peppermint sticks.
Build a makeshift Photo Corner
This can be done on a budget and will make such a difference to your party atmosphere. All you need are some fun props – antlers, elf hats, festive hairbands, glasses, wigs, a bit of tinsel – and you could see a whole new creative side to people you thought you knew well!
Customise your Lighting and Scents
If time and budget permits, create a dreamy party environment with fairy lights, candles (or LED ones for safety), and maybe a few twinkly string lights in bottles or jars. Don’t underestimate the power of smell either – you can buy some festive-themed candles or simmer a pot of water with cinnamon sticks, cloves, orange slices, and a splash of vanilla for that instant holiday aroma. Heaven!
Curate a Christmas Music Playlist
It goes without saying that your Christmas music playlist should be banging! Cater to your guests and the vibe you want to have – is it more laidback or high energy? Are there children present or elderly friends and relatives? Start off with a cosy, welcoming selection of acoustic tunes and then you can ramp it up when everyone’s ready to dance!
Have fun with Food and Drink
There’s so much you can do with food for a festive get-together. Try a Christmas-themed charcuterie with red and green fruits, cheeses, nuts, pretzels, and holiday cookies. Remember, people mingle more when they can eat standing up – think sliders, stuffed mushrooms, and mini pies. If there are children there, a DIY cookie-decorating station or marshmallow kebab setup is a great idea.
Let the Games begin!
From ‘Christmas Movie Trivia’ and ‘Christmas Charades’ to ‘Pass the Parcel’ or ‘Finish the Christmas Lyric, there’s a lot of fun to be had when you start the games portion of the evening. Bonus points if you have enough guests to make a few teams and have small or funny prizes for the winners!
Make it Memorable
There are many ways to make your party memorable for the people you love – you can ask guests to bring one ornament for a communal tree that becomes a tradition for future parties. You can send them home with a small party favour like sweets, chocolates or mini stockings or candles. Or you can have Polaroid cameras that instantly print out photos for people to take with them so they never forget the fun they had with you!
Don’t stress to much in the lead up to the party – the whole point is to have fun and bring the people you love together for a wonderful evening of food, music and laughter. It’s not about everything looks, it’s about how you make your guests feel that matters most.
