Christmas tree symbol of Christmas season

No holiday is more anticipated than Christmas. All over the world, people observe this lovely season with plenty of gift-giving, merrymaking and sumptuous feasts. The Yuletide season is all about love, so it only makes sense that when this holiday comes, there’s one thing, or rather, one circle of people you’ll always want to celebrate it with: your family.

Spending Christmas with your family is always wonderful, and instead of just having a quiet sit-down dinner, why not make the event more special by preparing a fun party for everyone? Bring the Christmas cheer to the whole clan with these party ideas.

Sending The Invites

Calling relatives for family Christmas party

One great thing about family Christmas celebrations is you don’t have to be so formal with everything. Unless you’re planning a great big Yuletide family reunion, most of the guests are already close and bonded with each other. Most hosts don’t even produce invitations for the party anymore, and just take out their phone books to call up their relatives.

If you still want to get invitations, you can simply purchase ready-made ones from party supplies stores. This is a good idea if you’re expecting plenty of people, including family friends, to come. Ready-made invitations cost less in bulk and they come in numerous lovely designs to choose from.

If you’ve only got a handful of people to invite, it’s nicer if you can prepare your own stylish invitations for the party. You’ll only need a bit of creativity and some art materials. One easy idea is to cut out Snowman and Christmas Tree shapes from white and green cardboard. Neatly write the party details on the front using colored pens, then sprinkle silver glitters all over the invitations. You can also use other shapes, like the Christmas Star, Snowflakes or even a gift box.

Another swell idea is to mail items as your invitations. Send out Christmas stockings you knitted yourself, with small pieces of chocolate and toys inside. Include a note regarding the party, with all the necessary details. You can also send out copies of family photos placed inside festive frames. Write the party details behind the frame, before you hand-deliver them to all the guests.

You must remember to send the party invitations as soon as possible, at least a few weeks in advance of the holiday. This is very important, especially if you’re expecting relatives from far places to attend. It’s also nice if you can provide contact details so they can call to RSVP.

Cheery Family Decorations

Christmas is never complete without beautiful party decorations to brighten up your place. Even if it’s just at home, you must make the space as festive as possible. Here are a few ideas to give your home that Christmasey, family-bonding feeling.

Christmas stockings hanging for party decor
• The color motif for Christmas is red and green. Get tablecloths, streamers, banners and seat covers in these hues. Brighten them up by mixing in some silver, gold and even a bit of silvery blue.
• Hang up Christmas stockings around the house, with names of all the family members on each one of them.
• If you’ve got a fireplace, light up a fire. There’s nothing more homey and peaceful than the warmth and crackling sound of logs burning. Just make sure the kids don’t come near the fire though.
• Hang up tinsel and Christmas lights for a spectacular aura.
• Don’t forget the mistletoe. It’s a custom for people to kiss under it. Hang it at an unexpected place, and have fun watching people smooch each other.
• Play Christmas songs in the background.

Mistletoe for additional party decoration
• Arrange a Santa’s Workshop space for the little tots. Brighten the corner with festive fabrics, toy toolboxes and lay out broken toys that they must repair. Tell them the toys they finish repairing will be donated to less fortunate kids as lovely Christmas gifts.
• Get poinsettia and holly flower arrangements and put them as lovely centerpieces around the home.
• Polish the candlesticks and put them on the dinner table for a lovely, semi-formal effect.
• Christmas is never complete without the tree. Place your decorated Christmas tree at one part of the house. You can ask your guests to bring ornaments to add to the tree’s design. If they bring gifts for everyone, they can also place it under the tree.
• Have a large family portrait blown-up and framed, and hang it on the wall.
• Learn how to make Christmas ornaments

What’s For Dinner?

Christmas is not just about giving and receiving gifts. It’s also about eating, drinking and being merry all day long, as you celebrate the holiday season. Your guests will definitely look for some warm and home-cooked eats, so make sure you don’t disappoint them at the dinner table. Here are some Christmas dinner must-haves you should never forget.

• Soup - In most places, Christmas is a cold and chilly time. What better way to warm everyone’s stomachs than by serving a bowl of warm soup to start the meal? Serve a hearty pumpkin soup, sweet potato soup or chicken noodle soup. Tomato soup with parsley on top is also great, and complements the season’s colors.
• Salad - No matter how yummy and delectable steaks and meat are, you might have a few relatives who are watching their weight or who don’t eat meat at all. Satisfy the vegetarians’ diet by whipping up a fresh garden salad. Raspberry and walnuts salad, spinach salad and cranberry salad are healthy additions to your banquet.
• Appetizers - You might need to keep them waiting for a while before you serve the main course, so fill them up a bit with yummy appetizers. Tartlets, turnovers and pastry rolls are great choices.

Bowl of warm soup

Roast turkey for main dish

Fresh garder salad

• Main course - For most hosts, roast turkey is a wonderful choice because of its size and flavor. If you don’t want poultry anymore, you can serve pork or beef tenderloin, or even big chunks of steak. (Tips on how to roast a boneless pork loin)
• Side Dish - Your main dish will look lonely by itself on the plate. Serve it with mashed potatoes, boiled vegetables, and casserole on the side.
• Dessert - A perfect dessert is the cherry on top of your fantastic banquet. Whip up Christmas cakes, cupcakes, pies, cheesecake and cream puffs, for a sweet ending to your meal.
• Drinks - Make sure you serve a variety of drinks, like fruit juices, red wine, and punch. Champagne is great too, especially during toasts. Eggnog is also a delicious beverage traditionally served during Christmas so make sure you have some.

Yuletide Family Bonding

Christmas is a time for bonding, and is a wonderful opportunity for everyone to rekindle and strengthen old family ties. Since everyone’s present, let them have fun by preparing heartwarming and enjoyable Christmas activities. Here are a few examples you can try.

Christmas tree with photo ornaments
• Christmas Storytelling - There are numerous Christmas-inspired endearing stories that have delighted people for a long time. Relive these tales by having a storytelling session. Ask everyone to sit down around the fireplace, and have one person pick out a book. You can choose titles like How The Grinch Stole Christmas by Dr. Seuss, The Polar Express by Chris Van Allsburg, and A Christmas Carol by Charles Dickens. Have one person read a paragraph at a time, then pass it to the person next to him or her, so everyone will have their turn.
• Put Up Photo Ornaments - Not yet finished decorating your tree? Here’s a wonderful deviation to the usual decor you use: get plenty of colored styrofoam balls or popsicle stick frames, and ask everyone to stick their photo to a ball or frame. Everyone will then hang their own simple, but memorable decorations on the tree.

Exchange gifts for lovely memory
• Exchange Gifts - Christmas isn’t the same without gifts! Let everyone sit beside the tree, and hand out gifts to them. Make sure everyone has one. When everyone’s holding their gift, tell them to open all at the same time. You’ll be pleased with the ohhs and ahhs from everyone.
• I Am Thankful This Christmas - This is a sweet and heartwarming activity you’ll all treasure. Ask everyone to sit in a circle, and give a large mug of eggnog to the first person in the circle. He or she must say “I am thankful this Christmas because….” and say the reasons why he or she loves the season. When the person finishes talking, he or she takes a small sip from the mug, then pass it to the next person. Everyone might say different stuff, but there’s one thing they’ll never forget: their family.

Family gift exchanging during Christmas family party.

Christmas is always worth celebrating with families. After all, without these people, there would be no you. Be thankful for them and make sure they enjoy the season by throwing a festive family Christmas party. It’s the best way to be cheery and happy this holiday season.