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Best Christmas Party Ideas for Family and Friends

Host the best Christmas ever with this guide and Christmas party ideas with your family and friends! Whether it’s having kids over or some wine for the adults there’s something for everyone.

The Christmas season is a special time of the year! We have some great ideas on what you can do during the holidays:

• Christmas Party Ideas You Can Use At Home
• Christmas Eve Activities The Whole Family Will Enjoy
• How To Plan An Unforgettable Christmas Eve Celebration

If you plan on throwing a Christmas party for your entire family and friends, make sure to follow these steps in order to make the party successful. Once the party itself actually takes place, don’t forget to let loose and have fun! 

When planning a huge Christmas party, it can be difficult to keep your guests entertained. Finding the right Christmas party decorations and activities can be a daunting task. We have the answers to help make this party your best ever! 

The best way to have a Christmas party for family and friends is:

• Plan out the party a month in advance. This allows you to think about the menus, entertainment, and activities that will be taking place.

• Next is the food. Decide what kind of food each person likes and the kind of beverages they usually prefer.

• Then decide on music and entertainment for the party. A few activities that are good party ideas are games, music, dance, etc.

• Put up Christmas decorations that would make the party more interesting for guests to look at.

• Lastly, give your guests something to make the Christmas party memorable. Prepare some party favors they can bring home with them. 

So sit back, relax, and let us inspire you with our favorite Christmas party games, party food ideas, DIY Christmas decorations, and more!

Decide on a Date and Time

It’s simple to choose the date of your event once you’ve decided on a theme. Picking a date can be tricky. In December, busy people are often faced with a plethora of parties and activities to attend, forcing them to pick and choose. 

The closer it gets to Christmas, the more likely they are to travel or have family come to visit. Sunday afternoons are ideal for brunches, lunches, and teas. Don’t be offended if some people are unable to attend.

Decide on a Party Theme

Theme selection is a crucial step in event planning because it guides the rest of the process. Do you want to have a potluck with everyone bringing a dish to share? Do you want to host a brunch where you prepare the majority of the food? 

Do you want a formal dinner catered for you? Is it a quick lunch or a cup of tea with cookies? Maybe your friends work different shifts, so you want to throw an all-day bash where people can come and go as they please. 

A Christmas party theme can be as simple as the color of your Christmas tree decorations, or the upcoming color of the year.

Knowing your party theme in advance will help you decide the type of Christmas party decorations you will need, as well as have an idea of the theme you would like to have or the Christmas gifts and party favors you’d want to hand out to your guests.

Decide on a Dress Code or Theme

If you want to make it a more formal evening affair, have everyone dress up in cocktail attire. Maybe you want to make it more fun by having everyone dress up in ugly Christmas sweaters and have a contest to see who has the best one. 

You might want to keep it simple and invite people to come as they are. It’s crucial to consider who will attend and what they will be comfortable with.

Christmas Party Food

It is important to keep your guests’ stomachs full and happy throughout the night. Make sure all of your party food is festive and prepared ahead of time. 

1. Figure out whether you’re preparing all the food yourself, or if you’re getting it from a catering service. If you’re getting someone else to prepare it, then you need to be very detailed as to what ingredients you cannot have or have allergies to.
2. You need to consider what your guests eat. You may have a cousin who’s vegan or a friend who’s lactose intolerant. Solutions for all types of diet issues are available. For example vegan, gluten-free, halal, and vegetarian meals are plentiful.

With so many choices to prepare food for the Christmas holiday party, be sure to keep in mind what your guests may or may not eat.

What About the Youngsters

Now you must decide whether or not the event is suitable for children. If the majority of your friends have younger children, you will need to consider how you will entertain them if you want your friends to attend. 

Hire a babysitter and prepare a room filled with kid-friendly Christmas movies and activities. Alternatively, mix everyone up with activities that both kids and adults can enjoy. If you go this route, keep in mind that those without children may not want to attend.

Party Entertainment

What else do you want to see at the event besides food? Would you like to participate in a white elephant gift exchange? Do you want to make Christmas cards and do some arts and crafts? 

Do you want everyone to bring an ornament for your tree or do you want everyone to make their own? Do you want everyone to sing Christmas Karaoke or go Christmas Caroling together? 

Do you want to play a fun game with your family? Don’t make too many plans. Make certain that there is enough time for socializing.

You can go all out and plan an entire party around activities, or you can just keep things simple with a few fun games and snacks. Decide what is important to you, and include it in your Christmas party activities.

Bobbing for Snowballs

Bobbing for apples gets a wintry makeover – Bobbing for snowballs. In this case, the snowballs are powdered doughnut holes. Take a few dozen powdered doughnut holes and put them in a few small deep bowls.

Give each player their own bowl of powdered donuts, and see how many they can bob for and eat without touching them. The player who consumes the most powdered doughnut holes in the shortest amount of time wins. Ages 5 and up are recommended.

Who ‘Nose’ the Christmas Scents?

Find out who in your group can decipher the scents associated with the holiday season. Put peppermint candy, gingerbread, pine, cocoa powder, cinnamon, and any other scents you want in individual clear jars with easy-to-open lids so you can get a whiff. 

Give each player an oversized Santa hat to wear as a blindfold and pull over their eyes. Hand the jars to the players one by one and ask them to figure out which scent they’re smelling. 

Keep a notepad and pen handy to jot down everyone’s responses so you can figure out who made the most scents. 

Because all that sniffing will make them hungry, consider giving players and winners a treat as a prize for participating. This sensory-rich fun game will appeal to players aged 3 and up.

Fishing for Candy Canes

Candy canes, a popular Christmas treat, are the star of this game. Several candy canes, some ribbon or string, a bucket filled with candy canes to fish for, and an empty bucket where players will deposit their hooked candy canes are all you’ll need.

Use a long strand of string or ribbon to tie a long strand of string or ribbon to the straight end of the candy canes you want to use as fishing rods. 

Allow players to see how many candy canes they can safely carry from the full bucket to the empty bucket. In a set amount of time, the player who hooks and safely delivers the most candy canes wins. 

There are many variations of this game, such as fishing for ornaments with hooks on candy canes or catching small wrapped toys tied with loopy ribbons. Make do with what you’ve got and be inventive.

Allow younger children to hook the objects with the candy cane itself, without any string or ribbon attached, to make the game easier for them. A candy cane could be the prize for playing and winning this game. This game is suitable for children aged 3 and up.

Christmas Cookie Competition

This game is fantastic! Give each participant a small, circular homemade or store-bought Christmas cookie. Put your hands behind your back and tilt your head back to face the ceiling for each player. 

Place a cookie on their brow and challenge them to get the cookie from their brow to their mouth solely through facial expressions, while avoiding dropping the cookie on the floor. 

Winners who successfully deliver the cookie to their mouth without dropping it are rewarded with the opportunity to eat it! This is a game that can be enjoyed by people of all ages.

Rockin’ Around the Christmas Tree

A melodic holiday spin on musical chairs is rockin’ around the Christmas tree. Set up one chair or pillow less than the number of players, either around your tree or in a larger area if you need more room.

Play the Christmas song “Rockin’ Around the Christmas Tree,” and have participants scramble to find a chair or pillow when the music is interrupted. 

Anyone who does not make it to a chair or pillow will be ejected. Before starting the music, raise the stakes by announcing that the winner will get to place the star on top of your beautifully decorated Christmas tree. This game is suitable for children aged 3 and up.

Santa’s Silent Bells

When it comes to putting presents under the tree, everyone knows how sneaky Santa has to be. In this game, players can channel their inner Santa by donning Christmas bells and attempting to deliver gifts without making a jingle. 

A few sets of jingle bells, which players can wear as a necklace, around their waist, and/or around their ankles, or attached to elf slippers, are required. If you can’t find the bells you need in pre-cut lengths, hot glue them to long ribbons and tie them around each player. 

This game can be played by one person at a time or by multiple players, but you must pay attention to who’s bells jingling. Give each player two Christmas gift boxes to deliver and stocking to hang after they’ve been adorned with bells. 

They must begin at the front door or the house’s chimney and make their way to the tree and the mantel without being heard ringing their bells. The contestant who is the most silent wins. 

Younger children can play, but when their bells jingle, they may become frustrated, so this game is best for players aged 5 and up.

Christmas-Themed Family Feud

Who’s up for a game of Christmas Family Feud? Divide teams into equal numbers of players and ask holiday-themed questions. Here you’ll find everything you need to play Family Feud at home. 

Make a list of Christmas-related questions and answers, then rank them by popularity. Teams can then compete for the top spot by guessing the most popular responses and all subsequent responses. This family game is appropriate for players of all ages.

Christmas Tree Decorating Party

For years, this holiday party theme has been a hit. Request that everyone bring two ornaments to share. As the host or hostess, you should have an ornament to give to each of your party guests. As a reminder, write the date on the back of the card. 

One of each guest’s offerings is placed on the tree, and the other is exchanged with another guest. Everyone receives two new ornaments, one from you and the other from the exchange. It’s an excellent way to keep the tree trimmed while also adding to your ornament collection.

Preparations

Now it’s time to put everything together and think about your food, drink, and activities. You won’t have to make any last-minute trips to the store if you plan ahead of time, and you’ll be able to spend more time with your friends and family.

• Before you go shopping or order, spend some time planning your menu. Plan to have all of your cooking and baking done before your guests arrive. Make sure you have enough, but not too much because you don’t want to waste anything. Make sure you have some inexpensive plastic containers on hand so that people can take extras home.
  
• To appease the masses, make sure you have enough alcohol on hand. During the holidays, homemade spiked eggnog and warm spiced wine are popular. However, having a selection of wine, beer, and possibly a whisky or bourbon is a good idea. 

If you choose to have a full bar, make sure you have the necessary mixers and juices. Also, make sure you have plenty of water on hand, as well as something to offer those who don’t drink, such as soda or tea. Also available are hot cider and hot chocolate.

• As needed, gather additional glass plates or paper plates, flatware, glasses, and napkins.

• Don’t forget to bring out or rent a few extra tables and chairs for unexpected guests, or if you have a big family and want everyone around the table for dinner.

• Make a seating plan. If you don’t have enough tables and chairs, you can buy or rent them as needed. Make your tables look nice. 

• Set up activities and games.

• Allow enough time for a shower and get ready for the event.

• If your pets are going to get in the way, put them up.

• Put the kids in their places.

• Put on some holiday music to get the holiday party activity started.

• If you want people to just come in, leave a note on the door; otherwise, they will most likely knock or ring the doorbell.

You’ve considered everything; now it’s time to greet your guests, have some fun, and enjoy your event!

Frequently Asked Questions 

What are some fun holiday party themes?

Depending on your budget, you can go with a simple theme like White Christmas, where all of your Christmas decorations and table settings are white, and all of your guests wear white. 

You could also have a festive theme, such as a Christmas sweater theme, or invite your guests to dress up as their favorite Christmas characters, such as Rudolph or Santa.

What factors to consider when putting together a menu?

Parties aren’t complete without alcoholic beverages. However, you should consider those who may not want to drink one, as well as whether or not your party will include children. 

You might also want to provide vegetarian options and be sure to ask your guests if they have any food allergies ahead of time.

Is it expensive to throw a Christmas party?

It all depends on the number of people you’re inviting. Is this a small family gathering or a block party? If you’re going to have a theme, it will affect your budget as well.

Is it okay to ask them to bring a gift for the exchange?

It should be fine if you’ve told them ahead of time that you’ll be having an exchange gift during the party. It’s the holidays, after all, and everyone loves presents. It’s the holiday season, which means it’s time to give.

What kind of party favors should you give?

Scented candles, candies, cookies, or a personalized holiday ornament are all popular Christmas party favors.