Party Tips & Ideas

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If you are planning an Xmas party to celebrate Christmas the following party tips and Christmas games will get you off to a good start.

If you need to break the ice there are lots of Christmas party games you can play. This is especially useful if there are people who don't know each other. There are some ice-breakers on this page, but for further ice-breakers, see Ice-breakers.

Chris' photo of Santa's legs coming out
of their handbuilt chimney for her
Who Killed Santa? Christmas party

There are the following Christmas party sections on this page:

• Christmas party decorations
• Christmas party games
• Xmas food and drinks
• Extra Xmas resources.

Christmas Party Decorations

Your house will feel warm and inviting if you have lots of candles and pretty lights both inside and outside for your Christmas party. Besides the usual nativity scenes and reindeers and mistletoe and so on, you may like to try these decorations.

Outside Christmas Decorations

String strands of tiny white lights in your garden, along railings, through potted plants, around tree limbs or around the front door of your house, for a special Christmas atmosphere.

Paper bag lights

Place paper bag lights along the edge of your path leading up to the front door to create a warm Christmas welcome for your guests. These soft lights will also help to guide those who are not quite sure of your address to your Xmas party. Another good place for them is amongst plants in a garden bed and on the letterbox. Here's how you make them:

1. Pour a few inches of sand or soil into the bottom brown paper lunch-size bags.
2. Open them into a cylinder shape so the sand holds the bag flat on the ground.
3. Push a short candle (a few inches long - so it sits below the top of the bag) into the sand. The sand will keep the candle upright and the wind won't blow the candle out because the bag protects it. If the sand has made a solid base the bag will be well away from the flame.
4. Have a bucket of water handy to pour on any of the bags if they do happen to catch alight.

Inside Christmas Decorations

Here are some Christmas ideas you may like to try:

• Float small candles in water in glass bowls. For variety, color the water with food coloring.
• Decorate plain glass tumblers by pasting stars cut out of tissue paper on the outside, and place a short candle inside.
• Tie candlesticks with wide gold, silver or Christmas ribbon.
• Clump candles of different sizes in groups on a table.
• Sit short candles on a tiered cake stand in amongst pine cones.
• Stand a candle in the middle of a dish of seashells.
• Use scented candles to give the room a nice soft smell.
• Spray pinecones or whole walnuts with gold or silver paint and cluster them around a candle. Tie with a broad ribbon to hold them in place.

Warning: Never leave burning candles unattended. Keep flames away from paper, greens, or other flammable objects. Make sure candles aren't placed where partygoers will knock them over or brush against them with their clothing. Have a bucket of water handy and a hose.

Other Christmas decoration suggestions

Fill the house with a delightful aroma by simmering a pot of water with cinnamon and citrus fruit.

Fill mittens with potpourri, tie with ribbon and hang near the front door for a lovely aroma. These can be given as gifts at the end of the Christmas party.

For a dramatic tree decoration make a huge bow out of richly colored wired ribbon and place it on top of the tree. Just make big loops, tie them together with floral wire and allow long lengths to hang down through the tree.

Christmas Party Games

Blindfold giftwrap

This Christmas party game involves you blindfolding two volunteers. Have them stand at a table with a number of small, unwrapped presents, sticky tape and ribbon. They each have to wrap, tape and tie with ribbon two or three presents blindfolded. The neatest wrapper wins. You could also divide the guests into two groups and have them all have a go.

Christmas Gift list

Ask the guests to write their name vertically down the side of a piece of paper. Give them a few minutes to write Christmas gifts starting with each letter, beside each letter. Try to make up as many as possible beginning with each letter. The guest with the greatest number wins the prize.

Clumsy fingers

Divide your party guests into two teams. Have two pairs of large rubber gloves (washing-up type) or large men's gloves. Put plenty of wrapped sweets into two paper bags. The first person in each line has to put the gloves on, take a sweet from the bag, unwrap it and put it in their mouth. If they drop the sweet on the floor they have to start again. They then have to take off the gloves, and pass them to next person on the team. The team that finishes first wins the prize.

Xmas food and drinks

For a change from the traditional Christmas fare, why not have an international Christmas meal? There are many recipes on the internet – see www.google.com for "Christmas recipes international". The following is traditional Christmas fare enjoyed around the world.

• Czech Republic: Fish soup, salads, eggs and carp.
  
• Finland: A casserole of macaroni, rutabaga, carrot and potato, with ham or turkey, or a mixed platter of meat and fish.
• Germany: Roast Goose accompanied by potatoes, cabbage, carrots, parsnip and pickles.
• Italy: Antipasto, a small portion of pasta, roast meat, two salads, two sweet puddings followed by cheese, fruit, brandy and chocolates.
• Jamaica: Rice, gungo peas, chicken, ox tail and curried goat.
• Latvia: Cooked brown peas with bacon sauce, small pies, cabbage and sausage.
• Norway: For coastal regions haddock and lutefisk, and inland pork chops, meatloaf and special sausages.
• Portugal: Salted dry cod-fish with boiled potatoes.
• Russia: Cakes, pies and meat dumplings.
• Sweden: Shellfish, pork, cooked and raw herring fish, caviar, cheeses and brown beans.
• Ukraine: Meat broth.
• United Kingdom: Roast dinner with Yorkshire pudding, Christmas Pudding and Mince Pies.

Note: Don't forget the cookies and glass of milk for Santa and a few apples for the reindeers.

Xmas drinks

• Champagne is a traditional Christmas tipple, however mulled wine (Gluhwein) is a popular Christmas drink in Austria, Switzerland and Germany. It contains red wine, fruit, cloves and cinnamon and is served hot.

Extra Xmas resources

www.christmas-town.net - Find Christmas gifts, holiday recipes, Christmas stories, articles, projects, and more here.

Our murder mysteries

Merri Mysteries have over 21 murder mystery games ideal for injecting drama, fun and intrigue into your dinner party, birthday or corporate event. Order and download over 21 kits online which include a host guide, guest invitations and clue scripts. For more information have a look at our full range of mystery kits.

• Mystery Parties / Party Tips & Ideas / Christmas Parties