Invite friends over for a casual relaxed evening of festive Christmas movie viewing. Everyone can lounge, enjoy snacks and beverages, and get into the holiday spirit.
Plan to show two movies. Begin the party early enough in the day to allow time for two feature films, as well as a half hour at the start of the party for socializing, and a half hour intermission between.
To make the party run more smoothly, announce the movies ahead of time. That way you and your guests don't sit around wasting time debating which movie to show. Guests should feel free to drop by for the movie they prefer to see, and leave if they aren't interested in the second film.
Serve a nice mix of hot or cold options, alcoholic and non alcoholic. Eggnog would be festive, as well as some fun, colorful cocktails embellished with sparkling sugar.
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.
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."
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.
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?
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.
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!
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.
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."
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.
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?
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.
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!