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Holiday Party Idea/Question/Poll
Hi Everyone,
I want to do some sort of "ladies lunch" in December. I've started to put feelers out for a date and I think I found one that will work for a good handful of people.
My initial intention was to do a cookie exchange, but a lot of the guests are students and/or teachers and the party will be falling right at the end of the semester, which makes me think they probably won't have the time or the desire to bake 3-4 dozen cookies.
I then thought about just doing a secret gift exchange (not "white elephant" with crappy/old/weird gifts; just an item that would cost between $10-25 that is wrapped) and doing a gift exchange/steal/whatever. We used to do this every year at work.
Then I saw an idea on Pinterest for a "My Favorite Things" party. Each person selects their "favorite thing" that costs no more than $5 and brings five of them (so, it could be anything from lip gloss to a gift card for Starbucks). When you arrive at the party with your five items, you get your name put in a bowl. Everyone who brought items then draws five names (making sure they don't pick their own or two of the same). They give their items to those five people. Each person will end up with five different "favorite things" from the other guests to take home. If there's more than five people (there will most likely be), it doesn't matter -- everyone just brings five items and goes home with five new, unique items.
So...what do you think? Should I...
[Poll]
Re: Holiday Party Idea/Question/Poll
I voted for no gifts, just food & drinks.
My personal opinion is that too many people get too consumed with gift giving around the holidays. We get so stressed out over buying and paying for all the presents that we don't fully enjoy the season. I would relish being invited to a holiday party that didn't require me to make/buy a bunch of stuff that I don't really have time to get done. I would enjoy the party just as much without gifts. It's spending time with friends that matters most.
However ... if you really want gifts, then I vote for the favorite things party. I think it would work even if you brought one or two items instead of five to keep the cost down. As for the other options ... not everyone has time or desire to bake cookies for an exchange, and white elephant parties just mean guests go home with some crappy item they'll promptly throw away or donate to Goodwill.
Mr. Sammy Dog
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A million times this. I have yet to go to an exchange that was fun.
I'm not opposed to the favorite things, but really how many faovrite things do you have under $5? I can't think of a single item excpet $5 to Amazon.
Here's the description:
A Favorite Things Party- Here's how it works: Each person brings their favorite thing (anything you like.. your favorite lip gloss, favorite kitchen tool, favorite gift wrapping supply, a gift card for your favorite frozen yogurt, etc.). It can't cost more than $6, and each person brings five of the same thing. When you arrive at the party, you write your name on five slips of paper and throw them in a big bowl. The bowl is passed around, and each person takes five names (making sure you don't pick your own.. or two of the same name). One at a time each person introduces their favorite thing and then reads the five names they picked from the bowl, passing out their gift to those five guests. After everyone at the party has presented their favorite thing, each person should end up with five gifts to take home. It's always interesting to see what people choose, and some guests have started to bring a notepad and pen to jot down what people love (this is how I was introduced to Trader Joe's Sea Salt Chocolate Caramels, which are nearly my undoing each winter).
And here's the blog it links to: http://angbrimwil.blogspot.com/2010/08/favorite-party.html
And here's her follow-up of how the actual party went: http://angbrimwil.blogspot.com/2010/08/favorite-things-party.html
Unlike the source of the original idea, I wouldn't ask guests to bring food -- I'd do the whole menu myself.
Personally, I have lots of favorite things I would do for under $5 (B&BW stuff when it goes 6 for $20, for one!). The idea is that it's something little that makes your life better. Like the original pin says, things like a favorite chocolate bar or lip gloss. My mom said she'd probably bring five Starbucks gift cards, haha. Knowing one of the guests, if I go for this option, she'll bring decorative post-its.
I do agree that extra gift buying is stressful, which was also the reason why I was swaying away from a dessert party...I'll keep looking for more responses for the board. Thanks for your ideas/thoughts so far!
A hundred million times, THIS.
Being invited to one more party that requires that I buy or cook something would stress me out more than it would excite me. I start turning down party invites - not because I wouldn't love to hang out with the hostess and and party attendees, but because I'm too overwhelmed and broke to worry about spending more time and money on more gifts.
A holiday party invite that requires nothing more than my attendance? I'd LOVE that!
I guess, Lion, it depends on your crowd. I know lots of women for whom the holidays aren't fun. They're harried and stressed and grouchy for 6 weeks straight. I think the pressures of motherhood have a lot (everything?) to do with it, needing to be Martha Stewart and Santa Claus and Donna Reed and Peter Pan all at the same time, but I can't tell ya whether that's true since I'm not one. That's just my outside-looking-in view.
For my party made up of 20-something classmates with no obligations weighing on them, I think this would be really fun. A fave color of nail polish, a mini box of chocolates, a pretty set of note cards... But I've also been to really fun gift exchanges in the past, so I have good experiences to draw on. For my classmates with slim budgets, I was thinking of reducing the items to 3 each.
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That's a really good point. Most of the invitees don't have kids, and we NEVER have holiday parties of any kind around here. It's usually just family -- this would be the first "friends-only" thing that's been done in this group in at least 4-5 years.
However, I don't want to stress my friends out, and I really do just want a chance for us to all get together. A few of them have mentioned cookie exchanges in the past, which is what brought on the idea, but I know the timing sucks for baking. I'd rather run to Target and buy five things (or three or whatever) than bake 36 cookies, but that's me.
Lots to think about, I guess. If you have more ideas/suggestions (anyone, not just TarHeels), lemme know!
It's not even the stress or money or motherhood. I just don't want other people's $5 crap, even if it is a favorite thing to them. I don't wear lipgloss. Every B&BW item gets regifted or given away.
If I was invited I'd spend the $25 but I'd be hitting everyone here up for an idea.
For me, it's a combination of these things. Working full time and being a mom and having other holiday obligations makes the holidays a stressful time........but I agree that I don't really want a bunch of $5 trinkets. Unless they were giftcards for Starbucks or something like that, it's likely just going to get tossed when I get home.
It's not money or motherhood for me (I don't have kids), it's the time commitment more than anything. A party with girlfriends sounds really fun, but if I'm already planning an afternoon or evening to attend the party during a busy time of the year, I don't want to give up the time to plan what items to bring, do the shopping, and wrap more gifts on top of that. It sounds petty, but the holiday season is just so busy.
I know that just this one task of picking up a few little things at Target doesn't seem like a big deal. However, when you add it on top of all the other gift buying and wrapping and baking and house decorating and travel planning that come with the holidays all while having a job that requires me to work 7 days a week ... buying inexpensive trinkets at Target for a party becomes just one more holiday hassle to deal with. I hate feeling like holiday things that should be fun turn into hassles. It would be so much more fun to just show up to a party and hang out with friends for a few hours.
Maybe I'm just a Scrooge. My girlfriends and I gave up exchanging gifts a few years ago and we just plan a nice dinner at a restaurant to celebrate the holidays. No one has to cook or make sure their house is spotlessly clean, and no one has to buy gifts. It just works better for us. We wanted to simplify and enjoy time together without adding stress during the holidays.
I think it's really nice that you want to host this party. It sounds like a fun idea, just make it as fun/easy for your guests as possible.
Mr. Sammy Dog
I guess, Lion, it depends on your crowd. I know lots of women for whom the holidays aren't fun. They're harried and stressed and grouchy for 6 weeks straight. I think the pressures of motherhood have a lot (everything?) to do with it, needing to be Martha Stewart and Santa Claus and Donna Reed and Peter Pan all at the same time, but I can't tell ya whether that's true since I'm not one. That's just my outside-looking-in view.
That's a really good point. Most of the invitees don't have kids, and we NEVER have holiday parties of any kind around here. It's usually just family -- this would be the first "friends-only" thing that's been done in this group in at least 4-5 years.
However, I don't want to stress my friends out, and I really do just want a chance for us to all get together. A few of them have mentioned cookie exchanges in the past, which is what brought on the idea, but I know the timing sucks for baking. I'd rather run to Target and buy five things (or three or whatever) than bake 36 cookies, but that's me.
Lots to think about, I guess. If you have more ideas/suggestions (anyone, not just TarHeels), lemme know!
Am LOL at this post... As the Mom of a soon to be 3 and 4 year old - I personally do not want to be invited to any more "cookie/bring specific cutesy stuff" parties... esp. if they are a lot of time and work etc.
I did really like Tarheels suggestion from last year re: a gift donation for children. My kids' pre-school does one that we participated in last year. Basically (very optional of course) the gifts were requested to be gift wrapped in white paper and the age and gender of the child it was intended for written on the outside. They get put under a Christmas tree for a week or so and then were delivered privately to our sister school in the Bronx. Different churches/temples/organizations etc. may prefer them to be unwrapped or brightly wrapped etc. As the host you may have to arrange for a pick-up or deliver them yourself...
I think this is great for busy Moms - because we're shopping for children anyways and can pick up one great toy on sale. Also - before I had children, boyfriend, husband of my own, this was the type of thing that I liked to participate in because it lets your "inner child" experience the holiday and hopefully helps a family in need.
Please let us know what you do - and to all of the holiday entertainers I LOVE to read your posts re: real parties. Thank you!
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I would love a "Favorite Things" party and could think of tons of things for under $5. Plus, you're buying 5 of the same thing so you're really just shopping for one item and buying multiples.
But, my friends would be into this--we used to do a general gift exchange (like white elephant but with nice, new things) and now we trade names.
I don't get the resistance.
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