How many people actually have *parties* at Christmas?

[QueenoftheNights]

The medi a is full of pary food, party frocks and 'how to behave at a party'.

I don't know anyone who has a party.
Most people I know catch up on sleep, have close family round for a couple of days, slouch about in their oldest comfy clothes, watch telly and cannot be arsed with the idea of party .

Who and where are all these party people buying canapes and wafting about in velvet dresses?

We host a family get together mid December that's more afternoon/early evening so no sashaying around in in sequins but a lot of catering!

On NYE we alternate hosting with other friends. Party frocks, gin bar and canapés this year plus terrible kitchen dancing... can't wait!

My PiLs have a few parties over christmas. I have a NYE party. No one gets dressed up though and some guests arrive after midnight (if they've been working). One friend is a burlesque dancer, she sometimes arrives in a sparkly dress.

I think a party for the neighbours sounds lovely.

We go to a few over Christmas and New Year. There’s always a drink s party after the candlelit carol service open to all, always Christmas Eve supper and drinks, usually about five or six drinks parties and a New Years Eve dance somewhere. Our slot is Boxing Day drinks 6-9pm with Champagne and canapés for 100 or so.
Most people scrape the mud off and put something tidy on.
I don’t think anyone usually reads up on how to behave though.

We have a party for friends & neighbours every year. Sometimes our family come along too or sometimes we have a separate family only do. We have drinks & food and music. We've done it for the last 15 years. I love it! 🎅

We have neighbours and local friends round on Boxing Day evening for drinks and nibbles. It's not a wild party, but it's a festive get together.

We used to do a small kids' party earlier on Boxing Day too, but ours are too old now.

caprisun

Tbh I can talk a glass eye to sleep it’s both my superpower and my kryptonite - dh reckons half our guests are actually hostages

I've never been invited to a Christmas party! I'm 32. I don't have loads of friends though so that may be part of it.
December is my busiest time at work so I use it to recuperate

We do .....

The thing is...some of my neighbours don't like the other neighbours too much :)

I just don't like parties- talking to people you hardly know, balancing a canape and a glass and smiling all night long and desperate to get your heels off.

I always get caught up in these magazines and plan my imaginary party, the food I’ll make and what I’ll wear! In reality, I don’t know anyone who has Christmas parties, so I just dream about it every year. Maybe when I have a massive house and my DH decides he likes people....

We host a party on the second Saturday of December and are going to several before and during Christmas. It is nice to get dolled up and get together with friends and family.

I'm hosting a party for 120 for my birthday.

I like a party

It’s not getting folk to come to a Christmas party that’s my concern - it’s getting folk to leave! Is it best to have an afternoon soirée, or are there still people hanging about at 10pm?

The thing is...some of my neighbours don't like the other neighbours too much

That's what makes neighbours parties so much fun

We have a work do which is a bit like a party and we always go to a NYE party.

We’re going to a Turkey Curry Buffet party on Boxing Day. Our ex next door neighbours (married male couple who we adore) throw it every year. It’s hilariously camp, we dress up, dance to old classics and drink far too much. DD is coming for the first time this year (nearly 15) and is already planning what to wear. It’s a proper Christmas party, Babycham and everything.

A family friend always has a huge christmas party on christmas eve we go to. Then to church on way home.

An other friend also has everyone round for drinks and dancing to christmas songs and christmas films whilst she puts up the tree (she is one of those people who goes all out so its become tradition)

Then my close group of friends is made up of a around 12 differant families. We then take it turns to host a boxing night party.

We have a party with extended family usually the weekend before christmas. Usually at my aunts.

Then outside the house theres work, clubs and society christmas parties/dinners etc.

Ill be 8 months pregnant at christmas this year. So things will be a little differant im sure.

But I wouldnt say i was at a party everynight no.

Depends what you mean by 'party'

We have 3 occasions each year where we "go round for Christmas drinks" or "The annual Christmas get together" (which is a meal). Two are family - so by the time you have the Grandparents, grown dc + their their halves + their dc + their dc's other halves - I'd call that a party really ?? The 3rd one s a sort of 'adopted family' thing that we've carried on from what we did as children some 50+ years ago. We move around houses so it isn't us hosting all the time, or sometimes ever, but that is 3 every year, then there is usually at least one, sometimes more friends who decide to have an impromptu party at some point over the Christmas period, or occasionally we do.

then lots of things you belong to make the last meet up, around Christmas a 'party', which also involves taking a platter of food though not wafting around in a velvet dress IME.

maddiemookins16mum They sound exactly like the type of people I want to be friends with. Cant beat a bit of kitsch!!

We go to six or seven every year, one black tie, one work, one or two I for al and a few drinks and canapés and party dresses.
We have one Christmas morning for about 8 families

I have invites to four so far ( personal social, not work related) and we are giving one. Not on Xmas Eve, Xmas Day, or Boxing Day, that is just family. Ours is in between Xmas and New Year, as is is one we are going to and the others are shortly before.

I know a few people who have annual christmas parties (one is actually a new years day party). I love going but would never host one myself, nor would most people.

We sometimes throw a Christmas party for our local friends. In fact this thread has prompted me to start a bit of an invite list. So far I'm up to approx 50 adults, let alone everyone's kids 😭. There's usually at least one village 'do'. Then there's work parties, my birthday, school things, seeing family...There is very little downtime at Christmas!

I’ve got a work do, (full on sparkly cocktail frock, heels and fizz affair), Christmas dinner in a restaurant for PTA volunteers (smart top, velvet blazer and jeans), neighbourhood association get-together (smart jumper and long patterned skirt), Christmas drinks and nibbles with uni friends (casual patterned frock) and New Year’s Eve with friends (embellished jumper and silk skirt). Plus a couple of Christmas trips to the theatre where I could either wear jeans and trainers, or could dress up a bit depending on my mood. So quite a few occasions for wearing clothes outside the normal run of work/school run but I’d be surprised if I actually went out and bought new clothes for any of them. (I have bought clothes steadily over the last 30 years, and I also pick out gems from charity shops when I see them).

Two of them might possibly involve supermarket canapé platters.