Throw a Themed Holiday Party

There’s nothing like being home for the holidays. Celebrate the joys of the season by hosting one of these five fun holiday parties at your home:

Shop and Soup
Giving to others is an integral part of the holidays for many families. Turn your annual Sub-for-Santa into party by tackling the shopping and wrapping in one night. Meet at a mall or large retailer and divide family members into groups. Assign each group a specific member of the Sub-for-Santa family to focus their shopping efforts. After one hour, checkout and head back home, where you can wrap gifts and enjoy a soup potluck.

Red and Green
Celebrate the iconic colors of the Christmas season with a red-and-green themed party. Ask guests to dress in their red-and-green best then head to your home to enjoy foods that tow the party line, such as red and green tortilla chips with spinach dip, chili in green-colored bread bowls, colorful cake pops, or red and green candy. Take the theme further by playing only board or card games that come in red and green boxes — think Scattegories, Apples to Apples, 7 ate 9 and 10 Days in the Americas.

Christmas Costume Party
Halloween isn’t the only time of the year when you can dress up. Make Christmas come to life with a costume party celebrating well- and less-known holiday characters. Think Jack Frost and Frosty the Snowman, as well as Buddy the Elf and Clark Griswald. Ask guests to contribute a food-related item that relates to their character. For instance, Buddy may bring a jug of maple syrup, Santa could bring milk and cookies and Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer can contribute reindeer droppings (a.k.a. chocolate-covered almonds).

12 Days of Christmas Party
Borrow your theme from the beloved Christmas carol with a 12 Days of Christmas Party. Everyone brings a gift to swap that relates to an assigned line from the traditional tune. Encourage guests to be as creative as possible. The gifts can be edible — think five golden doughnut rings — or inedible — like a partridge figurine atop a made-from-pears tree.

Marshmallow Roast
Instead of roasting chestnuts by the open fire, buck tradition and host an outdoor marshmallow roast. Provide graham crackers, flavored marshmallows and a selection of chocolate bars, and encourage guests to mix-and-match to their hearts’ content. If the weather outside is frightful, you could roast marshmallows over a gas stove, inside a hot oven with door open, or even use the flame from a tea light.
Natalie Hollingshead is the co-author of “Happy Homemaking: An LDS Girl’s Guide”.