- Blog
- Bios
- Boards
- Classifieds
- DIY
- Gallery
- Vendor Reviews
- Shop Weddingbee
Weddingbee boards
Have a wine tasting, and be sure to have a ton of different kinds of cheese! I would also have a dessert bar so people will be up moving around and mingling. I went to a 'grown-up' Christmas party hosted by one of FI's shift captains last year, and it was really fun. I think it worked because the hosts had the appetizers in their kitchen so everyone gathered around before the meal and then broke up into groups for dinner.
Try Martha's or Better Homes and Gardens websites for food and decorations,
but I agree, a little alcohol can go a long way when setting a fun party atmosphere- make sure to have fancy themed cocktails!
I've been dying to have a holiday cocktail party. But it's always too crazy around the holidays, expensive for us due to 9 birthdays in the month before Christmas then Christmas itself.
I would go with modern e invitations.
A nice modern adult silver holiday color theme.
I would totally make it a cocktail party though and ask people to come dressed in their holiday attires.
Wine, champagne. Cold Hor'devours that can be premade. Hot ones that can be preassmebled then popped into the oven to warm up.
Some soft jazzy music in the background.
And yummy bite size desserts!
Ask friends to bring a app and/or bottle of wine to share.
I would term it a cocktail party -- people would get the hint to dress up and stuff. You must have plenty of booze (obviously of the cocktail variety!) and non-lame music.
I don't know what these CDs are called, but they're holiday cds from restoration hardware or something that have dance/jazz beats underneath, basically holiday remixes. They will not start a snoozefest like regular old Bing.
Decorations won't make a party more fun, but they're festive. If it's not a huge party (i.e. you have room to serve people dinner), consider a prime rib roast. Very freaking impressive.
Hopefully your husband knows that having a fancy party is expensive :)
One of our friends asked people to bring their favorite cookie and then placed them around the party area. It was a great conversation starter as people would wonder who made what cookie and where they should go next. It could also work with wine, but you'd need to have them in order of the way they should be tasted and some palete cleansers.
Best place would start would be a budget.
Food
Drink
Decor
Paper goods
Invites
Desserts
etc
We are having out second annual appetizer party this year as last years was a HUGE success! All guests invited are required to bring some sort of appetizer and $5. Everyone then gets to try all of the different apps and then vote on their favorite- the one with the most votes wins the pot of money! Last year our winner got $80! I provided the beer, wine and a signature drink (it was winter white cosmos, cranberry vodka, white cranberry peach juice, a splash of lime and served with fresh cranberries that had been soaking in vodka!!)
This year people are already talking about stepping it up and bringing fancier appetizers to try to win!
We are big on holiday parties around and one of my favorites that we go to, has an "adult" yankee swap. Omg it is so funny and makes people crack up! We also have a holiday party every year with just our friends, and last year we did it as an ugly sweater party, but had appetizers and a sit down dinner. Really I think as long as your guests are there to have a fun time then it will be a killer party! (Our ugly sweater party ended with everyone taking their cocktails outside and going sledding down the huge hill on my driveway at about 10:00pm)
I love the idea of punch. I think it has a neat 50's/60's feeling to it. I recently bought an awesome milk glass punchbowl for $6 at a flea market (the pièce de résistance of my collection) and I am totally busting it out for a holiday party.
One holiday party I went to had paper snowflakes dangling from the ceiling which made the room look really cool. Not sure how big into DIY you are but I don't think it would be too hard to look up a template! Also, paperless post: http://www.paperlesspost.com/ has really cute e-invites.
@Lolasmomma: OMG! genius!! why didnt i think of that??? of course, my luck would be out of 50 guests, only 3 bring food...haha!!! lol
@Lolasmomma: This is a genius idea! We are totally going to do this. Thank you! Did you do the voting at a certain point or was it throughout the evening?
I still need decoration ideas, and drink ideas! I was thinking a couple white wines, a red, wassail, hard cider, and then a couple signature cocktails. I'd like to do something with hot chocolate - maybe peppermint patties? We have to watch the $$ though!
I sooo want to have a Cocktail party now even more!
I would keep the # of cocktails to a minimum honestly.
If you go fancy I would go with one red and one white and 1-2 staple liqours.
If people want something specific they can bring with.
@daniellemybelle: this is a website that i looked at to help me plan my NYE party....
http://www.epicurious.com/articlesguides/entertaining/partiesevents/cocktailparty
The one problem we encountered was that all the food was not in the dining room. We had a table set up in the kitchen and in the dining room. This year it will all be in one place. I recommend business card holders or some way of writing down the name of the appetizer so that people don't just make up a name! (we had that happen!)
To solve the problem of "incase people don't bring food" I had made 3 appetizers myself. But we had so much food leftover it was insane! People were really into the idea!
We had the voting about 8:30 (the party started around 7). Everyone was given a piece of paper as long as they paid their money. I was shocked that everyone came with their money! I counted the votes and announced 3rd place, 2nd place and 1st place!
The only decorations that we had out were our normal Christmas decorations. We had the tree lit and the fireplace going (not a smart idea with a house of 30 people!)
I had people asking me in July if I was having the appetizer party again because they had already began thinking of their recipes!
I'll think of some drink ideas and get back with you!!
@Lolasmomma: Thanks for the suggestions!! I was thinking I would just put out cheese, crackers, and fruit in case people are light on the appetizer-bringage. Also, what did you do about dessert? I was thinking I might make one, cute thing, like little tarts.
As for drinks, right now I am thinking - one white, one red, one mulled wine/wassail, hard cider (in the bottles), and Irish hot chocolate. I want to make my own Irish cream rather than buying Bailey's since it will be cheaper, and mix it in with some hot chocolate in a big container, and have whipped cream available for topping!
@MamaHusky3: Thanks for the website - looking now!
I knew I could count on you all :)
I made pumpkin bars (I posted the recipe a little over a month ago under "pumpkin bars") and they were a super huge hit! Everyone was so stuffed from the apps no one really missed the dessert.
Yum, pumpkin bars :) I might make something old-fashioned like decorated cookies! I am actually excited about this party now, haha. Keep the ideas coming!
Also: Do you think we should replace white wine or mulled wine with a champagne punch? I kind of want to have it, and its economical, but I think champagne punch plus wine, cider, and Irish hot chocolate would a bit much!
I'm telling you, *LIGHTING* is crucial!!
You should have lots of candles everywhere (in places where they won't get knocked over), and keep the lights low. Nothing sucks more than being at a party with terrible overhead lighting, or just bright lighting in general.
My family hosts a fabulous Christmas party every year. I have to be honest... your idea sounds dreadful in comparision to your husband's fancy festive affair!
My husband and I are planning a festive holiday soiree. We have decided to do desserts and cocktails only. To make this happen, we have:
1. hired a bartender and hostess. The cost was actually reasonable: each was $25 per hour, with a 5 hour minimum and cost of 1 hour as tip. Works out to $300 total. This will ensure that I am not running around picking up after guests, making drinks, etc.
2. "Professional" invites. You can get these cheaply printed online.
3. Desserts only (the party starts at 8:00 p.m.) - will have 8-12 available desserts. IMO it is easier to just serve one or the other. Appetizers require heating, or cooking - desserts can be done easier. I will do a combination of home made desserts, and some from a local bakery.
4. No plastic cups! Even if you get real glasses from the dollar store, it instantly makes a party nicer.
5. Our apartment will be fully decorate for christmas! Helps set the mood.
6. Put away things such as an x-box, computer. When we have parties, we make those items "off-limits" so that the party doesn't end up with people sitting around playing video games.
7. Plan something fun if needed. Do your friends all know each other? Are they the type to "mingle"? If not, Christmas poppers are a great conversation starter. They also lighten the mood and invoke jolly-ness!
Just my thoughts - hope it helps. "Fancy" parties are fun. But, if your friends aren't used to you having these types of parties, then expect that not all will adhere to your rules the first time. If you dress and act the part, guaranteed you will set a standard and going forward your friends will comply (or they won't, but it's their loss, not yours!). Most importantly, have fun with it. If you are enjoying yourself and not stressed, your guests will as well!
You must log in to post.
| Visit our sister sites | eHarmony Online Dating |
eHarmony Advice Dating Advice |
Project Wedding Wedding Songs |
JustMommies Pregnancy Calendar |
Create the honeymoon of your dreams.
| User | Posts Today |
|---|---|
| Lyndzo | 46 |
| AshleyR83 | 24 |
| mypinkshoes | 23 |
| Ms. Salamander | 23 |
| beargoose | 22 |
| rebwana | 21 |
| Jenlon | 20 |
| his chippymunk | 20 |
| kat2014 | 19 |
| fishbone | 18 |
| User | Posts Today |
|---|---|
| BellaDee | 8 |
| couawilou | 4 |
| mightywombat | 3 |
| sara_tiara | 3 |
| KatyElle | 3 |
| leeshabee | 3 |
| Future Mrs. Martin | 2 |
| allihappy | 2 |
| Regina Phalange | 2 |
| KristenGotMarried | 2 |
So my husband really, really, really wants us to have a Christmas party with all our friends. He wants it to be fancy and awesome, because he mistakenly thinks we are grown-ups. I thought we could just have a lot of tasty alcohol and get everybody drunk, but oh no - he wants this to be the soiree of the year, complete with hor's d'oeurves, decorations and dressy clothes.
Now, some of you would likely say - if he's that crazy about it, let HIM plan it! But I can't. Because it will be stuffy and boring and it will suck, and that will reflect on me as the wife, not him, because that's how things go. And he's so excited I can't say no to the idea. I'm not opposed to it, I just don't want to have a lame party!
So, hive, please tell me. How can we have a not lame Christmas party? ANY suggestions are appreciated, from witty invite wordings, to not-corny decorations, to awesome food and drink ideas, to activities/themes/other ideas that will keep it from being boring! Thanks pals :)