New Articles Sitemap 
 
Search: 
 
HOME > ARTICLES > HOLIDAYS > CHRISTMAS-PARTY-IDEAS
morefocus
Beer Cats Charities Cycling Dogs Education Environment Family and relationships Finance Food Gardening Hobbies Holidays Homes Hunting Identity theft Insurance Mortgage Pets Photography Schools and students Small business Snow sports Travel Wine  

Throwing a Christmas Party You'll Never Forget!

Putting together a holiday party can be an intimidating task whether it's for family, friends or employees. To make your Christmas party an event to remember, try some of our Christmas party ideas that might just break the mold and have your guests looking forward to next year's event.

Christmas Party Ideas: Start with the Guest List
If you plan on entertaining in the comfort of your home, one of the most important aspects will be to start planning your party early. In order to prepare the proper refreshments and party games, think about the kinds of people you plan to invite. You may actually want to plan separate parties for friends, family, neighbors and fellow members of an organization, depending on the ages and interests of your guests.

If you plan on having separate parties, you can save time by using the same menu, dishes and decorations for two or three parties. You may want to start your set of parties with a dinner party and then throw an appetizer party with the leftovers. You can also use leftovers from your first party to host a Christmas potluck. By holding either an appetizer party or potluck, you'll save time and money in the end.

Once you finish your guest list and figure out the number of parties you plan to host, decide whether you want to host a formal or informal event. You may even want to throw a dress-up party in which each guest dresses as an elf or in his favorite Christmas sweater. Knowing whether you want a more or less formal party will help you to plan the menu.

Planning a Menu
Depending on the formality of your party and the number of guests you invite, you may either want to prepare all of the dishes yourself or have each guest bring over an appetizer. If you are planning more than one party, having each guest bring a dish is a great way to minimize the work you will have to do. It will also cut down on your level of stress.

As you are selecting the party dishes, make sure to offer food choices that will suit different types of eaters, ranging from meat lovers to vegetarians. Including veggie options, such as stuffed mushrooms or veggie lasagna, will ensure that all of your guests will have something to eat.

If you are inviting children and adults alike, decide whether or not you plan to serve alcohol. Even if children aren't invited to your party, don't forget to offer a non-alcoholic punch that won't leave anyone feeling left out. Most alcoholic punches or fancy cocktails can easily be made without the alcohol and will still be delicious.

Once you have figured out the dishes you will make, list everything you'll need (food, supplies and decorations) so you only have to make one big shopping trip.

Entertaining Your Guests
After all of this initial planning, prepare some entertaining activities for your guests to enjoy. Having a theme more specific than just "Christmas Party" will make for a uniquely fun party experience. It also helps move the party along and helps guests meet each other. Here are some Christmas party themes to get you started:

  • a donation party, such as a wrapped toy for needy kids
  • caroling party
  • cookie-baking party
  • crafting and munching party
  • formal Christmas tea
  • gingerbread-house-decorating party
  • ice-skating or tobogganing party
  • secret Santa gift exchange
  • snowman-building contest
  • tree-decorating party
  • visiting Santa party. (Have one of the adult guests dress as Santa and let the little kids sit on his lap.)

Each of these ideas for Christmas activities is sure to keep those of all ages entertained while putting them in the Christmas spirit!

Tips for Your Office Christmas Party
Unlike home Christmas parties that can be as informal as you like, the office Christmas party should stay a bit more formal. If you are responsible for putting together this year's office shindig, try to get as many coworkers involved as possible. Not only will this make your job easier, but it will also increase the turnout. People will have a more positive attitude about the party if they're involved in planning it.

To make sure that everyone feels as though they are on equal ground, avoid having the party at the home of a manager or high-ranking employee. Sit-down dinners are another bad idea, because they force awkward conversation. Instead, think about hosting the party at a local restaurant with enough space for all guests. Setting up a buffet of appetizers and finger foods ensures movement and means that people will be circulating, rather than staying in a distinct group. The key is to get different departments to mingle and to help make spouses or dates feel welcome.

Some other tips for planning your office party include:

  • If budget permits, hire entertainment (such as a band, DJ, magician or chorus).
  • If it's going to be a huge event, try to hire a party planner.
  • If you have a lot of employees, place name tags on Santa hats so guests have an easier time mingling.
  • Make the invitations as creative as possible to intrigue more guests into showing up. One idea is to write out invites on postcards.
  • Publish your policy on drinking ahead of time to avoid any awkward or inappropriate incidents.
  • Try to offer a party favor for each employee to take home. If your budget can allow it, put each party favor in a stocking.
  • Try to make the employees feel that the Christmas party is also a "Thank You" to them for being great employees throughout the year.
  • Use your budget wisely so you can get as much as possible.

Activities for Office or Adult Christmas Parties
These Christmas party games work for adult Christmas parties, whether they include friends or co-workers. Choose games based on the number of people you'll have playing.

  • Christmas Movie Trivia : Make up a list of trivia questions from a bunch of Christmas movies. Whoever answers the most trivia questions wins. Depending on the number of people at your party, you could play this game jeopardy style or ask questions around the group, eliminating people when they answer incorrectly. The second option works better for larger groups.
  • The Baby Picture Game : All guests bring a baby picture of themselves (writing their names on the back) and anonymously place them in a box or bowl at the beginning of a party. At some point, stick all the photos up on a board so no one can see the names. Have each guest take turns guessing the identities of these mystery babies. Give prizes to the best guessers.
  • The Celebrity Game : Everyone writes a name on a Post-It and passes it to the left without revealing the name. Then partygoers stick their celebrity Post-It to their foreheads (or have the person to their left pin it to their backs) and take turns asking questions to guess who they are. The last one to guess their identity is the loser. As punishment, make the loser do something embarrassing, such as sing "Here Comes Santa Claus" to the group.
  • The Santa Hat Game : In this game, everyone starts out with a Santa hat on and goes about their business, even playing other games. One person at a time takes off his Santa hat, and the last person to notice everyone is hatless loses. Again, something embarrassing is in turn for this poor soul. Don't force them to do anything too humiliating, though. Remember, the point of the game is for everyone to have fun!
Ads by Yahoo!
Christmas Wallpaper - AT&T™
Load your phone with your favorite sights & sounds at AT&T (Cingular).
att.com/wireless

Cards Christmas
Quickly find holiday greeting card suppliers in our directory.
www.business.com

Christmas Tree Ornament
Create a Designer Christmas Tree with High-Quality Tree Trimmings.
www.Frontgate.com


  Home | About Us | Terms of Use | Privacy & Security | Site Map | © morefocus group, inc.


Fatal error: Call to a member function getOne() on a non-object in /home/vhosts/new.morefocus.com/httpdocs/VChost/findzone.php on line 19