15 Easy Holiday Party Ideas for Hosting at Home
•Posted on October 13 2026
Whether you’re gathering the family around the Christmas tree or the menorah, the holidays have a way of filling up your calendar (and your kitchen) fast.
The good news is that a memorable holiday party doesn’t take weeks of planning or a picture-perfect table. Most of the time, it comes down to good food, a table that looks like you tried (even if you threw it together an hour before guests arrived), and kids who aren’t bouncing off the walls.
So, we rounded up 15 of our favorite holiday party ideas for hosting at home.
In this guide, you’ll find:
- Fun holiday party ideas, recipes, and activities
- Red and green Christmas party supplies
- Hanukkah party supplies to carry you through all eight nights
Let's get planning.
Table of Contents
What Are Easy Christmas Party Decorating Ideas?
The easiest Christmas party decorations do double duty, like a countdown the kids check every morning or a wall that doubles as your photo backdrop. Pick one spot to go big, like the mantel or the wall behind the buffet, and keep everything else simple.
1. Count Down to Christmas With an Advent Calendar
An advent calendar gets the whole family excited weeks before the party.
Hang it the day after Thanksgiving, and checking it becomes part of everyone’s morning routine (usually before breakfast, if the kids have anything to say about it).
Pick the style that fits your home:
- Santa Calendar - Hang it on a door, wall, or mantel, wherever the kids will spot it first.
- Gingerbread Calendar - Have the kids move the little gingerbread man one pocket closer to Christmas each day.
- Merry Christmas Calendar - The 24 pockets fit a candy cane or a small toy, and it hangs from a wooden dowel, so it looks just as nice in a grown-up living room.
Mom Tip: Want to make your own? Fill these cute Christmas advent calendar boxes with candy, tiny toys, or a note for each day, then number them and line them up along the mantel or a bookshelf.
2. Make a Plaid Christmas Photo Wall
Every holiday party ends with someone asking for a group photo, and nobody wants it taken in front of the fridge.
Our red and green plaid Christmas paper fans turn any blank wall into a backdrop in about 10 minutes.
Cluster the biggest fans in the middle and let the smaller ones trail off to one side. When the season’s over, fold them flat and save them for next year.
3. Tuck Christmas Pennant Flags Into Vases or Planters
Christmas felt pennant flags are one of the quickest ways to make a room feel ready for company.
Pop a Christmas felt pennant into a vase of fresh greenery on the buffet, or stick one in the potted plant by the front door so guests know they’ve found the party.
Christmas felt pennant flags also look cute poking out of a cookie jar or a bowl of candy canes on the dessert table.
Plus, felt holds up better than paper, so these Christmas party decorations can come back out every December!
How Do You Set a Table for a Christmas Party?
The easiest way to set a Christmas party table is to pick two main colors, like classic red and green or red and cream, and let one patterned piece per place setting carry the look.
4. Mix and Match Christmas Plates, Cups, and Napkins
Your Christmas table doesn’t have to match perfectly to look pulled together. The easiest rule is one busy pattern per place setting, with everything else keeping it simple.
Our Sophisticated Christmas party supplies collection makes this easy because everything is designed to work together.
Start with green floral Christmas dinner plates, with its poinsettias, swans, and gold scalloped rim. Stack pink Merry & Bright dessert plates on top, then fold matching Merry & Bright napkins beside the plates. It will look like you spent hours on your Christmas dinner table. And since it’s all paper, cleanup takes minutes instead of an evening at the sink.
5. Decorate With a DIY Christmas Centerpiece
Few things make a Christmas table feel cozier than candlelight bouncing off fresh cranberries and rosemary. Group three jars of different heights down the middle of the table, dim the overhead lights, and let them glow through dinner.
To make this Christmas centerpiece, you'll need:
- 3 clear glass jars or vases in different heights
- 1 bag of fresh cranberries
- A few sprigs of fresh rosemary
- Tea lights
Directions:
- Tuck two or three rosemary sprigs into each jar, pressing them against the glass.
- Pour in a generous handful of cranberries.
- Fill each jar with water to about an inch below the rim. The cranberries will float up and gather around the top.
- Set a tea light in the middle of each jar and light them just before guests arrive.
Mom Tip: If little ones will be at the table, battery-operated tea lights give you the same glow without the worry.
What Are Fun Christmas Party Activities for Kids and Families?
The best Christmas party activities are the ones kids can dive into without you running the show.
6. Set Out Christmas Sticker Placemats
Keeping little ones in their seats through a whole holiday meal is no small feat, so give them something to do the second they sit down.
Our City Sidewalks Paper Placemats come with an illustrated city street scene for kids to decorate.
The set includes 24 sticker sheets and 12 placemats with plenty of room for both sticker scenes and spilled cocoa (it happens to the best of us).
Plus, these placemats come with matching plates, napkins, treat boxes, and even a jigsaw puzzle. Perfect for a kids' Christmas table!
Shop the full City Sidewalks Christmas collection here.
7. Make a Christmas Paper Chain Garland Together
Paper chains are a holiday craft every generation remembers, and this version is pretty enough to keep up all season.
Our Christmas garland kit comes with 96 scalloped strips in four red, green, and cream patterns, including a sweet red gingham. The adhesive is already in the box, so there’s no hunting for the glue stick.
Set the strips out on a side table and let the kids (and any willing grown-ups) link them together as guests arrive. The kit makes about 20 feet of garland, enough to wrap the tree or drape across the mantel before the night is over.
8. Start a Family Christmas Jigsaw Puzzle
Leave a puzzle out on the coffee table, and you’ll be amazed how many guests wander over to help. It’s the kind of Christmas activity that brings Grandpa and the grandkids to the same table.
We carry more than a dozen Christmas jigsaw puzzles, so there’s one for every kind of puzzler:
- Gingerbread House Christmas Jigsaw Game - 87 pieces, shaped like the house itself, so little ones can finish it in one sitting.
- Santa’s Bakery Christmas Puzzle - 503 pieces in the shape of Santa’s storefront, complete with a pink striped awning and windows full of gingerbread cookies and cakes. It’s a sweet pick if your family’s Christmas revolves around the cookie tray.
- Gold Foil Christmas Jigsaw - 500 pieces of a fireside Christmas living room scene, with gold foil that catches the light as you build.
What Are Easy Christmas Party Food and Treat Ideas?
When it comes to holiday party ideas involving food, simple wins every time. Set up a self-serve drink station, make one cute treat ahead of time, and let the cookie tray take care of the rest so you’re not stuck in the kitchen all night.
9. Set Up a Christmas Hot Cocoa Station
A hot cocoa station keeps everyone happy, and it keeps guests out of your kitchen while you finish dinner.
Make a big batch of cocoa in a slow cooker so it stays warm all night, then set out bowls of mini marshmallows, crushed candy canes, and whipped cream for toppings.
10. Make Mini Strawberry Santas
These little strawberry Santas are almost too cute to eat, and they’re a fresh, lighter Christmas treat next to all the cookies. Kids will love helping put them together, and there’s no oven involved.
To make these easy Christmas desserts, you’ll need:
- Fresh strawberries
- Whipped cream
- Mini chocolate chips
Directions:
- Wash and dry the strawberries, then slice off the leafy tops so each berry stands flat.
- Cut off the pointy tip of each strawberry. Save it for Santa’s hat.
- Pipe a swirl of whipped cream onto the wide base for Santa’s face and beard.
- Set the "hat" on top and add a tiny dot of whipped cream for the pom-pom.
- Press in two mini chocolate chips for eyes.
Mom Tip: Make these Christmas snacks no more than an hour or two before guests arrive so the whipped cream holds its shape.
11. Bake and Decorate Christmas Cookies
No Christmas party is complete without a tray of homemade cookies.
Bake a batch of sugar cookies or gingerbread the day before, then set out bowls of frosting and sprinkles so guests can decorate their own.
You can also send any extras home in Christmas cookie boxes. Line them with a little parchment for buttery cookies, and keep a few extras on hand for last-minute neighbor gifts.
Want to make Christmas more exciting? Host a cookie swap. Ask each guest to bring a dozen of their favorite Christmas cookies. Everyone fills a box with a mix to take home, and you finally get to try that recipe your cousin won’t stop talking about.
12. Send Guests Home With Christmas Treat Bags
A little goodie bag at the door is a sweet way to say thanks for coming.
Fill our red gingham Christmas treat bags with cookies, a candy cane, or a small ornament, and line them up on a table by the door.
The gold scalloped rim and twisted handles make them look much fancier than a plain paper sack, and they come in a set of eight.
What Are Easy Hanukkah Dinner Ideas?
The best Hanukkah party ideas keep the focus where it belongs: family gathered around the menorah, a plate of crispy latkes, and plenty of time to linger.
Blue and gold Hanukkah tableware, a cozy after-dinner activity, and one sweet treat the kids can help make are all you need to turn any of the eight nights into one of your favorite holiday parties.
13. Set a Blue and Gold Hanukkah Dinner Table
Blue, white, and gold make a Hanukkah table glow, especially once the menorah is lit.
Start with our baby blue scalloped dinner plates as your base, then save the Star of David shaped dessert plates for sufganiyot and rugelach. Their gold and silver foil catches the candlelight beautifully.
Finish each place setting with a Happy Hanukkah guest towel, and scatter a little chocolate gelt down the center of the table. It’s festive, and nobody will complain about having a snack within reach!
14. Piece Together a Hanukkah Puzzle After Dinner
Once the candles are lit and the latkes are gone, bring out our Hanukkah Festival of Lights mini jigsaw puzzle.
At 42 pieces, it’s just right for little hands and a short evening, so the whole family can finish it together before bedtime.
It also makes a sweet gift for one of the eight nights, especially for the kids who love puzzles but aren’t quite ready for a 500-piece project.
15. Make No-Bake Marshmallow Dreidels
These marshmallow dreidels look just like the real thing, and kids can make a whole tray of them in just a few minutes. No oven required, and they’re perfect for snacking between rounds of dreidel.
To make this easy Hanukkah dessert for kids, you'll need:
- Large marshmallows
- Pretzel sticks
- Chocolate kisses
- Vanilla frosting (white or tinted blue)
- Blue and white sprinkles
Directions:
- Dab a little frosting on the flat bottom of a chocolate kiss and press it onto one end of a marshmallow. This is the dreidel’s point.
- Push a pretzel stick into the other end of the marshmallow to make the handle.
Spread a thin layer of frosting around the sides of the marshmallow and roll it in sprinkles. - Let them set for a few minutes before serving.
Serve them on our Happy Hanukkah bamboo tray. Its blue floral menorah design will easily make the dreidels pop.
Too Busy for Holiday Party Planning?
If December already feels like a blur of school concerts, gift shopping, and work parties, let us handle your party planning.
Our Holiday Subscription Box arrives about a month before each holiday with matching plates, napkins, cups, decor, and a fun activity, all designed to work together. Just unpack and decorate.
Pick the plan that fits your family:
- Single Celebration - One box, no commitment. Perfect if you just want a little help with Christmas this year.
- Pay Per Holiday - A recurring subscription that charges you before each box ships, so you’re never paying for a whole year upfront.
- VIP Annual Pass - The ultimate set-it-and-forget-it plan. Every major holiday from Valentine’s Day to New Year’s Eve shows up at your door, ready to go.
Celebrate the Holidays With Moment & Co
Whether you’re counting down with an advent calendar, piecing together a puzzle after dinner, or passing around a tray of marshmallow dreidels, these holiday party ideas are all about making memories at home without wearing yourself out.
Pick a few that fit your family, and don’t worry about doing them all. Nobody’s keeping score (except maybe the kids, on who gets the last strawberry Santa).
When you’re ready to shop, we have all the Christmas party supplies and Hanukkah party supplies you need, from plates and napkins to puzzles and cookie boxes.
Set the table, light the candles, and savor every minute with the people you love most.
Frequently Asked Questions
When is Hanukkah in 2026?
Hanukkah 2026 starts at sundown on Friday, December 4. The eighth candle is lit on the evening of Friday, December 11, and the holiday wraps up at nightfall on Saturday, December 12. Since it falls early in December this year, it’s a good idea to order your Hanukkah party supplies before Thanksgiving so everything arrives in time for the first night.
How far in advance should I plan a holiday party?
Aim for three to four weeks ahead. December calendars fill up fast between school events, work parties, and family visits, so send invites early to make sure your favorite people can come. That timing also gives you room to order tableware and decor without paying for rush shipping. Then save the last-minute jobs, like baking cookies and setting the table, for the day or two before.
Can I celebrate Christmas and Hanukkah at the same party?
Yes, you can absolutely celebrate Christmas and Hanukkah at the same party, and lots of blended and interfaith families do. The trick is to give each holiday its own moment instead of mixing everything together. For example, set a red-and-green Christmas table and a blue-and-gold Hanukkah dessert spread, or serve latkes alongside the Christmas cookies. Activities like puzzles and cookie decorating work for everyone, so the whole family can gather around the same table.