5 Great Holiday Parties

The gifts are wrapped. The decorations are hung. Holiday party invitations have been shipped. Who's ready for the holidays?! Our favorite part of celebrating the holidays has to be the great parties we get to attend and throw.

Everyone is ready to let loose and enjoy the remaining days of the year. With high hopes for the new year, here are some fun types of holiday parties you can throw for your winter festivities.

Cookie/Baking Party

The sweet smells of fresh-baked goodies always reminds us of the holidays. Bundt cakes, cookies, pies, custards, are just some of the irresistible treats we indulge in at holiday parties. Ask everyone to bake an item to bring and celebrate in sweet style. Make the famous hot beverages of the season and you'll have a cozy party. Or you may provide everyone with the baking ingredients and have some DIY fun with sugar cookie decorating.

Ugly Sweater Party

This is a christmas classic! Grab one of grandma's vintage christmas sweaters (the more ruffles, pom-poms, or bells, the better) and have one fashionable fiesta. Ask your guests to bring a small gift to contribute to the big prize for whoever gets voted "ugliest" of them all! Encourage the gifts to be as silly as possible for night full of laughs!

Secret Santa/White Elephant

Perfect for large groups of friends and family, throwing a Secret Santa or White Elephant party is a great way to gift larger parties. We use Elfster to do Secret Santa via email. It's super easy and handles wish lists, name drawing, and coordination very well. If you're unfamiliar with White Elephant parties here's the rules of the game: https://www.whiteelephantrules.com/. The great part about White Elephant parties is the crazy uncertainty of what wacky gift you'll end up with. Your guest will have to have strategic wits to end up with something they have their eye on.

Onesie Movie Marathon

Invite your Snuggie-lovin' buddies for a grown-up onesie party! The cold weather and warm drinks are perfect for a group night at home. With the power of Netflix, you'll have all the holiday movies to marathon to all night. Ready for a great drinking game? Place a Santa hat on the corner of the screen and take a sip every time a character ends up wearing it!

Light Crawl

For the movers and shakes--take your party out on the town. Find the most festive residential area in your area and see the wonderful holiday decor as a group. Bring snacks, blankets, and your thermos full of cocoa. There's nothing like seeing the festive holiday lights to warm you up. Recap all your favorite sites at your favorite local pub.