Out-Of-The-Box Holiday Parties To Host This Year 

Board parties have become all the rage, but this is your sign to infuse your holiday party hosting with freshness and creativity. Gregory Fast, entertaining expert and event planner extraordinaire is here with a few out of the box holiday party ideas you have to try this festive season!

Tree cutting ceremony: There’s nothing more festive than cutting down your own Christmas tree. This year, take the day to the next level by making it an event for the entire fam! Invite friends and family to meet at your home and ask everyone to dress in a similar way – glam, festive cheer, ugly holiday sweaters? Have fun with it! To truly make the most out of this memorable field trip, take the opportunity for a family photo opp ans hire a photographer to document your day. Once you’ve hand-selected your perfect tree, invite guests home for an easy dinner – your favourite chili recipe, or opt for ordering in pizza for a casual and fun end to a festive day. Have mulled wine on the stove for adults & hot cocoa for the kids. Turn on some holiday music and spend the night dressing your beautiful new tree – watch the holiday magic light up the room!

The traveling cocktail party: This has become a welcome tradition in my family that we all look forward to each year. With a traveling cocktail party you do just that, travel from home to home, enjoying bites and cocktails at each location. I love this for a few reasons; first, it’s unique and keeps things interesting and fun. We all work so hard dressing our homes for the holidays and this way we get to enjoy everyone’s festive cheer. Likewise, hosting can be expensive and time intensive. With this approach, hosts share that load amongst each other making party hosting far more approachable and cost effective. So, how does it work? First, you’ll need to decide on two to four primary “hosts” for the night, map out the drive or walk route ahead of time, and share the plan with your guests so everyone knows what to expect. Appointing designated drivers/Ubers ahead of time is a great idea as it makes for a smooth transition from house to house. Each host will prepare a different array of snacks and cocktails, maybe all hosts align to one type of theme or you just keep it easy and focus on serving different foods at each stop. Spend 1-2 hours at each location before departing to the next. Think of it like holiday speed dating, but only it’s house tours! It’s high energy and a lot of fun for everyone!

Holiday baking day: In many households, holiday baking is a cherished family tradition. If you’re looking for something different and wholesome, host friends for a holiday baking day! Each friend would pick 2-3 kinds of cookies to make, share supplies, suggestions, and baking tips. Not only is it a productive day, but a fun one too! If you happen to have a friend with a double oven, that would be a great spot to host, but not a requirement. Break for lunch, crack the wine, turn up the holiday tunes, and don’t forget to taste test your creations!