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Add a little whimsy to your christmas magic

Family

The perfect family party occasion, Christmas is a time for sticking to tradition. But what if you switched things up a little this year? Without turning things upside down completely, why not add a few little surprises between the cocktails and the gifts, maybe some crazy outfits and some fun games people of all ages can really get into?

Quirky décor

There’s no question that garlands, lights and a gorgeous table setting provide instant atmosphere. But in addition to the traditional tree, a few personalized decorations can really spice things up a little.

Garlands with pictures

On a wall or on a garland, attach photos of each family member from when they were 5 or 10 years old. You’ll bring back memories for the older folks and the younger ones can try to guess who’s who.

Recycled ornaments

To keep the kids amused, get them to make pretty ornaments with the left-over wrapping paper or old Christmas cards. They’ll be super proud to hang them in the tree!

Christmas photo space

Install a photo wall in a corner of the living room with Christmas accessories (elf hats, Santa beards, funny eyeglasses, light garlands, etc.). Invite each guest to dress up and have their photo taken! Lots of fun and memories in the making!

To theme or not to theme?

Theme parties have the advantage of getting everyone into the mood quickly. They also spark decoration, menu and activity ideas. If you want people to wear costumes, pick a broad enough theme so that everyone can take part without it turning into a chore.

  • A white, red or green party theme
  • A glitter Christmas
  • Slacker party (everyone wears sweatpants or pyjamas!)
  • Movie night (everyone dresses like a Christmas movie character)
  • Tacky Christmas (there’s always the tacky Christmas sweater, but you can ask people to wear tacky socks, eyeglasses and hats)
  • Decoration divas (people need to wear a Christmas decoration as an accessory, like a reindeer headband, a garland necklace or tree ornament earrings).

Games: laughter guaranteed!

Everyone likes to have fun and games. Even the simplest games liven up a party like nothing else. Here are just a few.

  1. 1

    The Mystery Christmas Stocking

    Fill a Christmas stocking with about ten small holiday-themed items (ornaments, candies, mini log decorations, etc.). Close the stocking with an elastic band. Each player reaches into the stocking and tries to guess the items inside within one minute, then writes their answers on a sheet of paper (younger players can get help writing). The person who guesses the most items wins.

  2. 2

    Musical ice cube

    Hand an ice cube round the table. The player who ends up with the completely melted ice cube is out. Start again with a new ice cube until there’s only one player left.

  3. 3

    No yes, no no

    Pin 5 clothespins to each person’s clothing. During the party or for a predetermined time, no one is allowed to say yes or no. Each time a person says yes or no to someone, that person steals a clothespin away from them. Anyone who is out of clothespins can’t steal any more. The winner is the person who succeeds in stealing all the clothespins or who has the most clothespins at the end of the predetermined time.

  4. 4

    Christmas ABCs

    This can be played as individuals but it’s more fun in teams. Give each team a sheet of paper with the 26 letters of the alphabet written out in a single column. The goal is to find a Christmas-related word that starts with each letter. The winning team is the first to find all 26 words or the most words in a predetermined time.

  5. 5

    Rainbow

    Each player has a bowl of coloured candies in front of them (like Smarties, M&Ms or Skittles). Using a straw to suck them up, players have to sort their candies into piles of the same colour in front of them. The first to finish wins!