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PARTY THEMES don't have to involve costumes and garish decorations.
In fact, they don't always even involve your guests--sometimes
a theme can be as simple as an underlying principle to make
party-planning fun for you.
Take our suggestions as-is, or use them as inspiration to
invent your own holiday party theme!
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LILLIPUT
adorable tiny stuff
eschew dips and community foods for tiny versions of your
favorite aps; make:
(micro) meatballs
deviled
(quail) eggs
cocktail weenies
and a crudité platter of baby veggies
serve shots (and Jell-o
shots), 10-oz. bottles of Coke, and little frosty glasses
of beer
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DIPPITY
DO
all dip:
classic queso
queso fundido
artichoke dip
pico de gallo
potato chips & dip
tortilla chips & salsa
plus dippable drinks like punch, mulled
cider, or a big pot of homemade hot
chocolate
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VEGGIE
DELIGHT
all vegetarian dishes:
queso fundido
samosas
deviled eggs
artichoke dip
stuffed mushrooms (Anne's
or Nikol's)
fresh fruits & veggies
carved vegetable centerpieces (jack-o'-lantern style) |
LUAU
forget about the winter
tropical drinks
fruit-studded fare
cocktail umbrellas galore
tiki torches
tropical tablecloths
Hawaiian music
 tropical
drinks (make pitchers of mai tais, Singapore slings, hurricanes,
etc. for bartender-free service) |
FAMILY-STYLE
BUFFET
a serve-yourself sideboard of classic holiday fare:
roasted turkey
and ham
mashed potatoes
stuffing (take your pick)
pies (ditto)
hearty casseroles
plus: eggnog and
mulled cider |
TREE
TRIMMING/
COOKIE DECORATING
old-fashioned holiday fun
 play
corny holiday music and pop popcorn, then invite the gang over
to string garland & trim the tree. Or bake up several batches
of holiday-shaped cookies, make Royal icing in a myriad of colors,
and have everyone decorate away. Put little bowls of tiny candies,
 sprinkles
and other decorations on a lazy Susan and furnish plenty of
hot chocolate
or mulled cider,
plus some savory or salty treats to counter all that sugar. |
POTLUCK
an impromptu party
everyone brings a bottle and a dish; you provide plates, napkins
& mixers
Add music and dancing, board games, or favorite holiday movies
(the real How the Grinch Stole Christmas, A Christmas Story,
It's a Wonderful Life, Trading Places) to keep the merriment
going
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CLEAVER
CHRISTMAS
put on your favorite 50s tunes and make a cosy Cold War spread:
finger sandwiches
mixed nuts
classic mixed drinks
mountains of cookies
if you're ambitious (and you sew), make little aprons for the
ladies (gather pretty dish cloths and sew to inch-wide grosgrain
ribbon) and boutonnieres for the gents.
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