Need another excuse to eat delicious food and exchange gifts? Why not host a friendmas!
This December, bring your closest friends together and enter a night filled with fun and laughter. It's your chance to escape the dad jokes, keep any kiddies at home and avoid the awkward relationship status q's.
So withour further or do, here are our top tips to hosting a successful friendmas!
Image: Canva
Guest List & Christmas Tunes
The secret to having a successful friendmas, start's with the guest list. Whilst you may want to invite all your friends, we think having no more than 10 friends is a safe place to start. Why? Simple; it gives you the chance to make the rounds and talk to everyone. Ten people still screams a party, but this way — it's a bit more tight knit and everyone can follow the flow of your christmas planned activities.
Great, so now that your Christmas list is sorted, it's time to plan the tunes! We're talking Michael Buble, Mariah Carey — you know the rest! But, a spotify playlist is always handy, so your friends can add their favourite songs. This way, there's no excuse for them to not have a little boogie.
Image: Instagram / @banksiagifts
Decorations
When it comes to decorations, our advice is to think practically! We don't want anything plastic or that can only be used once. We want it to last, be timeless and to be able to pull it out year and year again. So, start with a colour scheme and stick with it. Use this to decide your table setting, napkins and name tags if you like. Don't forget to set the table with some bon bons for excitement and gifts to be won.
Then it's time to bring out the table decorations. We think Banksia Gifts Aroma Pods, look really nice and respresent Australian nature well. Not to mention they're plastic-free and offer a smell of eucalyptus. We also have some beautiful Candles that come in various christmas scents, like Mistletoe & Ivy, Candy Cane, Frosted Berries and Fresh Pine, to help set the scene. For your nibbles, you can't go past using our Coconut Bowls.
And for the fun part — decorating the Christmas tree. We have some beautiful, sustainably made bell and christmas tree shaped decorations from Banksia Gifts. Earth Greetings also has some gorgeous bamboo baubles in various animal shapes — super cute!
Food & Drink
There's no denying that food and drinks are a huge part of Christmas success. But, to avoid over catering, you might like to send out a list of what people can bring. A pot luck is a very good approach. It's basically where everyone has to bring a homemade dish of food to be shared. Think — nibbles, starters, entrees, lunch, salads, desserts, etc! This also helps to avoid any double up's.
Check out our Food Category for some 'what to bring' ideas! Mince Pies and some Christmas Choccies won't go astray. Instant Mash is a goodie as well, super quick to make! Drink wise, get inventive with some Christmas cocktails. It's a great activity to do with your friends. If you like gin, we highly recommend our Handcrafted Gin Kit.
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Games | Secret Santa
What's a christmas party without some games? Before your guests attend, let them know at this party you'll be running a secret santa/ kris kringle. Our best advice is to set a limit on gifting. This way, you and your guests can take the pressure off on finding the perfect gift. We have a number of stocking filler options to suit every budget! You may also like to set the challenge to making a homemade gift or edible gifts only. The choice is completely yours.
You could also take your gift giving to the next level, with a game of white elephant. Same concept, but a little more exciting. You can read the full details over in our blog here.
Of course when it comes to games, you can always get out some cards or play some board games too. The options are endless.
A Christmas theme is always fun with friends too! You may choose a christmas movie theme, christmas colours or christmas animals. And, to really ensure your guests dress up, you can incentivise a prize for best dressed.
We hope these tips help you host a fun-packed friendmas this year. For more inspo, make sure to check out the blogs below!
DIY Eco-friendly Christmas Crafts