Holiday Party Gatherings

Clever and Frugal
Holiday Party Gatherings
To Help Each Other…

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Tree Trimming Party
Each guests is asked to bring potluck and the hostess provides the dessert and tree.
Prior to the guests arriving, put the tree on a stand and add the lights.
Place all the decorations out for guests.
When dinner is finished, turn up the Christmas Music
and encourage singing
while everyone decorates the tree.
It's a fun evening and it gets the job done in a fun way.

Variation
For a newly married couple on a budget,
Celebrate the season by letting the couple know when everyone
will be at their house and ask them to provide dessert.
Everyone brings potluck dishes and ornaments, lights, tinsel
and other decorations to make this first year married couple have a wonderful
Christmas season. Don't forget potpourri and Christmas Music.
Have each guest sign a Christmas Ball and date it for lasting memories.
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Christmas Tree Skirt Party
(like an old fashioned quilting bee…)

Donate to Hospitals, Rest Homes, Senior Citizen Centers, etc.
along with decorated mini or tabletop Christmas Trees

Clubs can purchase the supplies from their Treasury
or simply ask guests to provide the following to make one or two
(or however many the hostess decides are needed)

Easy 'No-Sew' Christmas Tree Skirts
.
Materials:

Doily or Round Tablecloths
(These can be purchased inexpensively from Target, Wal-Mart, K-Mart, etc.)

Hot Glue Gun

Fray-Check
(can be bought at sewing stores)

Assorted trimmings
(buttons, sequins, lace, Christmas appliqués, etc.)

Velcro
(Self-adhesive type)

Directions:
Find the center of doily (or tablecloth.)
Using a ruler, draw a straight line from the center to the outside edge.
Cut on this line.
At the center of the skirt, cut a circle big enough to fit around the trunk of your tree.
Following the directions on the bottle of Fray-Check, place it on the cut edges of the skirt.
Place Velcro at the top of the circular area and all along the open line of the skirt.
Hot glue any trims that you have purchased.
Add trimming to hide the opening.
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Cookie Exchange Parties
(Basic Plan)
Ask each guest to bake, decorate and bring five (5) dozen cookies and one big bowl.
The cookies are set around the edge of a table and when everyone has arrived,
the fun begins…
Ask each guest to bring their bowl to the table and take one cookie
from every batch and continue to circle the table until ALL the cookies are gone.
Each guest will go home with five dozen cookies - all different kinds!

Theme Variations:
Around the World Cookie Exchange
Office Cookie Exchange
School or Church Fundraising Cookie Exchange
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Decorate Your Own Cookie Party
This get-together that provides great fun and plenty of time for talking…

Ask each guest to bring 1 dozen shaped cookies
(assign shapes to each guest, such as trees, wreaths, bells, stockings, elves, Santa, etc.)
and several bowls, mixing spoons and spatulas

Variation: The hostess can provide the all the cookies.

Prior to the guests arriving, set out:

* Tables and kitchen counter space

*Paper parchment pastry bags or use small
Ziplock Bags (snip off a corner for the tip)

*White Frosting
(a big big batch)

*Assortment of Food Coloring Dyes

*Print these instructions on how to decorate cookies for each guest:
Cookie Decorating 101
http://www.cakeworkscentral.com/cookies/cookie-decorating.htm

*After all the cookies are decorated, the guests
take an assortment of the decorated cookie shapes.
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Gingerbread House Party
Another let's have fun and time to visit type of party…

A Kids Party
Using a milk carton as the frame and frosting for glue,
attach sections of Graham Crackers.
Provide frosting in assorted colors
and lots of mini colorful candies
to let the artists create their own architectural design.

Adult Parties
For complete Blue Prints and Construction Materials
for an edible Gingerbread House, complete with colored photo samples,
Visit
http://www.thepartyworks.com/crafts/gingerbread/gingerbreadparty.htm

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Party Favors for Guests To Take Home
Whatever type of party you give,
send your guests home with a special treat
made from your heart…

Handwrite or copy/paste the following onto a recipe card
and attach to a Christmas Ball tied with a ribbon:

Recipe for Christmas Joy

Ingredients
1/2 cup Hugs
4 tsp Kisses
4 cups Love
1 cup Special Holiday Cheer
1/2 cup Peace on Earth
3 tsp Christmas Spirits
2 cups Goodwill Toward Man
1 Sprig of Mistletoe
1 medium-size bag of Christmas Snowflakes (the regular kind won't do!)

Directions
Mix hugs, kisses, smiles and love until consistent.
Blend in holiday cheer,
peace on earth,
Christmas spirits
and good will toward men.
Use the mixture to fill a large, warm heart,
where it can be stored for a lifetime,
(it never goes bad!).
Serve as desired under mistletoe, sprinkled liberally with
special Christmas Snowflakes.
It is especially good when accompanied by
Christmas Carols and family get-togethers.
Serve to one and all.

~Author Unknown~

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