Holiday parties are filled with more diversity and creativity than ever. Why? From decorations and entertainment to food and drinks, guests are taking a more active role to cultivate an unforgettable experience. The number one holiday party trend this year is interactivity, and it is the driving force behind the top holiday party ideas.
So step back and let your guests take the reigns with these unique holiday party ideas that have them engaged from the moment they arrive. While they put their personal touch on your holiday party, you can simply enjoy celebrating with good company.
Guest-Inspired Holiday Party Ideas
A Fresh Take on Traditional Holiday Party Menus
Gone are the days of exclusively traditional holiday party food. It is no secret that people are cooking with fresh, seasonal and local food that tells a story. This year, holiday party menus will be exceptionally personalized in these ways:
- Ethnic holiday cuisine: Think about the demographics that will characterize your holiday party and celebrate with ethnic cuisine. We love the idea of an ethnic tapas party where guests get to decorate their own holiday party plates and sample menu items from around the world.
- Build your own bars: Guests want to help build their meal just the way they like it. So set up custom food stations like a mashed potato bar, brownie sundae station, hot cocoa bar or s’mores area. This provides guests with unique food, entertainment and photo ops all at once, relieving you of some responsibilities.
- Fresh local herbs: Fresh herbs are a top culinary trend, and they marry perfectly with holiday party food. So incorporate local herbs, spices and produce in your menu. Rosemary is finding its way into everything, but especially holiday cookies.
Customizable to be as indulgent or refreshing as guests like, fresh holiday party food will be a popular option at all holiday events this year. This especially rings true at January celebrations that are a great time to recap and rejoice together. A healthy holiday brunch is a great way to refresh and reset for the New Year. And with brunch parties on the rise, guests will be very excited to receive your invitation.
Custom Natural Décor
Your fresh holiday menu filled with seasonal ingredients will be at home among natural décor inspired by the PANTONE color of the year—Greenery. Decorating with this color theme is so simple that you could do it all yourself. But of course guests would still want to put their stamp on your holiday party, so save yourself some work by letting them add to your décor in these ways:
- Tree decorating: To really make a statement, set up a full-size fresh tree at the entry and let guests hang ornaments with their names. From the moment they arrive, their personality will be on display as they decorate the tree.
- Window decals: So easy to remove and so fun to put up—let guests peel off a snowflake or other seasonal figure and stick it to windows. We really love this holiday party idea for Lewiston and Clarkston venues with floor-to-ceiling windows. But custom design decals with your company logo and now you have one of our favorite office holiday party decorations.
- Ski lodge theme: With natural wood throughout, faux fur blankets and a warming fireplace, guests will settle into a lodge atmosphere that takes them back to their childhood. To encourage them to reminisce on good times and look forward to future ones, set out giant maps and let guests sign their names at locations they have gone to ski or would like to go one day. What a perfect pairing to a global holiday party menu!
- Local flower centerpieces: Easy DIY holiday party table centerpieces are mason jars with holly inside. Then let guests complete their table décor by adding some local flowers or greenery you set out.
Engaging Cell Phone Apps
Tech-savvy companies are not the only ones incorporating technology into their holiday party entertainment. Cell phones help us connect and share, and for this reason we love them. But sometimes they can take our attention away from the present. The “heads up” technology trend encourages guests to use their phones to look up and embrace their surroundings. Interactive games and apps like Crowd Mics bring everyone together in fun new ways. From their voice to their photos, let guests supply the content for your holiday party entertainment.
Meaningful Holiday Arts & Crafts
While our chefs are busy in their culinary workshop, you can enjoy setting up arts and crafts stations for your many elves. Over the decades, our family business has seen artistic activities bring guests and communities together. Whether you are throwing a neighborhood Christmas party or company holiday party, we have an artistic holiday party activity for your guests:
- Santa’s workshop: One of our favorite holiday party themes for companies that love to give back. Ask guests to bring a food or supply item to donate to a local charity, and then set up a wrapping station to make it a shared experience your whole company feels good about.
- Ugly sweater donation: With the wonderful rise in community mindfulness, one of the most popular ideas for holiday parties is decorating red and green sweaters to donate to a local shelter. Let guests add their personal style to a sweater, wear it for your party, and then donate it on the way out. This is especially well-suited to outdoor holiday party venues where guests might like an extra layer at some point.
- Gingerbread house workshop: Invite kids to step inside a life-size gingerbread house where they can sit down to write a message on holiday party cards. You’ll be amazed by what heartfelt messages they want to send to their parents or neighbors.
While holiday party trends give guests a starring role in celebrations, remember it all starts with your event vision. To custom design a menu that combines your holiday party theme with the latest culinary trends, contact us online or give us a call at 208.743.0179.
