When it’s time to organize the annual soiree, you want your event to rise above the rest. After all, there’s more to the spirit of the season than standing around sipping eggnog in ugly sweaters. So what can you do to add a fun twist to your next holiday party and make it unique? The following five clever ideas will have your guests raving about your festivities until well into the new year.
Think Beyond White Elephant
White-elephant gift exchanges carry on a beloved holiday tradition — but they also celebrate wasteful consumerism. If “he who dies with the most toys wins” didn’t go out in the 1980s, it certainly didn’t withstand the current pandemic. Even Walmart, that bastion of all things retail, decided to close in honour of Thanksgiving this year — follow its lead to stay relevant.
Instead of going with the traditional silly-but-useless gift, why not announce an eco-friendly theme? Ask your guests to bring something they made from recycled or repurposed materials. Everyone gets a chance to show off their hobby, and you could score a sweet throw pillow made from an old T-shirt.
Alternately, make your event a charitable affair. You don’t have to guilt people into giving. Remember paying for the red cup as your price of admittance to all those college keg parties? Have everyone bring non-perishable items to donate to your local food bank as the price of entry.
Bring Adult Beverages to the Treat Table
A bit of the bubbly or other adult brew helps to oil everyone’s social gears. However, your guests that pull the designated driver straw can miss out on a sip of your star bourbon — unless you bake with it.
Hot oven temperatures burn off the alcohol but leave behind all the intoxicating vanilla-spice flavours. A tray of brownies or a tempting pecan pie made with bourbon provides sober guests with a taste minus the pricey DUI.
Encourage Socially Distant Gaming
Ah, 2020. Thank you ever so much for making an innocent game of “Twister” with folks outside your immediate family a risky proposition.
However, you have plenty of options for more socially distant gaming. Why not pick up a Wii from your local library and have guests challenge each other to bowling games?
You can also pick up hula hoops at any dollar store and have contests to see who can go the longest — if you can get it spinning at all. There’s nothing wrong with adult versions of classic favourites like charades or scavenger hunts.
Recreate the Magic of Movie Night
Another way to have a blast while keeping a safe distance is to recreate the drive-in movie experience in your backyard. Unless you live on a farm, you don’t have to have guests drive their vehicles on your lawn.
Rent an outdoor movie projector and set up a viewing area. Make sure you include plenty of heaters to keep your guests from shivering. Invite them to bring their favourite indoor-outdoor blankets.
Then, select a theme. Perhaps you want to do a marathon of “The Lord of the Rings” or “Star Wars.” You can also showcase everyone’s favourite holiday specials. Save money by finding classic gems on streaming channels and taking advantage of one-week free trials.
Perform Some Random Acts of Kindness
Think about how cold your feet get standing at the bus stop on a subzero day. Then, imagine having to stay out there all day and night. That’s the unfortunate plight of many homeless individuals.
Why not turn your event into a celebration of shared humanity by making blessings bags for the homeless and distributing them? Include plenty of high-quality warm socks, gloves and hygiene items like lip balm, lotion and the ubiquitous hand sanitizer. Part of your party fun can include putting them together.
Do you want to mix charity with pleasure? Why not get enough Uber rides to do your charity work and carry everyone home safely after delivery? You earn double the brownie points for performing random acts of kindness and preventing DUIs.
Please check and adhere to all Covid-19 rules and restrictions.
About The Author:
Oscar Collins is the managing editor at Modded, where he writes about cars, fitness, the outdoors and more. Check out @TModded for regular updates!