Christmas is the holiday to spend time celebrating and showing gratitude for loved ones. However, our friends deserve some gratitude, too. That’s why I love the idea of throwing a Christmas party for friends. It’s a great opportunity to bond and pregame some Christmas cheer. After throwing a Christmas party for the first time last year, I’ve come up with ideas to hopefully inspire you and your friends to celebrate this year!
dishes
Although certain American dishes are associated with holidays, there can still be room for creativity when creating a menu. You can upgrade simple dishes, for example, by adding a maple glaze to your carrots. You can also add caramel sauce to your pumpkin (or sweet potato) pie. If you have a multicultural group of friends, everyone can bring their favorite cultural dishes. You can turn dishes or snacks into Christmas decorations, like a popcorn garland or a Santa-shaped charcuterie board. Don’t be afraid to try new things and take risks when creating your party menu!Â
activities
There are so many activities to do at your Christmas party. You can have festive activities like pin the red nose on Rudolph or Christmas-themed crafts like making paper snowflakes. You can also play group games like Mafia or Four Corners. You can search for karaoke on YouTube and sing your favorite Christmas songs. If you have a Wii or Nintendo Switch, you can play video games with your party. You and your friends can do Secret Santa with a set dollar amount for more cost-efficient fun. The party group can go Christmas caroling if you are all extroverted. You know your friends the best, so use their interests and personalities to decide the best way to enjoy each other’s company!Â
dress code
Dressing up is one of my favorite parts of the holidays. Having a dress code can be a great way to engage your party and increase excitement. Plus, you already know at least one of your friends is going to want digital pictures to post on Instagram. The dress code can be casual, like red, white, and green colors. You can make sure it’s extra cozy by making the dress code pajama themed. You can make the dress code more interactive by creating a contest for who can wear the ugliest Christmas sweater. It would also be fun to dress as Charlie Brown and the Peanuts since they are heavily associated with the holiday season. The possibilities are endless, really!
music
Creating a good ambiance for your party is important. That’s why I can’t stress the importance of background music enough during your party. It’s common to listen to popular traditional Christmas songs. However, a Christmas party is a great opportunity to listen to Christmas songs you may not play often. One example is listening to Christmas song covers from different music genres. You can play R&B Christmas covers like “8 Days of Christmas” by Destiny’s Child. I also love to go on a listening marathon of Pentatonix’s Christmas a cappella covers. Your group of friends can sing Christmas songs together if someone can play guitar or piano. It can be a great way to set the mood while creating long-lasting memories!Â