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How do we have a cool Christmas party?
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 (we are 22 and 24 and so are most of our friends). He wants this to be the soiree of the year, complete with hor's d'oeurves, decorations and dressy clothes.
I would just let him plan it, but I just 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! I must say I have hardly any entertaining experience other than getting guests nice and drunk.
So, 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 entertaining experts 
Re: How do we have a cool Christmas party?
I'd be working the "still get people drunk angle" - champagne punch or martini's and wine. Doa little toast at some point in the night (or have your husband) to "Christmas with amazing friends..." You can even give everyone a little Christmas shot as soon as they step in the door.
Set hor's d'oeurves out on a table with a couple decorations (a glass bowl full of Christmas balls) or a ceramic reindeer and pass a plant or two around every now and then throughout the night. You can have things like cheese balls with crackers, fig and goat cheese pastries, meatballs, some little dessert squares...cheese fondue, or chocolate fondue.
Have everyone bring a decoration to help you decorate your tree, just make sure you have the lights already up so that it's easy and fun and not a hassle.
I host a Christmas party every year and second the booze suggestion from the previous post. If your friends like to drink and there is booze... they'll have fun. Ours is probably less on the fancy side and more on the crazy party side. (It started as a tradition in our house right after college when I lived with 3 other girls and has continued at my house now with DH.) Fun drinks we've done in the past are klug wine (spiced mulled wine), hot cider and rum, and reg martinis (I usually do cosmos) in martini glasses with green rimming sugar (really festive looking). There is always plenty of Christmas Ale and wine too. For food I do heavy hors d'ouvres (chicken skewers, cheese and crackers, chicken sausage roll ups, baked brie, apple cider fondue, pumpkin dip, buffalo chicken dip... I know all those were on the list from last year).
We actually usually start beer pong at some point in the night (as I mentioned previously... this is usually our rowdiest party of the year... you might want to nix that if you want to keep it classy). We set it up in our 3 season room (like a porch area) with a space heater. Its nice because its there but not the center of everything. I think the Wii fit made it out last year at some point too. I also had everyone bring an ornament for our tree since it was our first Christmas after getting married. We got some really cute ones!
My friends and I are huge game players. We always have fun when we play games! If you guys like games too, I highly suggest mixing that with booze. We like to play Scene It, Catch Phrase, Loaded Questions (adult version) and Dirty Minds.
My DH and I started hosting "fancy" Christmas Cocktail parties at age 22/24 also...so I know how you're feeling.
I think the invitation sets the tone for the party - you can find great simple, black/white with a little holiday martini at Target or look online. I wrote "cocktail attire suggested" which brought everyone in dresses and shirts/ties...a big step up from the usual party.
A champagne punch is a great (less expensive) way to provide libations. Use real glassware and perhaps a cute, custom-made stemware charm. If you have to buy cheap glass stemware at IKEA just for larger crowd...go for it!
Keep the food simple but elegant...and easy! It's your first fancy party - don't overdue it with 5 warm items that require oven space, warmers and maintenance. Dips like the PP suggested are great; fondue, brie wrapped in a pastry puff, etc.
Anyone in your group play the piano/keyboard that you could do singalongs to? At the very least have xmas music playing, candles, decor for the ambiance.
Afterall, at one of ours people were making snow angels in the front yard in suits and skirts! Libations were plentiful!
Don't stress about the entertainment too much - everyone is friends and is there to see one another and fun will be had by all!
Good luck!
Thanks for all the ideas everyone! I think we will keep the drinks plentiful. However, we are on a bit of a budget. What do you all think of this "drink menu"?
- White wine
- Mulled red wine
- Hard cider
- Irish hot chocolate (self-serve w/ whipped cream available)
Do you think this is enough variety? Should we offer a champagne punch instead of white wine, or in addition? I was thinking perhaps replacing the white wine or mulled red wine with a champagne punch, as its cheaper.
As for food, I think we are going to have an appetizer competition! Everyone will bring their best appetizer and $5, and then guests will vote. Whoever gets the most votes wins the whole pot of money! If we only had 10 guests, that's $50! But I think we will have more like 15+.
Still, I think I want to make a fruit/cheese/crackers display as well as a dessert, so any recommendations on either of those fronts would be great!
I think your drink menu is plenty, whether you keep it as-is or switch out white wine for punch. I'd offer beer also, or instead of one of your last three options. But you know what your friends like. We're hosting a Christmas party this year - here's what I'm planning on serving:
Drinks -
Food -
And I'll probably add one or more of these: Chocolate fondue in my baby crockpot, pigs in a blanket, frozen egg rolls.
LOVE the appetizer competition! I think you'll end up with some great dishes that way. Maybe you could provide a simple prize too - an ornament, Starbucks gift card, etc.
I think you need to compromise between the super formal affair your DH has in mind and a typical college keg.
When I got married, I was introduced to the way they party here in DH's home area. They drag out all the china, all the silver, put on cocktail dresses, put out fancy food, but have a rollicking good time. It's an atmosphere thing: great music is a must and plenty to drink. The hosts being upbeat and outgoing is a big part, along with inviting gregarious guests.
I've realized that music is a huge part of what makes the local parties so good. There are often live musicians, but when there aren't, the music playing is really jazzy and upbeat. Don't play the solemn religious carols or the quiet classical songs - play things like Rockin Around the Christmas Tree, The Merriest, Feliz Navidad, etc.
For drinks, I think an alcoholic punch is a must. I think you could skip the hard cider (while I love it, I don't think it's a necessary) and the mulled wine. I'd serve red, white and a punch. The typical Christmas punch here is like an alcoholic slushy vanilla milkshake. MIL often makes one that uses a lime jello packet with sprite and vodka. There's something really special about a punch, whichever kind you choose.
For food, a couple tips from a been-there-made-the-mistakes veteran:
1) Don't make everything from scratch; use shortcuts. No one will know and you'll save your sanity.
2) Since it's your first party, it'd be ok to have a menu of entirely room temp or cold apps that you can make in advance (nothing hot that you'd have to fuss with).
3) Have a trusted friend arrive early and help you finish things up.
4) Make of list of every tiny thing you'll need to do pre-party and then make a timeline for it.
I find great, easy recipes in trusted church cookbooks.
For themes, games, etc, anyone on here can you tell I'm not a fan. Decorate your house like you will for Christmas and let that be the theme. Fresh flowers or a bowl of glass ornaments are all you need.
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Hi:
We have an open house every year. We have kids, so it is family friendly but there is plenty of alcohol and people have a good time. I like to do a signature drink "The Grinch" one year (midori and other things) Cosmos another year, Peppermint Patties another year... You probably need beer.
Music is key to setting the mood. Make sure you have enough food. I like to do a tenderloin (a ham would be cheaper) a Caesar salad and a bunch of appetizers. We always have cookie decorating and coloring sheets for the kids. After a few the adults are decorating as many cookies as the kiddos, but you would know your crowd.
Kristen
Wow, thanks everyone! This is great advice!
I have pared down our drink menu to red wine, white wine, Irish hot chocolate and a Christmas punch. I'd like the Christmas punch to yummy, pretty and STRONG! Anyone have any great recipes?
Also, everyone is saying we should have beer... but I don't know many beer drinkers in our group of friends. You think if we stick a couple of 6-packs in the fridge as back-up, we should be okay?
And since we've decided on the the appetizer competition, I will probably just do fruit, veggies, cheese and crackers. I was thinking of having a dip. Any suggestions? Also, an EASY Christmas cookie/dessert recipe would be great too!
Drinks and Karaoke make for a GREAT party!
Make life as simple as can be with regards to the food. Low maintenance. Don't forget the sweets - Christmas cupcakes and cookies. I've been wanting to throw a cocktail party for some time now and have a big chocolate fountain as the main event. Decorations - classic Christmas decor, fresh flowers, christmas tree, candles, and a mistletoe.HAVE FUN!
Hi! Here is my friend's awesome punch recipe. If you want... I'm sure could add rum - or leave out on the side for folks to add themselves. LOVED reading everyone's posts.
Cheers!
Egg Nog Punch
1 3/4 to 2 qt. French vanilla or cinnamon icecream
2 qt. dairy eggnog or canned eggnog(chilled)
1 liter cream soda (chilled)
peppermint sticks, cinnamon sticks, or small candy canes
ground cinnamon
-Place icecream in punch bowl. Add 1/2 the eggnog. Stir and mash mixture until icecream is melted and mixture is well combined. Stir in remaing eggnog. Slowly pour in cream soda and stir. Line punch bowl with candy canes for decoration. To serve, pour mixture into individual glass, add a candy cane and sprinkle with a little
cinnamon. Rum (YUM!) is optional. Enjoy!
I
Thanks for the suggestion about Loaded Questions, just ordered from Amazon for my holiday party.
we are encouraging Christmas costumes and showing
Santa Claus Conquers the Martians
http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0058548/
How about an ornament decorating station? Have lots of glitter, puff balls, pipe cleaners, etc. Best ornament, as voted on by the group, gets an awesome prize! Hang all ornaments on a tree as they are finished, so everyone can admire them. My parents did this at a party once and a couple of the ornaments were funny/raunchy. Good way to break the ice and let grown-ups play with Elmer's glue again.
We have also done a "white elephant" gift exchange. People should bring something from their home that they don't want anymore and wrap it in nice paper. The funnier item the better. We've had macrame plant holders, a dashboard hula girl, a clown wig, a beer hat, a bottle of moonshine, a giant Hillshire Farms sausage... And you draw numbers to see who goes first. Then people can chose to open a new present, or steal a gift that has already been opened. I suggest putting limits on how many times an item can be stolen each turn, or it gets out of hand. This game gets really competitive and fun.
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A friend of mine does a holiday party every year and it is always a lot of fun do to the White Elephant Gift. From the invitation:
"Rules for White Elephant: For those of you who have been to the Gala before, you know about the (in)famous White Elephant gift exchange. Newbies - this is probably the best part of the Gala and it's a wonderful way to re-gift an object without any guilt. Any individual (or couple) that would like to participate needs to bring a wrapped gift. This gift should be cost-free to you or very cheap. The gift should be useless, funny, ugly, or absurd. The most successful gifts in the past have been very odd and/or crappy - so bad they're good. During the exchange, gifts can be traded based on the order of number drawn upon arrival. This leads to a fun and heated fight for the most coveted gift. Something new this year - at the end, guests can vote for the "Best" bad gift. The guest who brought the winning gift receives a lovely prize."
We've been hosting a holiday cocktail party for a few years now. Here are a few things I've learned over the years:
Fancy cocktails & punch sound fun, but most often, people just drink the wine & beer. I used to have way too many options which was a lot of work. Now the options are: wine, beer, champagne, and a signature cocktail (last year it was candy cane martinis).
Likewise, fancy appetizers and desserts are great in theory, but often, the food we run out of is the plain old stuff like a cracker & cheese plate. Not all guests are adventurous and willing to try something new.
Depending on your guest list, you might want to have a fun non-alcoholic option for anyone staying sober as a driver, pregnant ladies, etc. One year I did a hot chocolate bar, one year a non-alcoholic punch. Last year I did a hot cranberry apple cider that got rave reviews.
Mr. Sammy Dog
My partner and I throw a New Year's Eve formal dinner every year. PP mentioned that the invite really sets the tone. I use Evite, but make it clear that this is a black tie evening. Now, before you say "that's way to stuffy," I have to say we have always found the evening to be a fantastic fun and relaxing evening. Getting a little dressed up and being "fancy" once in a while can be a great break from the craziness of the holiday season.
We usually pre-mix a martini, then offer a white and red wine. I love the idea of a champagne punch!
Food:
Warm mixed nuts. I have used this recipe (I have the Mix Shake Stir bar book,) and these have been a huge hit. Super easy to make, and just a little fancier than a bowl of plain mixed nuts.
http://www.foodnetwork.com/recipes/nigella-lawson/the-union-square-cafes-bar-nuts-recipe/index.html
A nice cheese and charcuterie plate (pates, salumi etc.)
Veggie tray
Two easy to prepare hot hors d'oeuvres, Meatballs with a classic marinara, simple and yummy! Anything on top of crustini.
Keep the food simple. Make one or two things from scratch, purchase everything else.
Decorations ect:
First, if you can, I would rent small white plates and barware. So much nicer and environmentally friendly than paper/plastic, and you don't really have to wash everything. Just rinse and put it back in the tray. Renting china and bar ware is often not that expensive.
Music! Choose a soundtrack that really sets the appropriate mood. Play it a dynamic level that allows for conversation, but is festive.
Keep the decorations simple. I always choose a color theme and make everything work with that. Silver is always involved.
Your party will not be lame. I bet you will have a great time, maybe even because you are all dressed up and allowing yourselves to be "fancy" for the night! : )
Have fun.