Costumes & Accessories (41) / Party Supplies (36)

Christmas Party

Table of contents

Introduction

Christmas, the time for giving and goodwill toward all mankind. It is that time of year that we look forward to gifts and celebrations but, perhaps more importantly, spending time with our loved ones and those we care about. As such we've come up with some Christmas party ideas to help you organize an event that will be remembered for years to come. But first a little background information on Christmas itself...

Most know Christmas as a Christian event: the day that Jesus Christ was born. Although this is the most commonly accepted belief, there are however some evidence that the celebration of Christmas has its roots in more ancient times.

Sir Isaac Newton once argued that Christmas coincided with the winter solstice - that time of year when the worst of the season has passed people again looked forward to longer days and plenty of sunshine. This was evident in the Norse celebration of Yule, where the male individuals of a family would enter the woods to find the biggest log that they could. Once found, they would drag the log back home and light it - thereby starting their annual Yule feast that would only end when the log finally burned out.

But it was not only the Norse that celebrated this day. Dies Natalis Solis Invicti - "The birthday of the unconquered Sun" was a Roman festival introduced by Emperor Elagabalus. Some claim that the birth of Jesus Christ was perhaps not on this day, but that early Christian writers used the Dies Natalis Solis Invicti to represent Jesus Christ as the light of the world.

Whatever one chooses to believe, however, it remains an undisputed fact that Christmas is one of the most enjoyed times of every year – if not with religious intent, then at least with a festive spirit.

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Christmas Party Invitations

Enter that festive season spirit by doing up the invitations to your Christmas party. While some people enjoy making them at home, others prefer to purchase them in store. Whatever your choice, we’ll provide you with a couple of options that are bound to suit your needs. Just remember, the following information is a must for any invitation:

  • Party Name: This is the name you’ll give your party, e.g. “Edgar’s Festive Bash”

  • Salutation: Examples include “Dear Allan & Mary”

  • Date & Time

  • Venue/Location

  • Dress Code

  • Contact Details

  • Additional information…

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Traditional Christmas Invitation

Go down to your local retail store or make them yourself – Christmas invitations are plentiful and ideas endless.

Should you wish to make them yourself, all you will need is a computer with the appropriate software as well as a printer. Should you not have a printer, give your local printing firm a call as they’ll no doubt be glad to help (though don’t leave it too late).

First off you’ll have to decide what color paper you’ll be using for your invitations. We’ll recommend using white paper with an elegant font. Once decided, get an image appropriate to Christmas. This can include anything from Christmas tree decorations to Santa Clause and even just an image of presents.

The idea is to fill only two opposing corners with your image(s) and leave the rest of the page for your invitation details.

Next up, type up your Christmas invitation. Do take note that you might want to use a combination of red and black for the colors of your font - red for emphasis (such as with the party name and the salutation) and black for the rest.

Now when you’ve done designing your invitation, it’s time for the printing. We’ll recommend using a rather heavy glossy paper to add some flair to your invitation. In addition it will be a good idea to print the names of your guests on envelopes.

For those who want to go a little bit further, get your hands on some Christmas ribbon and fashion it into an elegant bow. Once done, affix it to the top right-hand corner of the envelope for that trademark festive effect.

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Santa’s Hat

Now here’s an invitation your guests won’t be able to refuse! And best of all, they’ll be able to use it too.

Get your hands on a couple of Santa hats – one for each couple or individual guest you will be inviting. These are available from most retailers that stock Christmas supplies or even on the internet.

Once you’ve got the hats, it’s time to get the details of your invitation printed or sewn onto them! Contact your local printing or embroidery firm and make use of their services to get the job done. Remember, you’ll be able to get creative here so be sure to add a couple of Christmas designs or images to the text details of your party.

And just incase you want to go that extra mile, fill the hats with candy to the brim to ensure that your guests will know what they’re in for if they attend your party. Add some twigs of mistletoe and a couple of ribbons at your discretion to increase the aesthetic effect.

Christmas Goodies Invitation

This is a very simple invitation but may cost you a couple of pennies. It’s based on the idea that Christmas is a time for giving, which means you’ll be putting a smile on the faces of those who you choose to invite.

The Christmas Goodies Invitation will simply require of you to get an amount of wicker baskets to total one per couple or one per individual guests. Once you’ve got them, go shopping for savory foods, candies and all other foodstuffs appropriate to Christmas – you’ll be using the foods you buy here to fill the baskets.

In addition to the baskets, it will be a good idea to include a formal invitation. Use our Traditional Christmas Invitation if you feel like making them yourself or, should you wish to buy them, just pop down to your local retail store.

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Christmas Party Dress Code

While not as elaborate as Halloween (and for good reason), Christmas party-lovers do tend to fashion themselves a uniform. But as you’ll have to decide on the elf-hats, Rudolph-noses and Santa boots, we’ll simply say that accepted Christmas dress code leans toward the semi-formal side.

Christmas Party Decorations

Christmas party decorations are plentiful and can be bought in stores everywhere. Should you wish to make them yourself, just pop around to your local bookstore during the festive season as they’ll have any number of books on the topic.

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Christmas Party Guest Arrival & Announcement

As Christmas is a time for family and friends, you’ll hardly need to make an announcement as they arrive. For those guests who might not know each other, a simple introduction would suffice. However if you wish to pull out all the stops, the following simple yet elegant announcement should suffice:

“Ladies and Gentleman, may I have your attention please? I would like you all to welcome Mr. & Mrs. Bradshaw from Colorado”.

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Christmas Party Favors

‘Tis the season to be jolly, but also a time of giving. As such, think of something you’ll be able to give your guests that will remind them of this special day for a long time to come. Here are a couple of ideas you’ll be able to get in a store near you:

  • A beautiful teaspoon engraved with their names as well as the name and the date of the party. Use an elegant little box to place each teaspoon in and wrap it with paper.

  • Have their names printed on their wine glasses and invite them to take it with them after the party.

  • Christmas crackers – it doesn’t matter how old you are, they always remain fun!

 

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Christmas Party Activities

Christmas Quiz

Invite your guests to take part in your Christmas quiz show. As this will be one of the last of the year, make it exciting and rewarding by having a prize for the winner at the end of the game. The fun factor of this activity can be greatly enhanced by using a quiz show style reminiscent of those seen on TV.

For those who find themselves struggling to think of suitable topics or questions, simply pop down to your local toy store for a general knowledge quiz set.

Dance

Clear the tables and make way because here we have an activity that everyone will be able to enjoy! It is of course the Christmas dance, an event that is synonymous with Christmas party and one that often leads to fond memories.

Ensure that your intended dance floor will be big enough to accommodate all your guests at any one time or else your guests will have to take turns dancing.

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Treasure Hunt

Time to be young again in this activity where you will be able to measure the wits of the men against the women!

Think of an item, something really good that you know everyone will appreciate, and hide it away in the house or in the garden! Next, think up a riddle that no one will be able to guess at first, but that will provide them with certain clues as to where the treasure might be hidden.

Once your guests arrive and are ready to play, have a stopwatch handy and give them a set amount of time to find the treasure.

Christmas Carols

One of the more traditional Christmas activities, for friends and family members alike, is to come together to sing Christmas carols.

As Christmas carols are taught from a young age, most people already know them by heart. But, just in case you don’t just drop by your local bookstore and get your hands on a suitable copy.

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Food & Drink

Stuck for Christmas food ideas? Just take a look below as most of the foods and drinks listed have been enjoyed by friends and family alike at Christmas for centuries.

Foods

  • Christmas Cookies
  • Apple Pie
  • Pumpkin Pie
  • Mincemeat Pie
  • Mince pies
  • Figgy Pudding
  • Chocolate Candy Bars

Drinks

  • Eggnog
  • Hot Chocolate
  • Wine - red, white & sparkling

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