Ideas and Tips for Christmas Party Planning

Christmas parties are a great way to get co-workers, families, friends, sports teams and other groups together in a friendly, non-work environment. Planning a Christmas party can be a lot of work, so it is important for the person planning the party to delegate the workload to several other people. This will help the lead planner not get too overwhelmed with what needs to get done.

1. Decorations

Decorations are a key to the ambiance of the entire Christmas party. It doesn't have to cost a lot of money to decorate a space very nicely for a Christmas party. You can purchase several strings of Christmas lights and decorative balls from a thrift store or dollar store and save quite a bit of money. If you want the party to have a "homemade" feel to it, you can cut out snowflakes and decorate the party space with those. Strings of tinsel are quite inexpensive also, and add a festive glimmer to the room.

You may be able to find a place where you can rent a Christmas tree, or some party spaces will rent decorations as well. A Christmas tree is always a festive addition, since it provides a place to put gifts if you are having a gift exchange, or it can serve as a nice background for photos.

2. Party Location

Christmas parties can be held anywhere, from someone's home to a party area, such as a conference room at a hotel or a wedding reception facility or banquet hall. The main thing to consider is how many people will be attending the party. This will help you decide what size space you will need.

The cost of the space usually depends on the size and location. If you are choosing to have your Christmas party at a location that is in high demand, fairly fancy, and holds many people, then you will probably be expected to pay a high amount of money. However, if someone has a home large enough to accomodate the number of people you are expecting, you can save a bit of money by simply having the party in the house.

Sign up to rent a space early. Many high-demand locations will be booked up to a year in advance. Since you have an idea about the date of the Christmas party, you can book the location early in the year. This will also help you invite people early, which will help you know how many people to expect, and can help you better plan the party in terms of how much food, favors, gifts, and other amenities you will need for the party.

3. Food and Beverage

Food and drinks are a major component of any Christmas party. You can have themed food and drinks if you desire, including egg nog, peppermint flavored drinks and ice cream, and Christmas cookies. Some people also have a carved roast for Christmas.

You can handle the food and drinks in several ways. If you are having a small Christmas party at someone's home, you may choose to have it potluck style, and have each person attending bring a dish to share. This can be a lot of fun, but you can also end up with a very odd assortment of food. If you want to do the potluck dinner style party, but have more organization, have people sign up ahead of time to bring a specific type of food, including salad, side dish, desert, or drink. The host should provide the main dish.

If you choose to have your Christmas party at a home, but want it catered, you may get a catering company to either cook and serve the food at your home, or bring the food in already prepared, and have the hired staff serve the food. You may also want to rent a private bartender to work at your party and create and serve drinks. Some bartenders will create a signature drink for your event for an additional charge. This can be a nice addition for your guests.

For Christmas parties held at a hotel ballroom or reception hall, they may provide their own catering service, so you can choose what dishes you would like, and if you want your food service to be plate dinners or buffet style. The reception hall may also provide a bartender for a fee.

4. Fun Stuff to Do

Christmas parties are known for games and other fun festivities. One good game to play is a "white elephant" gift exchange. To do this, have each guest bring a gift to give that is appropriate for anyone attending the party. Put all the gifts under the Christmas tree, or in another designated area. When everyone is ready, pass out numbers to each person, and they will choose a gift in that order. The first person picks a gift and unwraps it. The second person can choose to steal the gift from the first person, or open one of their own. This continues until the last person chooses their gift, and all gifts are opened.

You may want to hire a DJ to play music and, if you want, have a small dance floor available. If you don't want to spend the money on a DJ, you can hook an iPod up to some speakers and randomize your playlist to ensure you have enough music to play throughout the evening.

Some people will hire a professional photographer to take pictures at a holiday party, and will sometimes hire someone to dress as Santa, so partygoers may have their pictures taken with Santa.

5. Party Favors

Favors are optional, but add a nice touch to a fancy party. You may choose to make individual stockings for those in attendance and fill them with candy. You may also bake Christmas cookies and give out baggies of treats to people as they are leaving to enjoy at home.

Some people may choose to purchase favors, like small toys, and place them at each person's spot at the table. You can tie small toys or ornaments to the napkin rings and place them on the table.

Favors don't have to be too expensive, and are a nice touch to give guests something to take home to remember the party. If it is a work party, a christmas bonus or gift card may take the place of an actual party favor.