The holidays are here and the holiday parties are in FULL force. It’s natural for everyone to want to celebrate with their closest friends, but restaurant reservations can be hard to come by. And how well can you really celebrate when you are surrounded by 200 strangers? So dust off your bar cart (have you found festive cocktail napkins yet?), pull out the Trader Joe’s apps, stock up on the prosecco and bring the celebration into your living room! Here are some fun ways that you can spice up your holiday party!
- Make a festive cocktail – I found a recipe for a cranberry mule that is so good! Serve these with some cute napkins and maybe a festive paper straw and impress your guests. Take a glass or a Moscow mule mug and fill with ice, add 2 oz of vodka, 4 oz of cranberry juice (would do a little less the next time I make it), a tablespoon of lime juice, fill to the top with ginger beer and garnish with frozen cranberries and a lime wedge. Or just go fill a champagne flute with some prosecco and throw in some frozen cranberries!
- Christmas Stockings – Instead of buying each one of your friends an individual gift, ask your friends to all bring their favorite gift (be sure to put a price limit on this) that would fit in a stocking. I found some SUPER cute stockings in the dollar section at Target, and got one for each of my friends. When everyone arrives, allow them to take their gifts into another room and stock each of the stockings. And then when you feel it’s a fun time, bring out the stockings and everyone can open them at once.
- Gingerbread House Decorating – This could go so many ways. You could decorate one house as a group, everyone can decorate their own, OR you could break up in teams and have a friendly competition. FaceTime a family member or a friend who wasn’t able to attend and ask them to judge the competition!
- Christmas Pajamas – Ask everyone to wear their best Christmas pajamas. This allows your friends to feel more comfortable and makes for a cute photo opportunity.
- Christmas Music – Find your favorite holiday station and turn it on before your friends arrive.
- Festive Appetizer and/or Dessert – I recently came across The Baker Mama and she creates these super cute boards like this Snowman Board. I haven’t made one yet because I haven’t had a chance, but it’s on my list of things to make this holiday season. Another app that is festive but not so intense would be to head over to Central Market, purchase their baked brie, throw it in the oven, garnish with some fresh rosemary, and serve with crackers or slices of a baguette. SIMPLE.
Happy Holidays Friends!
Meaghan