Christmas Party Ideas | 24 Easy Food, Games and Decor Ideas

24 Christmas Party Ideas for a Cozy Night at Home

Every December we have the neighbors, the cousins and half the church choir through our kitchen at some point, and I have learned that a good Christmas party is mostly about a warm drink, a full table and one fun thing to do. Fancy is optional. Cozy is not.

Here are 24 Christmas party ideas I would happily steal for our own house, from a hot cocoa bar and a charcuterie wreath to a cookie exchange, a wreath making night, a white elephant dice game and a farmhouse table that glows. Each one links to the blogger who made it, with their full recipe or steps. If you need more food, our Christmas appetizer ideas and holiday treats fill out the buffet, and our Christmas cookies recipe is the one I bake for the cookie exchange.

1. Set up a hot cocoa bar

A hot cocoa station on a kitchen counter with a tiered tray of Christmas mugs, jars of candy canes and peppermints, and a framed warm up with a cup of cocoa sign wrapped in garland

Credit: Design Improvised

A hot cocoa bar is the first thing I set up for any December get together, because kids and grown ups both head straight for it. It does not need to be fancy. A few mason jars of toppings and a sign are plenty.

For a party, keep premade cocoa warm in a slow cooker so guests only add toppings, or set out an electric kettle and packets. Fill jars with mini marshmallows, crushed candy canes and chocolate spoons, and a tiered tray keeps the whole station tidy on the counter.

2. Slow cooker mulled cider

Apple cider with orange slices, star anise and whole spices warming in a slow cooker

Credit: Creekline House

Mulled cider is the drink I make when I want the whole house to smell like Christmas. The slow cooker does all the work, so it is ready when everyone comes in from the cold.

Use real unfiltered apple cider, the dark cloudy kind from the refrigerated case or a local orchard, plus mulling spices and orange slices. Let it warm on low for a few hours and set out mugs with cinnamon sticks so guests can help themselves.

3. Cranberry sherbet punch

A stemmed glass of red cranberry sherbet punch with a foamy top and raspberries on a red table runner

Credit: Flavor Mosaic

Every party needs one big bowl of something pink and fizzy that the kids can drink too. This punch pours cranberry ginger ale over scoops of pineapple sherbet, and the sherbet melts into a frothy top.

Garnish the bowl with fresh raspberries and pineapple rings. The recipe also has a grown up version, so you can keep a second pitcher for the adults and leave the main bowl alcohol free.

4. Charcuterie wreath board

A round charcuterie board shaped like a wreath with rosemary, salami roses, cheese, crackers, sugared cranberries, olives and a bowl of honey

Credit: Haute and Healthy Living

If you only make one showy appetizer, make this one. Fresh rosemary sprigs ring a round board so it looks like a little wreath, and the meats, cheeses and fruit fill in the circle.

She built hers on a 14 inch round cutting board with about three cheeses, salami folded into roses, crackers and sugared cranberries for sparkle. Keep extra cheese and meat in the fridge and refill the board as it empties.

5. Pigs in a blanket wreath

A wreath of pigs in a blanket with everything bagel seasoning on mixed greens with cherry tomatoes around a bowl of red dipping sauce

Credit: Quiche My Grits

Pigs in a blanket are always the first thing gone at our parties, so I love turning them into a centerpiece. Cocktail sausages wrapped in crescent dough bake in a ring, then go on a bed of mixed greens.

Cherry tomatoes tucked into the greens look like ornaments, and a bowl of dipping sauce sits in the middle. Brush the dough with butter and sprinkle on bagel seasoning before baking. It takes about 15 minutes to put together and 15 minutes in the oven.

6. Caprese Christmas tree

A Christmas tree shaped appetizer made of cherry tomatoes, mozzarella pearls and basil leaves on toothpicks with a bowl of balsamic beside it

Credit: Served From Scratch

This is the fresh one on the table, and it looks like a little tree. Cherry tomatoes, mozzarella pearls and basil leaves go on toothpicks and stack up into a cone.

Her trick is an eggplant for the base. Trim the bottom flat and shave the sides into a tall triangle, then push the toothpicks in. Serve it with a balsamic reduction for dipping.

7. Christmas movie snack board

A Christmas snack board with strawberries, blueberries, apple slices, nuts, crackers and gingerbread treats surrounded by green garland and fairy lights

Credit: Hungry Healthy Happy

For a movie night party, one big snack board in front of the TV beats a full buffet. This one mixes sweet and savory, with berries, apples, nuts, crackers, chocolates and little gingerbread treats.

Ring the board with garland and fairy lights so it glows in the dark living room. A lot of it can be prepped ahead, and it is a good way to use up the bits of fruit, nuts and cookies left in the pantry.

8. Popcorn bar

A popcorn bar with buckets of buttered, cheddar and caramel popcorn, jars of candy and pretzels, and a chalkboard popcorn bar sign on a buffalo check runner

Credit: Moms and Munchkins

A popcorn bar is cheap, easy to fill and lets every guest make their own snack. Set out a few flavors in buckets and baskets and line up jars of mix ins in front.

Her flavors were plain buttered, cheddar and caramel, jalapeno, and chocolate with caramel. The jars held candy, pretzels, chocolate and dried cranberries, plus melted butter and salts. A buffalo check runner and a chalkboard sign finish the farmhouse look.

9. White chocolate party popcorn

A bowl of popcorn coated in white chocolate with red, green and white sprinkles

Credit: Kitchen Treaty

If you want just one sweet popcorn for the table, make this one. It is popcorn tossed in melted candy melts or white chocolate with red, green and white sprinkles.

Her batch uses 8 cups of popped popcorn and 10 ounces of eggnog flavored candy melts. Spread it out to set, break it into clusters and pile it into bowls or cellophane bags for favors.

10. Build your own s’mores bar

A wooden serving tray with chocolate bars, graham crackers, marshmallows, sliced bananas, strawberries and pretzels for a s'mores bar

Credit: Designed Decor

If you have a fire pit, a s’mores bar turns a December party into a backyard bonfire. Set a big tray beside the fire with chocolate bars, graham crackers and marshmallows.

Add a few extras to make them special, like sliced bananas, strawberries, pretzels and peanut butter. If it is too cold or wet to go outside, she made an indoor version with a metal bucket, river rocks and a Sterno can for roasting.

11. Ugly sweater cake

A sheet cake decorated like an ugly Christmas sweater with green and red frosting, piped trim, a small tree and candy decorations

Credit: Craving Some Creativity

A sheet cake frosted to look like a tacky Christmas sweater is the dessert people photograph first. One half is green, one half is red, and piped trim, buttons and candy make the pattern.

Bake any 9 by 13 cake, frost it in two colors and go wild with piping bags, sprinkles and M&Ms. It is the perfect centerpiece for an ugly sweater party.

A wooden tray of decorated Christmas sugar cookies shaped like Santa hats, trees, snowflakes and snowmen with bottle brush trees

Credit: Jenny Cookies

A cookie decorating party is my favorite way to fill a Saturday afternoon in December. Bake plain sugar cookies ahead so everyone gets a blank canvas when they walk in.

Put icing in piping bags or squeeze bottles before guests arrive, and set a tray or rack aside so finished cookies can dry where nobody bumps them. A Christmas playlist, a hot chocolate bar and a snack spread keep the grown ups happy too.

A red platter piled with assorted Christmas cookies including fudge, sugar cookies, snowballs and peanut butter cookies

Credit: Scattered Thoughts of a Crafty Mom

A cookie exchange is the smartest party in December, because everyone bakes one kind of cookie and goes home with a whole variety. Each guest brings a set number of their favorite cookie, and the trays get divided evenly at the party.

Ask guests to tell you their cookie ahead so you do not end up with five plates of snickerdoodles. Printable invitations, recipe cards and voting cards make it feel official, and a few tins or boxes help everyone carry their haul home.

14. Graham cracker gingerbread house party

A long table lined with plain graham cracker gingerbread houses on paper plates ready to decorate, with a vase of evergreens

Credit: The Artful Parent

Real gingerbread houses are a lot of work, so graham cracker houses are the trick for a crowd of kids. You can glue the houses together with royal icing days or even weeks before the party.

Plan on 5 full graham cracker sheets per house and set each one on a paper plate. On party day, set out store bought frosting and bowls of candy, and ask each family to bring a bag of candy to share. Peppermints, candy canes and gumdrops do most of the decorating.

15. Fresh wreath making party

Guests decorating fresh evergreen wreaths with pinecones, dried orange slices and a ribbon bow on a long red table

Credit: Cottage on Bunker Hill

A wreath party is a perfect fit for anyone who loves fresh greens. Every guest goes home with a decorated wreath for their own front door.

Hold it right after Thanksgiving, when plain fresh wreaths are easy to find, and plan for 2 to 3 hours. Send invites 3 to 4 weeks ahead so you can get a headcount and buy enough wreaths. Set out ribbon, pinecones, dried orange slices, cinnamon sticks, berries and bells for decorating.

16. Wrapping paper photo booth

A photo booth wall covered in red plaid Christmas wrapping paper with a red bow and gold garland

Credit: Dash of Jazz

You can make a photo booth wall for under 20 dollars with one roll of Christmas wrapping paper. Cut the roll into three equal pieces and tape them up the wall side by side.

Add garland, bows and a strand of tinsel along the edges. Plaid paper looks great in photos and it is easy to take down when the party is over.

17. Photo prop basket

A basket of Christmas photo booth props with signs on sticks, Santa hats, headbands and bead garlands next to a plaid wall with gold tinsel

Credit: Dash of Jazz

The backdrop needs props, and a basket full of them gets even the shy relatives in front of the camera. Fill it with antler headbands, Santa hats, beards and signs on sticks.

Set the basket right next to the photo wall with a phone stand or a cheap ring light. Strings of beads and jingle bells make good props for the kids, too.

18. Ugly sweater party

A party table under a wall of red, black and white paper fans with Santa cookies, cupcakes, poinsettias and a broccoli Christmas tree

Credit: Pink Peppermint Design

An ugly sweater party gives everyone a reason to dig out that tacky sweater from the back of the closet. Cover the wall behind the food table with red, black and white paper fans for a quick, loud backdrop.

Keep the food simple and easy to grab. Her table had cupcakes, Santa cookies, chips, donut hole snowballs and a vegetable tray shaped like a Christmas tree.

19. Make your own ugly sweater station

A craft table with a plaid tablecloth, bottles of fabric glue, paint pens, scissors and red tops for making ugly Christmas sweaters

Credit: Pink Peppermint Design

If your guests do not own an ugly sweater, let them make one at the party. Cover a table with a plaid cloth and set out plain red tops, fabric glue, paint pens and scissors.

Add bowls of pom poms, tinsel, ribbon and felt shapes, then vote on the winner at the end of the night. It works for teens as well as grown ups.

20. White elephant dice game

A printable gift exchange dice game rules sheet with red dice icons and a Christmas stocking

Credit: White Elephant Rules

A white elephant gift swap is more fun with a pair of dice. Everyone brings one wrapped gift in a set price range, often about 20 dollars, and sits in a circle.

Players take turns rolling, and a printed rules sheet tells them what each number means, from passing every gift to the left to unwrapping their own or swapping with someone. The game keeps going until every gift is unwrapped, and you take home whatever you are holding.

21. Floating candle mason jars

A mason jar filled with water, an orange slice, cranberries and a pine sprig with a floating candle on top on a striped runner

Credit: Old Salt Farm

These jars take minutes, and they glow beautifully down the middle of a party table. Fill a mason jar about two thirds full with water, then add an orange slice, a sprig of pine and fresh cranberries.

Set a waterproof floating tealight on top. Line several jars down a runner or group three on a tray by the front door.

22. Candy cane place cards

A place card holder made of candy canes tied with a red velvet bow holding a name card on a white plate

Credit: Old Salt Farm

Place cards make a sit down Christmas dinner feel special, and these are made from three candy canes. Hot glue two canes together with the long sides slightly angled out so a card can rest on them.

Glue a third cane on the back so it stands up, then tie a red ribbon bow around the top. Mini candy canes work too for a smaller card.

23. Rustic toolbox centerpiece

A wooden toolbox centerpiece filled with greenery, mini trees, pinecones and wrapped present ornaments with fairy lights on a farmhouse dining table

Credit: Stacy Ling

An old wooden toolbox makes the best long centerpiece for a farmhouse table. Stuff it with greens, mini trees, pinecones and little present ornaments, then weave fairy lights through it.

She used the same box for Thanksgiving and swapped the pumpkins for the Christmas pieces, so it took her about 2 minutes to change over. Any crate or tray of the right length works the same way.

24. Vintage farmhouse place settings

A farmhouse Christmas place setting with a white plate, a wooden salad plate, a wine glass and a striped flour sack napkin next to a red tool caddy with jingle bells

Credit: Life on Summerhill

For the table itself, simple white and wood pieces look warm and cozy with a little red. Layer a white painted charger, a white dinner plate and a wooden salad plate.

Fold a flour sack towel into a napkin, add a homemade salt dough ornament to each plate as a little favor, and run a drop cloth runner down the middle. A red tool caddy with jingle bells and mistletoe garland makes the centerpiece.

How to plan a Christmas party at home

Pick the date first and send invitations three to four weeks out, because December calendars fill fast. Weeknights in early December and the weekend after Thanksgiving are often easier for guests than the last weekend before Christmas.

Choose one main activity, like cookie decorating, wreath making or a gift exchange, and build the menu around it. Two or three self serve stations, such as a cocoa bar, a snack board and one big appetizer, keep you out of the kitchen.

Do the work ahead. Bake cookies, build graham cracker houses and set the table the day before, and keep drinks warm in a slow cooker so the party runs itself.

Christmas party ideas FAQ

What are good Christmas party themes? An ugly sweater party, a cookie exchange, a pajama movie night, a wreath making party and a cozy farmhouse dinner are all easy themes. Pick one and let the food, games and decor follow it.

What food should I serve at a Christmas party? Self serve food works best. A charcuterie wreath, a pigs in a blanket wreath, a caprese tree and a popcorn bar cover salty and fresh, and a hot cocoa bar or sherbet punch covers drinks for every age.

What games can you play at a Christmas party? A white elephant gift exchange with dice, an ugly sweater contest, printable Christmas trivia and bingo, and a cookie decorating contest all work for mixed groups of kids and adults.

How do you host a Christmas party on a budget? Ask guests to bring cookies for an exchange or candy for gingerbread houses, use a roll of wrapping paper for a photo booth, and make centerpieces from mason jars, cranberries and greens from the yard.

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