I always look forward to going to or throwing a My Favorite Things Christmas Party! It is one of the most fun and engaging parties you can attend. You really get to know people. And, the best part is everyone gets to go home with several gifts! Activities will vary from party to party. But the main thing is to do what will be fun for you and your group.
Have A Guest List Minimum
Since this is a party where a certain amount of gifts will be exchanged, it’s important to think about who you are inviting. Everyone may not be in the same income bracket. So you want to have your gift amount be affordable for all. Five dollars per gift is usually a safe amount. But some go up to $20. Consider how long you want it to be. There’s a lot of activity like getting to know you, games, food, and gift exchange. So prepare for at least 4 hours. Within this time, think about how long it will take each person to say something about themselves and present their gifts. This can be achieved well with about no more than 10 to 15 people. Plan how you want each activity to go from start to finish so you can keep track of time. Because this is the type of party that’s so fun your guests won’t want to leave!
Decor & Attire
You really don’t need to decorate. Unless you have a specific theme still adding Christmas flare. If you want to reduce the amount of work to give you more time to plan for the activities, you can also keep it simple with just your Christmas decorations around the house. The focus is the interaction your guests have with one another. My Favorite Things Parties are usually between casual holiday festive attire or dressy casual. Again, unless you have a certain theme, keep it simple.
Food & Drinks
There is no specific way to do food and drinks. You can have hors d’oeuvres, desserts, and drinks, a light lunch, or a potluck. It’s up to you. Just keep in mind, you will be entertaining for 4 hours. And you probably don’t want to have a lot of cleaning up to do afterward. So if it will help you to have something light or have each person bring one item, try as much as you can to reduce more work for you. Also, plan the time frame you want your guests to eat. Do you want them to eat, mingle, and be done before the activities start? Or do you mind eating throughout the party? Either way, you want the party to flow.
How It Works
Mingle and Eat – When guests first arrive, make a short informal announcement. “Welcome Everyone.” Help yourself to the food and mingle get to know each other.” For those that don’t know what to do, this will give them immediate direction and help them get comfortable. Repeat this as new guests continue to show up.
Start The Activities – About 10 minutes before you begin your activities, make an announcement that you will start in about 10 minutes. This gives your guests time to go to the bathroom, and finish their food and conversation. Make the seating in a round-the-room formation so that everyone can see one another. You will start off with, “Ok. Thank you all for coming. I’m so glad you could make it.” Then explain to them how the evening will go. “Many of you have started to get to know one another. Now we’re going to go around the room and introduce ourselves individually.” Make sure they have guidelines on what to say. We are not trying to hear everyone’s life story. Tell them to state their name, where they are from, what they do for a living, married or have children if they’d like, and a hobby. That’s it. If you want to have games, minimize them to two. Printables are an easy structured way to do something fun and within a time limit.
Gifts! – Saving the best for last! Set a gift amount. The average range is typically between $5 to $10 per gift. Some gift ideas are cup coaster sets, journals, keepsake boxes, picture frames, and warm fuzzy socks. Items like scented candles, body lotion, and body wash are fine. Just keep in mind some people might be allergic or don’t like certain scents when considering your gifts. Your invitations should be very detailed. And will include the following.
- Purchase 3 of the exact same $5 gifts that are your personal favorite things. Then gift bag or gift wrap them the exact same way so everyone knows who the gifts are coming from.
- Bring one dessert, side dish or whatever your menu will be.
When it’s time to exchange gifts, you will have each guest write their name on 3 small pieces of paper and put them in a bowl. Everyone will pull 3 different names. Going around the room, each person will explain why they chose the gift they are giving. Then everyone whose name you pulled will open your gift. And this will be repeated until the last person is finished. Having good food, meeting new people, and taking home new gifts is a great way to party!
Hostess Challenge: What will be the number of gifts per person. And what will be the gift amount?
