Bring on the festive fun I say! Now is the perfect time to start planning your Christmas get-togethers; after all, those diaries are filling up fast now that there are only a few weeks until the big day. And, when you’re planning a party, there are plenty of things to consider besides the guest list.
Here are some essentials you might want to include in your festive events to ensure a fun time for all ages…
Christmas clothing
The first thing to get right for any festive gathering is your Christmas clothing, right? Well, that’s personally what I enjoy most about the holiday season! I have gathered together quite a collection of wintery knitwear over the years but that doesn’t mean there isn’t space for a couple more pieces.
So this year, I’m dressing to impress in my Holly Dolly Christmas sweatshirt by feminist clothing retailer The Spark Company. They have a whole collection of ‘ugly’ Christmas jumpers, all with tongue-in-cheek designs and funny slogans. I’d wear a different one every day of Advent if I could! I picked the bright pink one because it’s something different from my usual red-and-green festive tops. Plus, I’m a big fan of Dolly Parton – I watched the documentary about her life this year so when I saw this fabulous festive design, I knew it would be ideal for festive parties.
For my husband, it’s fair isle knitwear all the way – but that doesn’t mean it can’t be a festive design. Each year, the jumpers I most admire are from the Natural History Museum’s. They have such intricate intarsia designs, often showing dinosaurs along with traditional patterns in their ‘Jurassic’ knitwear collection. What I love most about this year’s design is that it has the iconic NHM Waterhouse building on the back, as well as Fern the famous Diplodocus across the front. There are also matching hats, scarves, socks and mini-me kids jumpers so you can kit out the whole family.
Party games
I think what distinguishes a festive gathering from a Christmas party is playing games. As soon as a game kicks off, that’s when the fun starts – people start laughing, the chatter gets louder and the adrenaline starts pumping as everyone completes to win. A festive party game is the ultimate ice breaker.
That’s why I suggest a game of Corks to kick off the comparativeness. It’s a simple game with rules that are easy to understand and it can be played by people of any age. The set by games company Ginger Fox contains 14 corks so the game can include as many as 14 players – making it a rather rowdy yet inclusive game for big family gatherings of office Christmas parties. Plus, the corks give it a rather celebratory vibe (and you could add more of your own corks if the bubbly is flowing haha!)
Another game that I love to play with my family at birthdays and festive gatherings is Tension by Cheatwell games. It can be played in two teams so you can combine youngsters and adults within each team to get a good spread of knowledge. It reminds me a bit of the ‘Family Fortunes’ game show on the TV as the idea is to name the top 10 items in a category – but it’s more rowdy as answers are called out against the clock – ideal for a party!
Delicious dishes and drinks
When planning your festive food and drink, it’s time to get indulgent. I’ve previously shared my favourite party recipes on my blog including a spiced maple and parsnip bundt cake, homemade crisps (made in the microwave!) and my cheapest ever chocolate cheesecake recipe.
When serving up drinks, why not create some Christmas cocktails, such as the Chocolate Rum & Raisin Old Fashioned? The ingredients for this drink are 60ml Project #173 Chocolate Rum, 20ml Pedro Ximenez wine and 5 dashes of orange bitters. Simply add all the ingredients to a tumbler filled with ice and stir for at least 15 seconds to combine and garnish with a twist of orange peel. You can find plenty more delicious rum cocktail recipes on the Masters of Malt website.
Kids entertainment
If your family is gathering for the whole festive period, there are ways to include some downtime in your party plans with some festive films or entertainment for the little ones, while the adults cook or chat. Of course, there are all the usual festive films to enjoy on DVD and you can check out the latest releases for digital streaming.
If you really want a rest and a couple of hours of focused entertainment for the kids, there are some lovely options in the cinemas this year, including the animated adventure The Magic Reindeer: Saving Santa’s Sleigh. This U-rated film is ideal for all ages and is showing in UK Cinemas from 22nd November. Plus, it’ll be available on Digital Download from 24th February 2025.
There’s also the CBeebies pantomime, which is streaming in cinemas from 22nd November 2024. This year the panto is Beauty and Beast, starring children’s TV favourites Rhys Stephenson and Justin Fletcher. I secretly love watching the CBeebies panto each year, it really gets me in the festive spirit.
Dino decorations
And a final touch that makes me smile is these dinosaur decorations. Adding lovely colourful detail to your Christmas tree, these little felt characters are available from the Natural History Museum shop and there are plenty more designs in the collection including an angel T-Rex and a bauble-spined Stegosaurus.
I hope these Christmas party ideas, recipes and tips will help you when you’re planning your festive gatherings this year with your friends, extended family and your colleagues. Please let me know what other things you think are essential for parties in the comments below, I’d love to hear your celebration hacks for Christmas events!
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Some items in this blog post have been gifted to me and the pink links indicate a gifted product, affiliate link or information source. All thoughts and opinions in this post are based on my own experience and I am not responsible for your experience 🙂
