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Christmas dinner party

Christmas Dinner

Join us for a Christmas Dinner

You are invited

Christmas Dinner

Christmas Party Themes

Have a Blast with These Christmas Party Ideas

By Morgan Vermeil, published Nov 17, 2006

If you're planning to host a Christmas party this year, you may be looking for ways to make it more interesting than the typical cookies-and-punch get-together.

One way of creating some entertainment for your guests is to host a party with a theme! And there are a lot of ideas that go beyond the standard "tree trimming" party. Just try one of these suggestions:

Christmas Movie Party: Plan a Christmas movie party by playing traditionalChristmas films on your TV. Good choices include "A Christmas Carol," "It's A Wonderful Life," and "Miracle on 34th Street." If you want to make the party even more interesting, ask your guests to come dressed as their favorite Christmasmovie character, like Scrooge or Rudolph.

Food suggestions: Create themed dishes by renaming your favorite foods, like "Scrooge Soup" or "Frosty Ice Cream."

Christmas Cookie Exchange: Ask your guests to each bring one type of cookie - about six dozen. Once everyone arrives, swap and exchange cookies so that everyone goes home with six dozen new types of cookies! This is a great way for people to get their Christmas baking completed without having to bake multiple types of cookies or treats.

Food suggestions: Serve some of the cookies your guests bring so that everyone gets to "sample" them!

Gift-Wrapping Party: Have your guests bring any gifts they need to wrap, plus the usual accessories like wrapping paper, ribbon, bows and name tags. Wrap your gifts while you socialize and sip hot chocolate. Everyone hates to wrap giftsat the last minute, so plan a party where they can get this chore finished - and have fun at the same time!

Food suggestions: Stick with easy-to-eat finger foods that won't create a mess on wrapping paper and bows.

Ornament-Crafting Party: Got a lot of crafty folks in your family? Host an ornament-crafting party. There are a variety of options: the salt dough ornament, an origami ornament, a painted glass ornament or a yarn ornament. You can even buy simple kits that will allow non-crafty people to join the fun.

Food suggestions: Decorate cookies to look like Christmas tree ornaments, or draw ornaments on the top of cupcakes or brownies.

·         Christmas Music Party: Ask any musical guests to bring along their instruments, whether it's a harmonica, guitar, or just their voice! Spend the evening singing Christmas carols and playing traditional Christmas tunes. It's a great way for musical folks to showcase their talents!

Food suggestions: Playing an instrument can work up a thirst, so provide plenty of drinks. If you serve alcoholic beverages, you may end up with a Karaoke party, too!

Unusual Christmas Movies Party: Not a fan of the traditional Christmas films? Plan a "non-traditional" Christmas movie party with films like "Die Hard" with Bruce Willis, "Edward Scissorhands" with Johnny Depp, and "Reindeer Games" with Ben Affleck. They may not be your typical Christmas films, but they're great fun for the younger crowd.

Food suggestions: Choose foods that aren't normally served at Christmas, like Chinese noodles or Mexican beans.

Break with Tradition for a Fun Christmas!

 By Kathi, published Dec 12, 2007

Instead of driving to see Christmas lights, bundle up warm and go to a park for the afternoon. If you go to a state park, you might find a place where you can light a campfire, make a pot of wassail, and sing Christmas carols and sillysongs while the kids make snow angels and have a great time.

If it's too cold to be outside, watch a family movie instead. Most theaters are open on Christmas, or you can rent some videos instead. Make sure you have lots of popcorn and candy! You could choose from holiday favorites or old, sappy movies... or you could get the latest action film or chop-of-the-head zombie movie.

If you're really adventurous, don't stay home for Christmas! Book a suite at a hotel in a fun or off-beat location like the beach. Set up a little Christmas tree in the corner and celebrate in the sand and sun! Many restaurants are open onChristmas day, but in resort towns there are plenty to choose from - many of which have special menus. It's wise to call ahead and see if reservations are needed and what the price will be.

If you've never researched your family's origins and traditions, now is a great time to do so - and share your findings! Whether you're Irish, Polish, African, Peruvian, or a mix of a dozen ethnicities, your family history is rich with traditions ofChristmas past. What did your ancestors two, six, and ten generations ago do for Christmas? What did they eat? How did they decorate their homes? If they didn't celebrate Christmas, what did they celebrate and why? How did your family come to be Christian? These are fascinating discoveries - and can be even more fun if you make a place for these traditions at Christmastime.

Instead of wrapping presents, do something different (the wrapping paper is just going to get thrown out, anyways) - try hiding them and giving people clues, like a scavenger hunt! Or give small gifts and play Dirty Santa. Wrap one gift in another (for example, a box could be wrapped in a tablecloth and tied with a ribbon - no waste!) You could even agree that everyone gets a pre-set spending limit and type of purchase and go to the mall on December 26th to purchase your own gifts. This works well with teenagers who need new clothes!

As you can see, you don't have to be tied into a "Traditional Christmas" - not that there's anything wrong with it! Be willing to try something new this year. A bright pink Christmas tree... wassail in the park... Christmas dinner in a shelter... it might spark a brand new tradition for your family!