How to host the best ever Christmas in July party
The winter season is well and truly here and even though Christmas is still a long way off, mid-winter is a fabulous time to host an awesome Christmas in July party. Whether it’s for family or friends, a mid-year Christmas party will give everyone something to look forward to as winter drags on.
Living in Australia, our Christmases are usually filled with sun, sand and surf but this is your opportunity to enjoy a traditional winter Christmas that the Northern Hemisphere takes for granted. Want some tips? Here’s how to host the very best winter Christmas party.
Get organised
You want it to be the best Christmas party in July, right? So, you have to get your planning hat on and start to get organised at least a month ahead. Think about how big your party will be – small and intimate or a bigger event with plenty of guests. Is it going to be formal or relaxed and fun (think naughty Santa and inappropriate gifts)? Who will you invite? Will you do it all yourself or get your guests to pitch in?
Decorate
Christmas just wouldn’t be Christmas without lots of decorations so dust off the old Christmas tree and cover it with lights, baubles and tinsel. Hang a wreath on your door since this will be the first thing that your guests will see when they arrive and scatter around any other decorations you would usually put up at Christmas time.
The menu
Get creative with your Christmas in July party menu. Try to combine traditional dishes with some hint of modern style. For example, if you’re roasting a turkey, instead of serving it with the usual roast veggies, amp up the taste with balsamic and chocolate. Yep, chocolate. It’s super simple - just bring some balsamic vinegar to the boil then simmer uncovered until it reduces by half. Then, whisk in grated chocolate (about 1 tablespoon per third of a cup) and drizzle over the cooked vegies.
If you’re looking for some festive food inspiration, check out Delicious - they have some drool-worthy recipe ideas that will be sure to make your party a success.
The table
Of course the table needs to be amazing for your Christmas party so start with a festive table cloth then scatter over some greenery, colourful baubles, miniature snowmen, Christmas snow globes and candles to create a perfect look. Use your best china and layer your plates (dinner plate, side plate then dessert plate) then top each setting with a Christmas cracker.
Of course Santa has to make an appearance
No Christmas is complete without Santa, so make sure someone volunteers for the job. Santa costumes are easy to find online or in party shops and make sure you take a photo of each guest sitting on Santa’s knee while he asks them if they’ve been naughty or nice!
The gifts
It just wouldn’t be Christmas without gifts, so to keep the costs down, ask each of your guests to bring just one gift – you can either pull names out of a hat to determine who each guest is buying for, or if you have even numbers, ask all of the ladies to buy a gift for a female and all of the guys to bring a gift suitable for a male. Set a value for the gifts so your guests know what they should spend.
How you hand out the gifts is up to you but it’s always fun to play choose or steal. This is a hilarious gift exchange process where your guests vie to walk away with the best gift. Just get everyone to draw a number out of a hat to determine the order in which they will choose their gift. Get everyone to gather round the gifts and then whoever holds number one chooses their gift from the pile. They open it and show everyone what they have. Now it starts to get interesting as each new player can either choose a new gift or steal a gift from someone who has already opened one. Anyone who gets their gift stolen is next up – they can either choose a new gift or steal from someone else. The only rule here is that you can’t immediately steal back a gift that has been stolen from you (but if someone steals from you a second time, you can then steal back your original gift). This is a great party game that will have your guests in tears of laughter.
Let’s get the party started!
Now you’re all set to get that party started! We hope we were able to spark some ideas for you to have your best ever Christmas in July party. And don’t forget - if you need some extra cash to get the party humming, we’re here to help. Just take a look at our cash loans from $1,000 to find out how quick and easy it is to get your hands on some extra funds. Once a loan is approved, the cash is usually in your bank account within a few hours – so you and your guests will have a blast at your Christmas party this winter season!