Tis the season for parties! School parties, work parties, neighborhood parties. This time of year, everyone wants to celebrate together. I hosted my daughter's holiday cheer party over the weekend and it was so fun. Her team is made up of fourteen of the sweetest tween girls. If you are getting ready to host a party for the holidays, keep reading for lots of ideas to make any holiday party a success!
1. The Name Game: As the girls came in, they used the Elf Name chart to find out their 'official Elf name'. They wrote their 'Elf names' on name tags and kept them on during the party. The moms liked finding out their 'elf names' too. This is a great ice-breaker for adults and kids. And all you need is some name tags, a marker, and a printed copy of the Elf Name chart.
2. Photo Opp: I always like to have a photo booth at my parties. And this one was the easiest to set up! It is made of vinyl and has two cutouts for faces. I taped it to the door and the girls took turns popping their heads through. This Vinyl Snowman Photo Door Banner is from Oriental Trading Company.
My friend Kristin made these cute wrapped Christmas present costumes for the party. The girls all wanted to wear them. They took turns putting them on and sitting under the tree. You can make these by wrapping up a large box with your favorite wrapping paper. Don't forget to leave the bottom open and add holes for the head and arms! These make such cute photo props too!
4. Craft Time: Every party needs a craft. I have found whether people consider themselves 'crafty' or not-- everyone enjoys making something together. Since this a group of cheerleaders, I wanted to have them make an ornament that would remind them of their team. I couldn't find what I was looking for, so I designed my own. I bought foam Gingerbread Cut-Outs and then I created a pattern that looked like the team uniform. I packaged the craft supplies in baggies, so all the girls had to do was cut-out the pieces and assemble. You can find lots of cute foam craft ornaments at Oriental Trading.
5. Game On: Party games are fun! And it seems like the simple ones are often the most fun. First we played 'Candy Cane' fishing. I put a dozen or so candy canes in a jar. Then I made a 'fishing pole and hook' using a golf club, yarn and tape. (You can use a dowel rod, yard stick, tree branch etc for the pole.) The girls took turns seeing how many candy canes they could catch in 30 seconds. The winner got to keep a candy cane. This game can be adapted for any age. For younger kids, you can give them more time to fish. Or simply take turns to see if they can 'catch a candy cane'. For adults, you could turn it into relay race. Set up several candy cane fishing stations and then have teams race to see who can catch the most candy canes.
Pin the Nose on the Snowman: No matter how old you are, this game is always fun. I ordered it from Oriental Trading here.
We wrapped up the party with their favorite part, the gift exchange! The girls each brought a cheer bow. We gave each girl a number and let them take turns picking a present. We kept it interesting by doing it "Sassy Santa" style. You can read the rules for "Sassy Santa" here. The girls loved it!
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