Kid Christmas Party

Mini Cupcakes 2011

When we first started this tradition three years ago, it was inspired by my daughters. They saw all the food, and fun I had hosting a Christmas gathering at our home, and wanted one for themselves. With a few days notice, we quickly assembled a small group of friends. Each girl had three friends at the party. We watched the original Dr. Seuess The Grinch that Stole Christmas, made a Christmas craft, and had snacks, and goody bags. The only requirement was to wear pajamas. That’s how we roll.

Kid Christmas Party 2010

Cookies 2010

Last year we went a little overboard. By we, it mostly means me. I have a hard time keeping invite lists short, because I feel like we ought to incclude as many people as want to come. So we had around 20 kids and some parents stuffed into my small home. We tried a white elephant gift last year. It was fun, but there were a few moments where kids got upset with what they got, and it made me realize that they were probably a little too young for that particular brand of game. We had a movie, plenty of food, and fun favors.

Snack Table 2011

This year, we’re keeping the list small and intimate. I’m trying to keep the total kids in the house to 12. The girls tend to enjoy smaller parties with people they have a real relationship with. So I refrained from influencing the list of invitees. My oldest is eight and she has a small circle of girls she likes, and spends time with. My youngest is six and is still at that age where inviting boys is no big deal. We’ve decided that we’ll start with a quick craft, a gift exchange game, and then snacks and a movie. After that, if there’s time, the kids can jump on our 7.5′ living room trampoline. It’s a handy thing to have. This year, I am enjoying keeping things simple. Baby steps, man. Baby steps.

Jumping 2010

Crafting 2010

Want to throw your own Christmas Party for kids? (wait, don’t run away screaming just yet...)

1.Choose a theme – we ~~like~~ love pjs.

2.Create guest list – intimate, or free-for-all – I’ve learned to let the kids decide.

3.Decide on method of invite – email, hand-deliver, mail – I love evite.

4.Pick a day or time that works. We’ve found evening, after dinner from 7-9 pm works well on a Friday or Saturday in December. There’s such a novelty at that age to having a nighttime party.

5.Collaborate on a menu – it’s fun to have kids involved in each step – ours will have cookies, fruit, pretzels and some fun surprises.

6.Decor – this is easy, as most of us decorate for Christmas, so if the kids want to add a little more, great. Otherwise, this is one check-off the list!

7.Party favors – this is totally optional. I love finding things from Oriental Trading Company, and Target’s dollar bins.

8.Movie/Craft/Game – this depends on you, how much you want to be involved. Favorite movies to watch, Rudolph, The Grinch, Mr. Magoo’s Christmas, or Frosty the Snowman.