Four Budget Friendly Ideas for Holiday Get Togethers

The holidays are almost here.  It’s a time filled with visits from far away friends and family, holiday parties and general merriment.  I try to make my guests feel at home with activities to keep them entertained.  Sometimes it is difficult to find activities that appeal to all ages.  Here are some ideas I use with my guests that have been a hit during parties and visits.

1. Host a Cookie Swap 
This works best on a small scale so limit the number of guests to no more than six. For a cookie swap, ask each guest to bring 6 of their favorite cookies per guest.  Each guest will swap six cookies with all of the other guests, ensuring that everyone goes home with a variety of tasty treats.  Serve cookies (of course) along with hot chocolate or spiced apple cider.

2. Host a Cookie Decorating Party for the kids.  


Once again it helps to keep the guest list limited to a small number.  Prepare three sugar cookies for each guest in holiday designs.  Set out different colors of icing, sprinkles and candies and allow each child to decorate the cookies however they feel inspired.

3. Host a game night. 

Invite friends over and have tables with a variety of favorite board games from childhood or games geared to adults like trivial pursuit.  Some guests might like the challenge of video games or computer games like partybingo.com.   After a couple of hours of playing board games, switch it up and play charades.  The snacks can be low key; have chips and dip, cookies and pizza. 



4.  Host an ornament decorating party.

Purchase a wooden ornament for each guest. Supply paints, paint pens and other decorations.  Glass ornaments can also be used with a supply of paints or items to use as filling.

 What are some of your ideas for entertaining guests during the holidays?

11 Comments

  1. Thank you for these great ideas! With 3 sons and lots of other kids in the family it is hard to keep them occupied during a party. These tips will be used at the next Christmas party for sure!

  2. I just love decorating cookies with my sons, cousins, nieces and nephews. We also like to create ornaments from foam cutouts.
    Thank you for these wonderful ideas!!

  3. great ideas! I like the Host a Cookie Swap the best.

  4. These are all great tips! We just made simple gingerbread houses with our moms group the other day and it was soooooooooo fun!

    Maureen
    maureen.tenney@gmail.com

  5. These are super fun ideas. I especially like the Cookie Swap, what a great way to get new recipes and try some delicious cookies.
    twinkle at optonline dot net

  6. a cookie decorating theme for kids is a great idea

  7. love the idea about a decorating party for kids…..my kids would love this…….thats a great idea

  8. That is a great idea to have some girlfriends over and decorate ornaments! Wine, Cheese and a chocolate fondue!

  9. Love the child decorating the cookies, they love that so much too and are so proud of what they did.

  10. Great ideas! Thanks for sharing

  11. Those are great ideas! More saving means more shopping!