Let’s face it – everyone enjoys a good party, especially a festive one. To make a Christmas party the talk of the office or neighborhood, one would frequently need to go over the top.
Christmas parties may be a lot of fun, but preparing them can be difficult, especially if you don’t have a lot of money to spend. The truth is that you don’t have to go above and beyond to have the best party. You’ll be hosting a memorable Christmas party in no time with some simple decorations, a hip soundtrack, and a sprinkle of magic.
To make things easier for you, we’ve compiled a list of 8 essential things for the most affordable – but awesome – Christmas party ever.
Venue
Picking the right venue is important. You wouldn’t want a congested place to invite a multitude of guest. If you have a big house, good for you, because you already save on venue costs. But if you happen to live in an apartment, this might be a problem. There are two ways you can deal with this situation. The first would be setting a time limit for each guest. Say, you cater to 10 pax from 10am to 12pm, after that, you get ready for another group of guest. Or, you could simply ask a friend or family to borrow their space.
Pick a Theme
Christmas comes in all sorts of themes these days. We have white Christmas, winter wonderland, and so much more. All these themes have one thing in common – they cost you lots and lots of money. So, if you insist on having a theme, here’s a simple idea: ask your guests to put on their previous year’s Christmas sweater or pyjamas! That way, you and your guest won’t have to bother shopping for new clothes. You can also go with Christmas colours as your theme. Have your guest wear anything from red, green, white, gold or silver.
DIY Decorations
Making your own party decor is a fantastic and affordable alternative for a Christmas celebration. Make use of your existing Christmas decorations. Visit a local yard sale or a thrift shop if you don’t already have any decorations to use this year. You can create your own decorations as well. All you have to do is check out YouTube for a variety of basic decorations videos to do with items you already have at home.
e-Invites
Don’t bother wasting your time and money to print out fancy invitation cards. No one’s gonna keep them except for you. To save on cost, just send out e-invites. You can use apps like Canva to create a simple invitation and send them to your guests via WhatsApp or e-mail. Easy-peasy!
Potluck
No one can deny this, but food is a crucial part of any event – and that includes a Christmas party. But if you’re on a budget and still want a good amount of food during your party, what are the options? The best one would be potluck. Think about it. Instead of you, single-handedly cooking a Christmas meal, why not get your guests to bring an item each? That way, you’ll have a variety of food at a low cost. You may wonder about catering, but let’s be honest, catering is pricey these days. Caterers’ options are limited, but they charge a high price. Even for potluck, the food doesn’t have to be all turkeys and stuff. They can be simple meals and desserts as long as there’s enough to feed everybody.
Organize Secret Santa or White Elephant Exchanges
Who leaves a Christmas party without a present? NO ONE! But since you’re on a budget, you can’t be buying every guest a gift, can you? The best solution is to organize a Secret Santa or White Elephant exchange during your party.
Secret Santa is a great way to give gifts during the holidays, and if everyone who will be at your Christmas party knows each other, setting up this kind of gift exchange is the most economical choice. You can take your time and concentrate on one gift that will truly mean something to the recipient rather than hurriedly buying meaningless presents for all of your friends. You can also impose a financial cap on these transactions so that everyone is aware of the budget they must stick to. On the other hand, if you’re playing White Elephant, you and your guest must bring something that you don’t use at home. This plan not only reduces expenses but is entertaining because it is more of a surprise game.
BYOB-Bring Your Own Beer
Alcohol is without a doubt an expensive choice of drink. But it would be fun to have in any kind of party, especially during Christmas.
Encourage guests to bring their preferred alcoholic beverage rather than providing free alcohol for the event. You can put up a small bar table with one theme cocktail that you’ve selected (eggnog is always a festive go-to), as well as a variety of non-alcoholic drinks and garnishes for your guests’ drinks, like lemon and lime. Even though you might think it’s a bit much to ask, most people receive plenty of alcohol as gifts over the holiday season and are likely happy to bring their own drinks that they know they’ll enjoy, rather than relying solely on what you’re providing or feeling awkward if you haven’t specified BYO.
Christmas Playlist
You don’t need to hire a fancy DJ to hype up your Christmas party. Just get your playlist ready and you’re good to go. Having a prepared playlist is essential, whether you decide to play Christmas music or just ambient music. Thankfully, you don’t have to buy pricey speakers or rent a jukebox for karaoke. If you don’t already have any speakers, use your own or a friend’s. Set up some YouTube videos for your family and friends to follow if they enjoy karaoke. If you don’t already have a paid account, sign up for a free trial of one of the many fantastic music streaming services out there – like YouTube, Spotify, or Apple Music, or use a friend’s.
