14 Christmas Party Ideas
Christmas is coming soon. Well, it’s still four months away. But that’s still close enough to start planning party ideas. Christmas is one of my favorite holidays because everyone comes together to celebrate. Everyone is always happy, and it’s exciting.
The parties are a lot of fun, too. Especially when you get to help decorate and exchange gifts with your family and friends. Here are some of my favorite Christmas party ideas to make the holidays even more special this year. I hope you enjoy them!
1. Organize a Gift Exchange
Having a Secret Santa gift exchange is the best way to get your holiday season started. It doesn’t need to be for Christmas. It could be any holiday, or even the beginning of December so it won’t interfere with Christmas.
All you have to do is write the names of everyone participating in it on a piece of paper, and then put the pieces of paper into a Christmas themed hat. Have each person pick one piece of paper from the hat, and make sure they don’t pull their own name. You can set a price limit for the gift, if you want, and then set a deadline for the gift exchange. Have fun with it because this idea is meant to be fun, not to be stressful.
2. Plan a Christmas Scavenger Hunt
This is one of the more complicated Christmas party ideas. It’s meant for the kids, but you can also make a version for adults. This idea is also meant to be fun, but it can be a little more competitive than some other party ideas.
This can be hard to create clues for, but it is a lot of fun once it’s finished. The clues can be about decorations that are around the main room of the party, or they could be about specific guests that are at the party. The end prize could be a Christmas present, or you could make up something as the prize when they complete the scavenger hunt. Have fun with this and be creative because that’s what this game is about.
3. Set Up a Hot Cocoa Stand
This will be one of the most popular Christmas party ideas. Everybody loves a good hot chocolate, right? It tastes so good, and you can add anything you want to them. This is also something you can do at any party, not just a Christmas party.
You’re going to need a lot of hot chocolate because once everyone has one cup, they’re going to want another cup. And you’ll need some marshmallows because who doesn’t put marshmallows in their hot chocolate? You’ll also need some candy canes or peppermint sticks to make the hot chocolate taste like peppermint patties. You can add anything else you want that you think someone might want to put in their hot chocolate. Enjoy!
4. Watch Christmas Movies
What’s a Christmas party without watching Home Alone or The Santa Clause? Those two movies are the most iconic Christmas movies to watch during the holiday season. You’ll have to watch those at least once before you’re really in the holiday spirit!
This is one of the Christmas party ideas that might be annoying, especially if you don’t like those movies. There are other Christmas movies you could watch to put you in the holiday spirit, but these two are the ones that are always on TV. If you don’t own these movies on DVD, then you can still watch these almost any night during the month of December. Any TV channel that plays Christmas movies will be playing the two of these.
5. Play Holiday Bingo
This is a fun party idea. You can buy the bingo cards online or you can make your own. It depends on how creative you are or how much time you have to make them. This game is good for both adults and children, so have fun playing this game!
If you are making your own cards, you can use things you see around the inside of your house, like gifts, gingerbread houses or a Christmas tree. You can also use things you see outside your house, like blowup Santa Claus’s, jingle bells or snowmen. You might also want to add food and wine bottles or holly and mistletoe. The prize could be a little goodie bag with cookies in the shape of Christmas things or maybe even gingerbread cookies.
6. Make Some Punch
This drink has some alcohol in it, but you could also make the drink without the alcohol, replacing it with some cranberry juice. This is perfect for both adults and children, so make sure you try it this year for those holiday parties.
What You’ll Need:
4 cups of Cran-Apple Juice
2 (750-ml) Bottles of Red Moscato
1 (750-ml) Bottle of Prosecco
1/2 cup of Vodka
2 cups of Frozen Cranberries
1/3 cup of Mint Leaves
1/2 cup of Granulated Sugar, for rimming the glasses
2 Limes, sliced into rounds
How To Make It:
1. Using a wedge of the lime, wet the rim of the glasses. Then dip the rim in the sugar and rotate until the rim is completely coated.
2. Combine the rest of the ingredients in a large punch bowl. Mix until fully combined, and then serve in the glasses you coated in sugar. Enjoy!
7. Set Up a Candy Cane Hunt
This is one of the most fun Christmas party ideas in this article. There are so many different types of candy canes: mints, chips, sticks, and don’t forget the actual candy canes! You can use them all for this party activity!
This is sort of like an Easter egg hunt. You just hide candy canes or mints around the house, or just in a specific room, and everyone else goes around to find them. It doesn’t matter what type of candy cane you hide, or where you hide it, because they’re all edible and something to find. Just make sure you tell people what you are hiding and how many of each, that way they know exactly what they’re looking for and when they find it all!
8. Brew Cocktails in Your Slow Cooker
This idea is definitely for the adults at the party, so make sure no kids start drinking it. This is one of the better Christmas party ideas, especially if you have a lot of guests who like drinking. You can set up your slow cooker and then forget about it.
What You’ll Need:
1 Bottle of Red Wine
1 cup of Apple Cider
1 cup of Cranberry Juice
1/3 cup of Sugar
1 cup of Fresh Cranberries
2 Oranges, Peels and Juice
2 Whole Cinnamon Sticks
1 tablespoon of Whole Cloves
1 tablespoon of Star Anise
How To Make It:
1. Combine wine, cider, cranberry juice, sugar, cranberries, the peel from 1 orange, the juice of 1 orange, cinnamon sticks, cloves, and star anise in a slow cooker. Stir to combine them together. Cook on high until it is warm, about 30 minutes.
2. Serve warm and garnish each glass with a piece of orange peel. Enjoy!
9. Make a S’mores Board
S’mores don’t really seem like a Christmas type dessert, but I promise this will be one of the best Christmas party ideas you’ve ever tried. Especially since when it starts snowing, everyone wants to be reminded of the summer. So this idea is great.
What You’ll Need:
1 box of Family Sized Graham Crackers
1 box of Chocolate Grahams
2 bags of Giant Marshmallows
1 bag of Regular Sized Marshmallows
3 Giant Hershey’s Bars
2 Cadbury Caramellow Bars
3 Cookies and Cream Bars
9 Reese’s Peanut Butter Cups
9 Reese’s White Chocolate Peanut Butter Cups
2 White Chocolate Bars
Mega Stuffed Oreos
1 jar of Marshmallow Fluff
1 jar of Cookie Butter
1 jar of Peanut Butter
1 jar of Nutella
Fresh Strawberries, Blueberries and Raspberries
How To Make It:
1. Put the marshmallow fluff, cookie butter, peanut butter and nutella in separate bowls, and then place them wherever you want on a wooden board.
2. Break the graham crackers in half and place them all around the bowls. Break the chocolate bars in half to make s’mores, and place them near the graham crackers.
3. Slice the strawberries in half, and place them, along with the other fruits, around the chocolate and graham crackers. Put the peanut butter cups next to the fruit.
4. Put the board on the dessert table and enjoy!
10. Combine the Centerpiece with Dessert
This cheesecake is going to be one of the yummiest Christmas party ideas you should try this holiday season. You are going to be happy that you did, and everyone else will be happy, too. There are different versions you can make, too.
What You’ll Need:
3 8-oz blocks of cream cheese, softened
1 cup of sugar
3 large eggs
1/4 cup of sour cream
Zest of 1 large orange
2 tablespoons of flour
1 teaspoon of vanilla
1/2 teaspoon of salt
1 cup of finely crushed graham crackers
5 tablespoons of melted butter
1/4 cup of brown sugar
1/2 teaspoon of cinnamon
Pinch of salt
1/2 cup of water
2 tablespoons of orange juice
1 1/2 cups of sugar, divided
1 cup of fresh cranberries
How to Make It:
1. Preheat the oven to 325 degrees. Coat a 9-inch springform pan with non-stick cooking spray.
2. To Make the Crust: In a large bowl, mix together graham cracker crumbs, butter, brown sugar, cinnamon and salt. Press the mixture into the pan. Then pour the filling over the crust.
3. To Make the Filling: In the bowl of an electric mixer, beat cream cheese and sugar. Add eggs, one at a time, sour cream, orange zest, flour, vanilla, and salt. Keep mixing until it’s all blended together. Then pour it into the crust.
4. Wrap the bottom of the pan in aluminum foil, then place it on a baking sheet. Bake until the center of the cheesecake only slightly jiggles, about an hour and a half. Turn off the heat, prop open the oven door a little, and let the cheesecake cool for about an hour. Remove the foil and refrigerate the cheesecake in the pan until cool, between 5 hours and overnight.
5. Add the Cranberries: In a medium pot over medium heat, combine water, orange juice and 1/4 cup of sugar. Stir until the sugar is dissolved, about 4 to 5 minutes. Add in the cranberries and toss until fully coated. Transfer onto parchment paper and let cool for about 15 minutes. When they are cool, toss them in the remaining sugar and put on top of the cheesecake. Enjoy!
11. Light Lots of Candles
Do you want your house to small like Christmas without having to bake Christmas goodies? Lighting candles is always the way to go. Christmas is the best time of the year, so you want all of the reminders of the Christmas season as you can get.
This will be one of the best smelling Christmas party ideas you’ll ever read. We have candles lit at my house every single day of the year, so this is my favorite party idea. You can make your house smell like Christmas without having to buy a tree or make holiday cookies. This is especially good if you want to celebrate the holiday in July because you can find Christmas candles at any time of the year, if you know where to look.
12. Make It a PJ Party
If your family likes having matching pajamas on Christmas morning, this is a good idea for you. Even if your family refuses to wear matching pajamas, this is still one of the best Christmas party ideas. You can do this for any party, too.
You’ll be comfortable, and there are so many different kinds of pajamas, no one will have the same pairs. Christmas pajamas are also really festive, so you’ll be in the holiday spirit during the party, or just anytime you’re wearing them. You can make your own pajamas or you can buy them in the store, and you can buy so many different types: fleece, cotton or even flannel. That’s a pair for any day of the winter, hot or cold.
13. Send Guests Home With a Gift
Anytime you’re sent home with goodies is a good party time. This will be one of the most delicious Christmas party ideas you’ll want to make, even better than the cranberry cheesecake from a few ideas back. You’ll like this one.
What You’ll Need:
14 tablespoons of unsalted butter, room temperature
1/2 cup of granulated sugar
1/2 cup of brown sugar
1 large egg
2 1/4 cups of all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon of baking soda
1/4 teaspoon of salt
1/3 cup of crushed potato chips
1/3 cup of crushed pretzels
1/2 cup of mini white chocolate Reese’s cups
1/2 cup of mini chocolate Reese’s cups
1/3 cup of milk or semi-sweet chocolate chips
1/2 cup of M&Ms
1/3 cup of white chocolate chips
1/4 cup of sprinkles of your choice
Sprinkles of flaky sea salt for the tops of the cookies
How to Make Them:
1. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees and line two baking sheets with parchment paper.
2. In a medium bowl, whisk together the flour, baking soda and salt until combined. Then set aside.
3. Using a mixer and a large bowl, cream together the butter and the sugars for 1-3 minutes on medium speed until light and fluffy. Once the mixture turns pale yellow in color and has a light and fluffy texture, you’re done. Do not over-cream the mixture.
4. Beat an egg into the mixture until well combined.
5. Add the dry ingredients to the wet ingredients and mix together until combined. The dough will be very thick and slightly hard to mix.
6. Add in the potato chips, pretzels, M&Ms, Reese’s cups, chocolate chips, and sprinkles, and mix them all together.
7. Using a medium sized cookie scoop, scoop them onto the parchment paper. Slightly press them down onto the paper and sprinkle them with sea salt. Add additional pretzels, chips, candies and sprinkles to the tops of the cookies for additional decorations.
8. Bake until the edges are just starting to get golden, about 7 to 8 minutes.
9. Remove them from the oven and let them cool for about 2 to 3 minutes, then transfer the cookies to a cooling rack to let them cool completely. Pass them out to your guests when they start leaving and enjoy them!
14. Make Christmas Cards
Sending Christmas cards to your friends and family is the most rewarding thing about Christmas. I love being able to give things to people, even if it’s just a simple card. And someone always sends a card back to you, too, which is awesome.
You can make your own cards, which is really fun, or you can buy them already made. Either way, you can add a picture of your family to them, that way whoever you send the card to will have a picture of you guys. You can make them online, there are so many different websites to choose from, or you can buy blank cards and make your own. You can have fun with this, and whoever you send them to will have fun, as well.
