Fete Files: Holiday Planning Party

It's official, the holiday season is finally here. With Thanksgiving long gone and holiday shopping madness in full swing, what better way to kick off holiday parties with a planning party!

Regardless of what holiday you celebrate, this special time of year is about spending time with the ones you love. Holiday parties are always a blast, but there is a TON of work that goes into planning a successful event. This year, have your friends over early on in the holiday season to share gift ideas, plan your new years bash and enjoy a few cocktails!

INVITATIONS ONLY

Get your guests excited with some great invites. Paperstyle.com (always a favorite of mine) has a lot of really great invitations for any holiday party. My personal favorite was this candy cane invitation These sell for $16.50 per pack of ten (if you print them on your own). Check out www.paperstyle.com for tons of other great invites.

If you're feeling crafty, consider making your own ornament invites. All you need is a little construction paper and some markers! Either of these invitations will be a great way to kick off your holiday planning party this year!

SWEET SLURPS

There are SO many holiday drink options, cocktail AND mocktail, it's hard to choose just one! For those over 21, consider making Hot Tea Toddys! If you love apple cider as much as I do, this will certainly turn into one of your favorite holiday drinks. Hot Toddy's are also really easy to make!

MIX IT UP:

1 Irish breakfast tea bag
1 1/2 ounces Scotch or brandy
1 heaping tablespoon honey
Boiling water
1/2 cinnamon stick
1 slice lemon
Pinch ground nutmeg

(Recipe via Food Network)

For those under 21, consider making peppermint hot chocolate. This is even easier to make than the Hot Toddy's. There are a ton of different recipe's out there for peppermint hot chocolate, and the materials can be bought in bulk at any major food store for very little money.

COOKIE TIME

Baking holiday cookies are one of my favorite activities this time of year, and what better a time to do it than at your very own holiday planning party! There are a TON of amazing cookie recipes.

My personal favorite is candy cane cookies! I've been making them for years with my mom, and they are always such a blast to make and so delicious. They take a while to make, so it would be the perfect activity for your party.

THE RECIPE:

1 cup butter or margarine
1 cup sifted confectioners sugar
1 egg
1-1/2 teaspoon almond flavoring OR 3/4 teaspoon peppermint flavoring
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
2 1/2 cups all purpose flour
1 teaspoon salt
1/2 cup crushed peppermint candy (not necessary if you don't want mint cookies)
1/2 cup white sugar

1 container of red food coloring.

(Recipe via Christmas-Cookies.com)

Split the dough into two piles, one natural, and one with red food coloring. Gather all your friends around to shape the dough into the shapes of candy canes! Cook for approximately 10 minutes, or until they begin to turn golden brown. After you take them out of the oven, consider sprinkling a bit of flour over the top to add some extra flavor, it also looks like your candy canes are coated in snow!

Once you've got your cookies baked and your ready for some major snacking, gather everyone around to play some games. Have everyone make a list of the top three things that they want for Christmas. Consider setting a price limit because after all, holiday shopping can get expensive!

Put all of the lists into the bag, and then everything will get to pick their secret Santa. Add a little holiday fun to your party by watching some of your favorite holiday movies and listening to some of your favorite holiday tunes.

Happy Holidays!

delicious

digg

technorati

Email this page