Want to host the best Christmas party ever? Use these tips and tricks to make your Christmas party this year the one that everyone is talking about from now until next year’s party!
Tips for the Best Christmas Party Ever
I absolutely love Christmas because of all of the holiday parties! Ugly sweater parties, white elephant gift exchanges, cookie exchanges, breakfast with Santa, and the list goes on and on. I’ve hosted quite a few Christmas parties over the past few years and learned a lot doing so. Today instead of giving you a specific Christmas party idea, I’m sharing my tips and tricks to host the best Christmas party ever! Doesn’t matter what the theme is or who’s coming to the party, these holiday entertaining tips are sure to make your party the one people are still talking about on Christmas morning!
Christmas Party Food Tips & Tricks
#1 – Have enough food but don’t go overboard
You definitely need to have enough food for everyone coming, but don’t feel the need to serve six million different things. For our last party, we just did a couple of appetizers, desserts, and drinks for everyone. The key is to be selective about the time of the party AND to make it clear on the invitation whether you’re serving a full meal or not. Here’s a good rule of thumb for party times and meals. If your party falls within these hours (even if it starts or ends earlier or later):
- 10AM or earlier start time should serve enough food to count as breakfast or brunch
- 11AM-1PM serve enough food to count as lunch
- 5PM-7PM should serve enough food to count as dinner
Be smart about it, and you should be able to get away with just serving finger food and not a full meal. But again, make it clear on the invite what will be served or you could end up with way too much food or way too little! And I’m always a fan of having candy out for people to grab, for some reason people who don’t normally love treats will eat all the candy at a Christmas party!
#2 – Mix and match homemade with store-bought
Figure out the things you make well and the things that are just easier (and taste better) to buy at the store. For example, for our last Christmas party – I made my family’s famous pizza loaf and paired it with my favorite Heluva Good Buttermilk Ranch Dip (and pizza sauce) for dipping! I did the same thing with these buffalo chicken stuffed potato skins. Make one part of the meal yourself and leave the rest to the pros.
This tips works really well with things like dips, sauces, and dressings. I mean it’s much easier to just head to your local grocery store (find out which one here) to pick up one or more of the 7+ flavors of Heluva Good Dip in the dairy aisle instead of trying to make a bunch. And then you can provide your guests with a variety without spending hours making different dips. I combined mine with the pizza loaf, but you could easily do cut veggies, chips, jalapeno poppers, tater tot skewers, or even these grilled chicken wings! So many options.
#3 – Make your favorites even if they’re not holiday recipes
Nobody said that every dish on a Christmas party table has to be a holiday recipe. One of our most popular New Year’s Eve parties was filled with people’s favorite foods and guess what – all of the food was gone by the end of the night. Don’t serve holiday items just because they fit the holiday, serve whatever you love and whatever you think the most people will enjoy.
Keep the table Christmas focused by adding in colors, patterns, and even jars full of candy that do fit the holiday theme. For example, I simply added fresh basil leaves and Christmas themed napkins under the pizza loaf + ranch dip combination, and voila, it fit the table even though pizza loaf is definitely not what you would call a traditional holiday appetizer. Do more mixing and matching – serve one favorite and one holiday special like these ever popular funfetti Christmas cookies!
Christmas Party Games Tips & Tricks
#4 – Plan a variety of games based on your guests
If there’s anything I’ve learned from having this gift exchange game post be super popular this year, it’s that people like their Christmas party games! One of my favorite tricks for parties is to play 2-3 different group party games, all different kinds. And plan those games based on the people attending. So for instance, if you know the group really well and think they’d be up for it, try these Christmas minute to win it games! If you want do a gift exchange but are worried about people’s feelings getting hurt, try this heads or tails gift exchange that leaves the decisions up to the flip of a coin.
#5 – Try something new each year
There are SO many Christmas party games out there on Pinterest these days. Heck, I have over 50 different Christmas party games on my website alone. Maybe play one game year after year that becomes a tradition and try a new one like this Christmas Carol Chaos game I created for this year’s Christmas party!
Get the Free Printable
Enter your first name and email address below to get the free printables. The printable will include both the game itself and the answer key!
You’ll be immediately taken to the PDF to download and receive a copy to your email shortly after. If you can’t see the form below, click here to get to the form to enter your info.
Christmas Party – Other Tips & Tricks
#6 – Use your five senses when planning details
I read an article once about using your five senses when you’re planning a party, and this is especially true for Christmas. I like to come up with a theme then start planning details based on my five senses. These are just some guidelines to get you started!
1 – Hear – Pick the perfect Christmas playlist full of traditional and more modern Christmas songs.
2- Smell – Make fresh wassail or this mulled apple cider that just smells like Christmas, use fresh pine or rosemary trees to decorate and add a holiday smell to the air, light candles with holiday scents.
3 – Taste – Serve traditional holiday flavors and combinations like this cranberry orange bread, these molasses cookies, and this cranberry raspberry holiday punch. Combine the holiday flavors with your non-holiday favorites for the best Christmas party ever!
4 – Touch – Create an atmosphere that feels warm and cozy like Christmas morning by putting out plush pillows and soft throws, lightning a safe fireplace, having people wear pajamas or whatever they feel most comfortable in, and using fabrics like flannel for napkins and table runners.
5 – See – This one is the easiest but just remember that it’s in the details. It’s in the use of Christmas party printables, in serving candy canes from a wooden sleigh, in adding of tiny ornaments to that rosemary tree, in putting together Christmas favors for everyone to take home. No need to go overboard but try to keep things put together, tied to the theme, and colorful (unless you’re going with an all white winter wonderland of course!).
#7 – Enlist help
I really should’ve made this #1 because in my opinion it’s probably the most important. I always recommend enlisting help no matter how big or small the party is. Why? Because if you don’t, you’re not going to have any time to enjoy the party yourself. And isn’t the point of hosting parties to spend time with other people? I know that’s why I do it! Ask friends to bring certain dishes, have your best friend come help setup beforehand, put someone else in charge of making sure food is constantly stocked. Or even hire help out. It doesn’t really matter how you do it as long as you do it. Don’t host a party that you’re not going to be able to enjoy.
And that’s it. Those are my best tips for holiday entertaining. What are yours? Leave me a comment with your tips for the best Christmas party ever and who knows, maybe they’ll make it into an updated version of this post!
Rebecca says
So excited to try these!
krys says
love this site with all the wonderful ideas and games for xmas
Maryalyce says
Gosh, I love you site and all your party game ideas! Thanks to you, I am always in charge of coming up with the games for all our family parties. Thanks again.
Kristy says
The Grandkids have so enjoyed your trivia games for each holiday. They always ask if there are any new games to play. We used one of your scavenger hunts to help make our Grandson’s Christmas Birthday more personal. Thank you for making our time with our Grandkids extra special
Rita says
Need answer key for Christmas Carol chaos please.
BritniV says
The answer key is included in the PDF when you download it via the pink form on the page.
wynn joe says
Is there an answer sheet for the Christmas Carol Chaos?
BritniV says
If you enter your first name and email address in the pink form that says “Get the files here” you will be taken directly to the printable PDF file and a copy will also be emailed to you. Thank you. The Answers should be on page 1 of the PDF
Donna Minton says
where do i find the answers to Christmas Carol Chaos?
BritniV says
If you download the PDF in the post, the PDF comes with the game PDF and an answer sheet.
Tara says
soo happy to have found you page soo many great ideas for our annual Christmas party …
Thank yoU for sharing and for your free templates this mom on a small budget is very grateful!
Happy Holidays from my family to yours!
BritniV says
So happy you found us too. You are so very welcome & I really hope you have a wonderful Holiday season with your family. Thank you so much for your nice words.
Diana Castro says
can’t wait to try these games
BritniV says
I’m getting so excited for the holidays too…have so much fun!
Sandra Josephsen says
It’s great to have all of these Christmas ideas in one place.
BritniV says
Thank you! This is very sweet of you
Monique Reyes says
Would like the Christmas chaos game
BritniV says
Please fill out the form on the page to get a copy by email. Once you’ve entered your first name and email into the form, you’ll be taken directly to the PDF to download. You’ll also receive an email from britni@playpartyplan.com with a downloadable link within a few minutes. If you have issues with the form, please email me.
jan carl says
please give me ideas for dinner party Christmas games
BritniV says
You can find all of my Christmas party games here –> https://www.playpartyplan.com/25-christmas-party-games/
Many of these would work great for a dinner party!
Leslie says
Could I please have the printable Christmas Carol Chaos – and the answer key?
Thank you kindly!
BritniV says
Once you’ve entered your first name and email into the form for the printable, you’ll be taken directly to the PDF to download. You’ll also receive an email from britni@playpartyplan.com with a downloadable link within a few minutes. Both the game and answer key are in the download!
BritniV says
Please fill out the form on the page to get an emailed copy of the game and answer sheet. Once you’ve entered your first name and email into the form, you’ll be taken directly to the PDF to download. You’ll also receive an email from britni@playpartyplan.com with a downloadable link within a few minutes.
Ben says
I too would appreciate the Christmas Carols Chaos instructions.
Thanks!
BritniV says
If you fill out the form for the free printable you will be taken right to the instructions and printable.
BritniV says
Please fill out the form on the page to get an emailed copy of the game and answer sheet. Once you’ve entered your first name and email into the form, you’ll be taken directly to the PDF to download. You’ll also receive an email from britni@playpartyplan.com with a downloadable link within a few minutes.
Erin Graves says
Can I get the answers to Christmas Carol Chaos? Thanks and Merry Christmas!!!
BritniV says
If you fill out the form with your name and email address you will be taken right to the free printable and instructions.
Liz Alexander says
Looking for your printable – Carol Chaos. Thank you
BritniV says
Sent it. For future printables, there is always a form on my web-page that if you fill out your first name and email it will send you directly to the free printable.