Hosting a Christmas get together and I have no ideas! Help please!

[PinkAvocado]

I’ve offered to host a small get together with friends for Christmas instead of us all buying presents for each other. There are 6 adults and 7 children between 0 and 10.

I am rubbish at organising this sort of thing! Any ideas for:

-games/activities
-food
-general stuff

Please help!

Buy it in... what time are you doing it... i.e. can you get away with just biscuits or do you need to give a meal.

www.theworks.co.uk/p/christmas-party-games/pass-the-sprout/5052089202191
^^ this sort of thing goes down well with my children - even I secretly like them.

Maybe setting up a craft corner so children can do drawing or make paper chains - crayons only maybe so no mess?

Thank you-paper chains is an inspired idea!

It is late afternoon/early evening so I’m thinking pizzas, garlic bread and salad? A few of us a veggie/vegan so that’s easy then.

Ah I saw things like the sprout in Iceland. Thanks!

What about the puff pastry thing that is quick and easy (cheese tomatoes etc)

Other food cocktail sausages sprung rolls, christmas rocky road and home made mulled wine will go down a treat

Ideas for fun - christmas selfie booth (buy props cheaply in the pound shop) loads of craft for the children (foam stickers)

Christmas karaoke - inflatable microphones from Amazon

Paper snowflakes as well as chains. If you’re brave enough you could even get the glitter out!

Print Christmas themed colouring pages.

Food wise I’d do buffet type things/party food

Brilliant. Thanks! I’ll definitely have some craft stuff in the kitchen - snowflakes and chains (my husband may cry if I got glitter involved...)

I did buy an Elfie Selfie kit in Waitrose actually...must remember to use it!

Karaoke! Yes!

Crackers (pound shop)
Battery fairy lights and battery tealights galore (Wilko is good)
Music! (Frank Sinatra's Christmas album is my favourite)

With me & my friends (similar numbers) we tend to do a kids food sitting first and sip something nice while sorting them out. Rarely takes longer than 10-15 mins. When kids have been fed the 3 - 11-year-olds normally play games or watch a film in a different room, older ones look after the younger. Cornettos & popcorn for their pud. Adults can then have their food and a little peace.
Will you ask people to bring and share? Ie drinks, kids pud, potentially adult pud, perhaps some cheese & crackers? I would.
Have fun!

Mini logo game and other mini games on ebay and amazon.

Pens. Pencils. Stickers. Paper. Colouring books for the kids..
Poundland / pound stetcher / homebase

Also making kits of some sorts.
Gingerbread with icing in packs of about 4 normally from a supermarket

Games like charades are easy and free to play

Iceland do party food in big boxes. All sorts as well as some yummy desert type stuff

Thank you...Elf would definitely appeal to older ones and may be good to have a restful bit!

I’ll ask people to bring own drinks I think. We don’t drink so trying to work out what to have in alcohol wise would be another headache!

Sounds like you're all sorted now. Enjoy it

PS we have banned glitter in our house, so don't feel bad about it!

Thanks! Yeah glitter is fun at the time but not for the next 8 months

I'm planning a gingerbread house decorating session for DC in our family. They get a small one each to decorate so there's no arguing over decor!

Re: gingerbread house decorating. We tried this with 4 kids around 5-8 y, kits bought in Tesco. The kits were nice but it was still a disaster as it's a bit tricky to assemble the houses (needs quite a few adult hands to hold the pieces in place for a few minutes to get them to stick).
Too time consuming adult involvement needed before the fun bit started and the children lost interest.
If you go with gingerbread houses I'd assemble them all in advance - again - quite a lot of hassle.
Instead you could do what our local church does at their winter fair: Biscuit decorating! Paper plate with each child's name, lots of rich tea or ginger biscuits + different coloured icing tubes, sprinkles and toppings (smarties, dolly mixture, chocolate drops) in the middle of the table. Sampling the different toppings to make sure they're fresh is mandatory!
Suits every age and ambition level, some kids take a minute to do theirs and then scoff it, others sit for 30 mins and make their whole family's names etc.

Yyy to feed DCs first and then settle them in other room to play/watch movie/ do craft that needs minimal adult involvement. Oldest mind younger mostly.

Then adults eat and drink. And get to relax.

DCs get food they will actually eat - oven chips, pizza, chicken Christmas trees (fancy shaped goujons) etc.

Oven is then hot for something nice but simple at that stage for adults. May be something you’ve worked on in advance, or just easy to slide in from a shop package- but it should be little more than that at that point.

A few different pizzas with garlic bread and nice salad would be nice.

Keep drinks simple - bubbles (Lidl and Aldi prosecco are both lovely!!), mulled wine and some beer OR plain red/white wine would be plenty. And non alcoholic for both DCs and drivers.

Thanks everyone. I think keeping it simple and the children well fed seems to be key!