Saturday, December 3, 2011
Day 3 - Christmas Wreath Making Party
CHRISTMAS PARTY ACTIVITY:
Gather a few friends, neighbors or some children to make homemade wreaths for all your front doors. Whether they're made of paper, real evergreens, wood branches, velvet strips or silk flowers, your handmade touch will bring extra joy to the season.
Set out a snack food buffet on a side table, so your guests can help themselves while they work. This way you can spread out your wreathmaking supplies all over your dining table. Wreath making takes up a lot more room than making Christmas ornaments or writing and decorating Christmas cards.
At the end of the night, I suggest photographing each person holding their wreath before they leave. Print out pictures on paper to include in your guests' Christmas cards this year; or take the easy way out and just Facebook the pictures.
CHRISTMAS PARTY DECORATIONS:
You're already making some decorations as part of the party, so just be sure your Christmas lights are lit, a few fragrant candles are lit around your home, and there's a fire burning merrily away in your fireplace.
Present your party's Christmas wreath theme by serving on Caspari wreath paper plates.
CHRISTMAS PARTY MUSIC:
Making wreaths is such a traditional, time-honored Christmas activity, that I would recommend sticking to real traditional songs and classical or choir music.
Avoid music that might get too boring (such as Gregorian Christmas chants) but also try not to play anything too rock or pop or modern. Pick songs with a good upbeat tempo so you aren't falling asleep while crafting your wreaths.
CHRISTMAS PARTY APPETIZERS:
Because this is a weeknight party and the wreath making supplies will take up all of the dining table, you might want to set out a buffet for snacks and appetizers. Use your sideboard or buffet if you have one, or two end-to-end card tables if you don't. Reserve your coffee table to place coffee, cocoa, drinks and desserts on at the end of the evening.
Slice a fresh baguette of French bread, set out a storebought spinach artichoke dip, offer a fruit tray and a veggie plate with dip, and serve a baked brie at the last moment. (It will get cold and harden fast, so be sure to invite your guests to dig in right away). A bowl of olives here, a bowl of peanuts there, a small plate of pickles and pickled corn will round out your party offerings.
You can also set out some baked appetizers from Trader Joe's, fingerling potatoes rolled in olive oil and sea salt on skewers, and finger sandwiches.
CHRISTMAS PARTY BEVERAGES:
Offer a traditional non-alcoholic drink or two (apple cider, non-alcoholic eggnog, punch) and your signature cocktail for the evening. Open a bottle of red wine too and make that available.
Later on, when it's time to signal the evening's end approaching, offer hot coffee or tea (both with decaf options), hot cocoa or hot spiced apple cider.
(Just for fun, check out the Christmas Shot Glass Wreath. I don't recommend it for this party though!)
CHRISTMAS PARTY DESSERTS:
If you have the time and talent, bake and decorate Sandra Lee's wreath cookies the day before the party.
Serve desserts on your coffee table, so guests have an excuse to get up and stretch after hunching over their wreaths for so long. Offer just two choices - perhaps a nice hefty slice of fresh baked gingerbread cake, or a slice of cranberry coffee cake
Or you might find the M&Ms Christmas wreath cookies (shown above) fun to make and display.
BOOKS FOR PARTY PLANNING:
RELATED CHRISTMAS WREATH PARTY LINKS:
Christmas Wool Felt Wreath (Heart of Light)
Christmas Wreaths (Family Crafts at About.com)
Cupcake Wreath - Edible Christmas Crafts (Tipjunkie)
DIY Wreath Roundup (Bride Side of Life)
Homemade Christmas Wreath (Simple as 1-2-3)
Menswear Inspired Holiday Rag Wreath (Home Sweet Homemade)
Peace Unto Earth Wreath (Be Homemade)
Pottery Barn Christmas Garland Tutorial (Between Naps on the Porch)
Friday, December 2, 2011
Day 2 - Christmas Ornament Making Party
CHRISTMAS PARTY ACTIVITY:
Gather together a few other craft-obsessed women, settle in at your dining table, and make your own homemade Christmas ornaments!
After you're done making fabulous ornaments with your own personal touch, you can swap the ornaments with other guests, keep your own ornaments to gift to friends, or immediately hang them on your own tree.
Since this is a weeknight/worknight party, keep the guest list kid-free; the party should end before 10pm.
Eat a simple meal (soup and salad, plus a crusty bread perhaps?) and nibble on storebought cookies as you work.
CHRISTMAS PARTY DECORATIONS:
This is a worknight party, so keep cleanup simple by serving on paper plates. Try ornament-themed napkins and paper plates if you can find them.
No need to put up any special decorations for this party - your regular home Christmas decorations will keep the party festive.
Be sure to have your outdoor Christmas lights turned on when guests arrive!
CHRISTMAS PARTY MUSIC:
A crafty crowd will probably appreciate hip, folksy, or alternative Christmas music, plus some fun pop-styled Christmas songs. Put lots of female vocalists on your playlist. Think Christmas songs covered by famous musicians; Annie Lennox's new Christmas CD; the Christmas album by Cyndi Lauper, Destiny's Child's "Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer", Mariah Carey singing Santa Claus is Coming to Town, or soft holiday songs by Chris Isaak.
Perhaps your guests would enjoy listening to Harry Connick Junior's "What a Night" Christmas album while they work on their ornaments.
Depending on the demographics of your party guests, they might enjoy the Glee: The Music, The Christmas Album CD.
The "Maybe This Christmas Tree" various artists compilation has fun songs: Lisa Loeb singing "Jingle Bells," the Death Cab for Cutie version of "Christmas (Baby Please Come Home)" and the Raveonettes performing "The Christmas Song."
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CHRISTMAS PARTY APPETIZERS:
Since this is a worknight party, I wouldn't stretch out the appetizer and cocktail hour too long - you need to get busy creating your ornaments! I might stick with just two nice appetizers plus a bowl of olives or cocktail peanuts guests can help themselves to.
Beet Tartare and Goat Cheese Rounds (Food Connect)
Mushroom Onion Tartlets (Simply June)
Parmesan Pita Crisps (Good Housekeeping)
Roasted Red Pepper Mini Pizzas (Busy Cooks)
CHRISTMAS PARTY BEVERAGES:
This is a party, so serve something fun and bubbly. But not too bubbly - people have to drive home tonight and get up for work in the morning! Instead of champagne, how about a sparkling white zinfandel, a sparkling syrah just for fun, a not-too-dry Riesling, or a deliciously sweet Asti?
For non-drinkers, serve hot tea, decaf coffee, apple cider, or something red and sparkly such as Izze sparkling pomegranate soda or your own homemade cranberry juice punch.
CHRISTMAS PARTY ENTREES:
Since you'll be busy at work all day and crafting an ornament at the party, keep your entree simple. Make a lasagna the night before, for example, and quickly throw together a delicious green salad. Pop a loaf of garlic bread in the oven just before guests arrive, set out a dish of sliced cantaloupe or a bowl of grapes, and you're good to go.
Mixed Green Salad With Citrus Vinaigrette (Food Network)
Rachael Ray's Mile High Lasagna
Giada's Butternut Squash Lasagna Recipe (Food Network)
Barefoot Contessa's Portobello Lasagna Recipe (Food Network)
Freeze Ahead Lasagna Primavera (Martha Stewart)
CHRISTMAS PARTY DESSERTS:
The month is still young, so your guests will still be eager for rich, chocolatey desserts. (Later in the month they might feel bloated and sugared out!)
I suggest a nice rich chocolatey cake you can slice and quickly serve after your guests have finished with their ornaments. Offering tea and coffee with the cake is a social cue for the ladies to pack up their things and be ready to leave after dessert.
Bake the cake the night before, and leave it carefully covered under a cake dome so it doesn't dry out. You can always pick up a cake at the grocery store on the way home, but I prefer to put a little more handmade effort than that into my parties (even if I cheat and use a box mix).
Or mix up a batch of brownies quickly the night of the party. Your house will smell fabulous, and the brownies will likely disappear so you don't have to be tempted by leftovers the next day like you might with cake!
Chocolate Cake With Buttercream Cookie Dough Frosting (District Chocoholic)
Guinness Chocolate Cake with Cream Cheese Frosting (La Mia Vita Dolce)
Peanut Swirl Brownies Recipe by Ina Garten (Food Network)
BOOKS FOR PARTY PLANNING:
RELATED LINKS:
Christmas Ornament Stitchalong Blog
Christmas Reindeer Ornaments (Megpie Design)
Clothespin Reindeer Christmas Ornament Tutorial (Sew Gracious)
DIY Glitter Snowflake Ornament (The Glitter Guide)
Fabric Ornament How-To (V and Co)
Haul Out the Holly: Christmas Ornament Tutorial (Gwenny Penny)
Marsha's Ornament Exchange Party (Keeping the Christmas Spirit Alive 365)
Regency Silhouette Christmas Ornament Tutorial (The Magic Bean)
Chocolate Peppermint Roll (That Went Well)
Three Vintage Paper Ornaments to Make for the Holidays (Deck the Holidays)
Thursday, December 1, 2011
Day 1 - Christmas Card Writing Party
CHRISTMAS PARTY ACTIVITY:
Gather together with friends to get an important chore out of the way: holiday card writing. Invite people to bring over their cards, address books, stamps, pens, photos, stickers, embellishments, glitter and other crafty supplies.
You can chat, listen to music, and keep each other company while you work on your Christmas cards. I prefer not to show movies at Christmas card writing parties, since movies make people want to look up at the screen instead of down at the card they're writing in.
Encourage each other to finish, and inspire each other when you struggle to think of something to say to a particular relative.
CHRISTMAS PARTY GUESTS:
Your guest list will probably be comprised mainly of women - possibly mostly older women, since letter writing is a tradition that's dying out.
This is an ideal child-friendly party, too - other than it's a weeknight, school night party. Kids would love to come nibble on goodies and help make glittery, pretty Christmas cards to send to their relatives.
CHRISTMAS PARTY INSPIRATION:
CHRISTMAS PARTY DECORATIONS:
You may not have gone all out and fully decorated for the holiday yet. That's ok. You don't necessarily need decorations for this party - just a big table for everyone to spread out their things and work on. Or you could all settle in comfy chairs and lounge on couches, writing on lap desks or on magazines propped in your laps.
If you do decorate, stick to traditional red-and-white, red-and-gold or red-and-green, cheerful and colorful decor. You want to spark your guests' inspiration and put them in a festive holiday mood.
Be sure to have a festive wreath welcoming guests at your front door.
Lay the table with a festive, inexpensive holiday tablecloth that you won't mind getting gluey, glittery and inky from everyone's lovely card projects.
Serve food on paper plates to make this worknight party easy to clean up afterwards!
CHRISTMAS PARTY FRAGRANCE:
Make things cozy by lighting a fire, setting out lit candles, and spraying your home with a holiday fragrance. Bring in fresh evergreen cuttings from your back yard, if you live in a wooded area.
Also, you can inexpensively make your house smell fantastically festive with this simple trick: Put one stick of cinnamon in a big pan of water on the stove and simmer it. Start about twenty minutes before guests arrive, and refill the pan with water a couple times during the party. (Don't forget to check now and then to make sure the pan hasn't boiled dry!) You can buy a jar of eight or so cinnamon sticks for less than $3 at Trader Joe's
MUSIC:
Because December is so new, your guests will likely be excited about the upcoming holiday. I recommend classic traditional Christmas songs. (Later on in the month when people are tired of hearing Christmas music everywhere, it's time to haul out things like the fun, modern new Annie Lennox holiday CD).
Select albums and compilations with happy, poppy, energetic songs to keep your guests' energy levels up. I recommend Dean Martin, Bobby Darin, Brenda Lee, Bing Crosby, Frank Sinatra and similar recording artists.
CHRISTMAS PARTY APPETIZERS:
Because this is a weeknight party on a work night, you probably won't want to serve a sit-down dinner. That uses up too much time that your guests need to use writing and making their Christmas cards.
Instead, serve finger foods and appetizers. Try to keep them easy to pick up and easy to eat. Have plenty of napkins nearby - your guests will be using their hands to work with paper and envelopes, so they'll need a way to keep their hands clean as they nibble on treats.
Christmas Card Writing Party Appetizers (Taste of Home)
Christmas Nibbles (MSN Recipe Finder)
Five Little Nibbles With Puff Pastry (The Kitchn)
Homemade Cheese Straws (Martha Stewart)
Lemon Garlic Chickpea Dip with Veggies (Rachael Ray)
Lemon Thyme Bruschetta (The Kitchn)
CHRISTMAS PARTY BEVERAGES:
Because this is a worknight party, I wouldn't serve too many alcoholic drinks. Perhaps just a festive Grinch cocktail or a Holly Berry for each guest. Then I'd move on to non-alcoholic beverages if they're thirsty, and hot drinks if they're chilled.
Wow your guests with a San Pellegrino sparkling soda they've probably never seen: Chinotto. Serve it over ice for a non-alcoholic beverage, or create cocktails with it.
This bitter orange drink might be too strange for some of your guests, so also have standard festive fare on hand like Martinelli's sparkling juices or sparkling beverages from Trader Joe's.
Also offer hot beverages - tea and coffee in both caffeinated and decaf varieties, as well as a festive mug of steaming hot cocoa.
Bobby Flay's Mulled Cider, at Food Network
CHRISTMAS PARTY DESSERTS:
Serve desserts that are easy to pick up with one hand and eat while writing with the other. Things like cookies or mini tarts. Nothing that requires a spoon or fork! I also wouldn't serve mini cupcakes because the frosting is messy, or powdered sugar cookies like Linzer or Russian teacakes.
If you have time, bake cookies ahead of time. Or pick some up at an elegant bakery - try to avoid just picking up a bag of Chips Ahoy or boring Pepperidge Farm at the grocery store. Trader Joe's has some good quality, attractive cookies at an inexpensive price, too.
Candy Cane Cookies (A Good Appetite)
Mini Pecan Tarts (Mehan's Kitchen)
BOOKS FOR CHRISTMAS PARTY PLANNING:
RELATED LINKS:
Christmas Card Babysitting Swap Idea (Over a Cuppa)
Christmas Card Quotes (About.com)
Christmas Quotes (Making Greeting Cards)
5 Fabulous Christmas Card Tutorials (Passionately Artistic)
Simple Pleasures: Homemade Cards (This Time, This Space)
What Not to Do: Readers Share Notoriously Bad Christmas Letters (MSNBC)
