Christmas seems to be the busiest time of year for most families. So why not add another Christmas party to your list of things to do and host?
Thankfully, we do not host many Christmas gatherings other than our annual Camara Friends Christmas party. Otherwise, we attend Christmas gatherings at family and friends houses throughout the month.
As much as hosting a party can be stressful, I honestly look forward to this event every year. It is a great way for all of our good friends to get together in one room and have some fun! Whether our party is big or small, it is always full of lots of laughter and memories.
This year, our party is getting a little bit bigger as we've invited more people to join in on the fun. Which can make planning a little more stressful. So I wanted to share some of the ways that we make planning a Christmas party, or really any kind of party easier!
Invitations We keep this short and sweet. Stick to something like a Facebook Event invite and send it early! People's schedules book up quickly during the holidays so you want to make sure your party date gets in their calendar first! This is also a great time to announce if you are doing any type of theme. Whether it is a black tie affair (great excuse for everyone to get dressed up!) or a Christmas Sweater party it gives people lots of time to prepare.
This idea is courtesy of our good friends Lizzie and Austin. They got creative and put a photo of Chris & I on their ugly Christmas sweaters. Yes we thought it was funny lol
Decorations This is probably the easiest part of planning a Christmas party because all of our decorating is already done before our party. The house looks nice and festive so its not something else I really need to worry about. However, if you aren't into decorating there are great finds at the dollar store or you can support a local small shop and have them whip up some decorations for you. A banner, cake topper and some Christmas confetti on the table can go a long way! This year one way that I have taken the stress of decorating off my hands is by using a party planning box. Curated by Carolyn has created the perfect box to help you prepare for your holiday party easier. They Party Box can be customized to any theme, doesn't have to be Christmas. It includes, cutlery, plates, napkins, napkin rings, cups, a banner, confetti for the table and cake topper! That is a huge thing to check off your list and it all arrives right to your door. If you are looking to purchase a party box they are currently on sale for 20% off until Monday December 2nd!
Food I have one word for you POTLUCK! Whenever we plan our Christmas party we do a potluck. Chris and I will supply pop, chips and any kind of munchies like that. But then we have everyone (including us) bring something to contribute to the food. This way you get a good variety of options and you aren't stressing about cooking all day to feed everyone. For me planning the food is the biggest stress so I take that responsibility right off of my list. Secret Santa Now this is totally optional and I always put it to the group for a vote if they want to do a secret Santa or not. We usually have so much fun with it so it is usually a yes with our group. There are so many ways to make it easier on your group:
Set a spending limit that everyone is comfortable with
Use a program like Elfster to generate everyone's secret Santa person
If you don't want to have someone specific for Secret Santa you can pick a theme, have everyone put their present under the tree & then draw numbers for the order people will pick a present. Want to make it fun give an option to steal a present from someone else. You can do gift cards, board games, alcohol there are so many different options!
But my biggest piece of advice for you is to HAVE FUN! Once the party has started forget all the details and just have fun with your friends. Everything and everyone can take care of themselves. You deserve to enjoy in the fun too.
If you have kiddos, try to see if someone can babysit them that evening. Whether its in your own home so you can take a break or if they can go to a grandparents or friends house for a sleepover. One thing that is great about hosting a party is that if your kiddos go to bed at a regular time you can set the party start time to after bedtime and not have to worry about missing out.
(The photo to the right is me wearing my baby monitor during the party. Lily was having a sleepover at Grandma and Grandpas house but Mason was tucked away in his crib.)