wnc_mom Posted October 23, 2009 Share Posted October 23, 2009 This year we want to start a new tradtion by having a christmas party/dinner at our house for family...I am lost as to what to do lol where to start? Food? Etc. I want it to be kinda like the christmas with the kranks lol(without all the drama lol) U know like that whole tradtion thing lol any ideas? I know i'll do a sprial ham yummy!!! but trying to think of any good ideas? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
vsa3janes Posted October 23, 2009 Share Posted October 23, 2009 One of the gals at work does this for her family and they all bring a white elephant type of gift then play the left/right story game. (a story where everyone passes gifts left/right when the word is said in the story) She said over the years people start bringing back the same gag gifts and it is a laugh to see who takes it home, knowing they will bring it next year. Apparently it is all about the way the gift is wrapped. No matter what is inside people want to end up with the more uniquely wrapped gift. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
georgiapeach717 Posted October 23, 2009 Share Posted October 23, 2009 i love the white elephant gift exchange! i also love a set of napkins i got at party city one year that were paper but had christmas themed drinks with recipes on them. Then you could make the drinks that are featured on the napkins and others can take a napkin home as a recipe swap! if there will be kids, a cookie decorating station could be a very messy but fun option too! :) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Hummin Bird Posted October 23, 2009 Share Posted October 23, 2009 (edited) Mannnnnnnnn this is right up my ally. I throw a Christmas Party EVERY year lol. Because im usually so busy with shopping I do all finger/small foods and deserts. Some I make, some I have made at a deli or sweet shop. I have 2 of the long rectangular fold out tables that are always covered with food We do the blind gift thing but I always stress that its under $10 and unisex. This is how it usually goes...... As people are arriving my daughter hands each person 5 clothes pins (we buy the wood ones and spend about 2 days decorating them) for the "word" game we play. Because it is Christmas, we usually use Christmas as the word. If you hear someone say the word of the day then they have to give you one of thier clothes pins. The person with the most clothes spins at the end of the party gets the Big Xmas gift (usually some kind of giftcard) I also, have a smaller table upfront that has simple hors d'oeuvres on it like deviled eggs, stuffed olives, candied cherries, burt sugar peanuts so they can munch with out digging into the bigger yet. And my DH plays bartender for awhile while everyone mingles and settles in. Once jsut about everyone has arrived (usually within 30 mins of when the party started) a few of the kids (mine and friends) perform. Sometimes they get up there and sing a song or they have put together a little skit. Its always very fun and entertaining as all of them are goofballs lol. Once that is done, we ask someone to say a prayer and bless the food we are about to eat. Once the prayer is done I walk over and rip the cover off the tables of food lol. Its always funny because people are always trying to peek at whats going to be served. I make a big deal out of the revel every year. While everyone else is eating I go and start making the "Cranberry Celebration" drinks for our traditional toast. (the recipe is int he holiday recipe thread) Once everyone has finished eating we pass around the drinks and usually 2 or 3 people will make a toast or say a few words and we drink up! Then its time for the gift exchange. As people bring a gift in I stick half of a numbered ticket on it and put the other half of the ticket in a christmas stocking. I also write everyones name down that brings a gift on pieces of paper and put them in a seperate stocking. I pull a name out of the green stocking and they come up and pull a numbered ticket out of the red stocking and that is how they get thier gift, the one with the matching ticket. No one is allowed to open thier gift until all gifts have been handed out. Once Im done handing them out, DH counts down from 5 and blows a wistle and you should see everyone tearing into the gifts. We continue to laugh and mingle for awhile and then its time for the word game to be over. Myself and one or 2 other people will go around and count and collect the clothes pins frome ach person who decided to play the game. Once we figure out who had the most clothes pins we announce thier name and give them the gift. Now everyone is making plates to take home or packing up to go. I take all of the clothes pins and put them on the front table and everyone can take one as they leave (they double as ornaments) I have friends who still have a clothes pin for every year since 1998 lol. edit: we always have stuffed stockings to give to all the kids also. I make sure to fill them up with all kinds of candy and little noise makers The parents love me lol Edited October 23, 2009 by Hummin Bird Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
angied64084 Posted October 23, 2009 Share Posted October 23, 2009 We do a family get together every year. We usually designate a cuisine theme (ie, mexican, italian, traditional, etc) and the host provideds the main dish...usually the meat. Guest then let the host know what they are bringing so host can designate dishes to those who ask. This year, it's appetizers! Anyway we all collect white elephant stuff year round. It will vary from fart machines (can't wait to see who gets this one this year), color books for the kids, etc. We have had the same pair of lacy red panties in the white elephant for about 8 years now. We don't do traditional white elephant rules though...we play Christmas Bingo, Christmas Triva and who ever shouts out the correct answer, gets the prize. You don't like the prize, you can steal from anyone else. It's fun and we of course do easy questions for the kids, etc. Last year was full of "steals" over Christmas Story themed stuff. I HIGHLY recommend getting a triva game as it gets everyone involved! Hope you enjoy your gathering as much as we do! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
wnc_mom Posted October 23, 2009 Author Share Posted October 23, 2009 Oh i love all these ideas! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dealluvr Posted October 23, 2009 Share Posted October 23, 2009 i saw this idea for a centerpiece once and probably will never use it but i think it is cute take a big platter or cover a big piece of carboard with foil place a large ammount of cotton candy on it and poke in candy canes or whatever the whole thing can be eaten i saw it for july 4th and they stuck in sparklers unlit of course and different things for the holiday Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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