Simple Adult Christmas Party Ideas

Planning a Christmas party? With the whirlwind of the holiday season, it can be hard to make time with your friends who are like family, but I love these get-togethers so much that I compiled a list of my favorite Christmas party ideas from different parties that I have attended or hosted. As daunting as it can be to plan a Christmas party, just combining a few of these simple Christmas party ideas will make sure that you and your friends have a great party.

Christmas Party Ideas

Make a photo wall.

This is super easy to do and can give you great photos with friends. Get a roll of wrapping paper from Dollar Tree. Something simple, no metallic wrapping papers. Pin it to a wall in your house. Make sure it is high enough for any tall people at your party. Dollar tree has a lot of props too that make having a photo area very simple. I bought two reindeer headbands, a Santa hat, and a Santa beard. I also took Christmas decorations from around my house as additional props. For a bonus, you can encourage your guests to wear ugly Christmas sweaters.

Gingerbread House Contests.

This is a lot of fun because of all the trash talking involved. Tell your guests to bring different candies for decorating the houses, and you can use the pre-made kits for each group. After everyone is finished, take a vote with the stipulation that you can’t vote for your own house.

Christmas Drinks

Very simple…eggnog and hot chocolate. You can provide an assortment of soft drinks, but have one or two themed drinks for your party. I love to make crockpot hot chocolate with a candy bar that includes marshmallows, peppermint sticks, peanut butter chips, pretzels, sprinkles, chocolate chips, whip cream, caramel, etc. For an adult party, a bottle of whisky can be on the side for those who want to add it.

White Elephant.

White elephants are great because you can open gifts with 15 people, but you only had to buy one….a lifesaver for your wallet. Feuds may start in your group if you allow stealing, but I think it’s the best part of the game. Set a limit of $15-$25 dollars to give people a price range to work with.

A Cookie Exchange.

Cookie exchanges make for a great afternoon Christmas party. A box of Christmas cookies is a lovely idea, but it’s not realistic to think that I’m going to bake 8 different kinds of cookies to make an assortment box. A Cookie exchange party divides the labor and everyone goes home with a box of treats. All the attendees bring 3-4 dozen of their own Christmas cookie. At the party, people try an assortment of different cookies with tea or milk. At the end of the party, everyone gets to make an assortment box of Christmas cookies to take home and enjoy later.

Crafty Christmas Party

One year, I attended a party where my friends had bought all the supplies to make two Christmas crafts. Each craft was $5 for the supplies, and you could make one or both. We made holiday wreaths and chalkboard picture frames. Everyone was also encouraged to try a new Pinterest recipe and bring it to the party. It was a great evening with wonderful food as we all tried to figure out how to make fabric flowers with a glue gun. It’s been several years, and I still have both crafts displayed in my home.

Plan your event with another event

During my second year of grad school, I planned a Christmas party for my cohort. As we discussed dates, we all had booked calendars between jobs, internships, classes, and going home for the holidays. We also wanted to attend Colonial Williamsburg ’s (CW) Grand Illumination, so I decided to plan my Christmas party for the same day. We met at my place in the afternoon with some light refreshments and games. Then, we headed to CW, grabbed dinner, and watched the show. Great evening! Some people could only attend one event, and that was okay too. I just made sure to text the people we were meeting up with in CW when we left my place.

Do you have any great Christmas party ideas? Share below in the comments!