Celebrate with your family and best friends with these old fashioned Christmas party ideas!
Below, you’ll find fun holiday activities, creative ideas, and traditional recipes for an amazing vintage Christmas party!
We love the idea of escaping the hustling modern world, the bustle of the holiday season, and focusing in on the simple things and time with those we’re close to!
We hope these ideas help you create new holiday traditions with your loved ones!
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What is an old fashioned Christmas?
While Americans’ traditions have changed over time, an old fashioned Christmas focuses on time with family, the excitement of Santa Claus and his reindeer coming in the night, and celebrating the season with Christmas lights, music, and parties.
16 Old Fashioned Christmas Activities
Below are our favorite tech-free activities for the Christmas season, and they’d be a great addition to any holiday party!
So turn on some Christmas music and get ready for some fun!
1. Make Gingerbread Houses
If you have some gingerbread pros at the party, a contest is a fun way to boost participation and excitement among your guests!
2. Strand Garland Together
If your party is at the beginning of the month, decorating for Christmas together is one of our favorite things!
You could make popcorn or cranberry garlands together and hang vintage ornaments on the tree.
3. White Elephant Gift Exchange
Instead of buying Christmas gifts for everyone, have each guest bring a wrapped present to the party.
Then you all could play a game of White Elephant (also known as Dirty Santa) to see who gets what gift!
4. Make Your Own Christmas Cards
Design or address Christmas cards to go out to your other family members and friends together.
5. Have a Hot Cocoa Bar
We love putting together a Hot Chocolate Charcuterie Board! They are so easy to put together and make a simple cup of hot cocoa more fun and exciting!
6. Have Christmas Tea
Did you know Americans used to drink Christmas tea? It started back in the early 1800s and it’s such a fun tradition to bring back.
7. Bake Cookies
Christmas cookies are always a winner in our book! You could bake gingerbread men, peppermint sugar cookies, or another favorite special treat together.
You could also do a Christmas cookie swap for the party!
8. Sing Christmas Carols
9. Make Your Own Ornaments
10. Watch a Favorite Christmas Movie
We love to watch A Christmas Carol, Elf, The Grinch, or National Lampoon’s Christmas Vacation every year!
You can grab our favorite Grinch themed snacks or a full list of Christmas movies to help you choose what to watch!
11. Have a Ugly Christmas Sweater Theme
Ugly Christmas sweater parties have been around for years, but that doesn’t make them any less fun!
It’s also a good idea to make it a contest to see who wears the tackiest sweater!
12. Celebrate with Christmas Crackers
Christmas crackers started in England, and we’re all about bringing them to America!
Each cracker is a wrapped cardboard tube that when pulled makes a cracking sound.
They have paper crowns, trivia questions, or other small trinkets inside.
13. Enjoy a Christmas Cocktail
Who can resist a delicious egg nog? We love a classic Christmas punch, egg nog, or Christmas cocktail for a party!
14. Give Back
Before having a party at your home, consider volunteering at a local retirement center or soup kitchen with friends.
15. Make a Jello Mold
Whether you make a truly traditional jello mold or do a fun spin like we did with this National Lampoon’s Christmas Vacation Jello Mold, it can be a fun and vintage dessert!
16. Give Homemade Gifts
If you are swapping presents, we love the idea of only focusing on homemade gifts.
We love these hot chocolate bombs, sugar scrub, or bath bombs.
If you’re looking for more inspiration, check out these DIY Christmas gift ideas!
Now let’s get to What to Eat!
Christmas celebrations are a great way to spend time with loved ones and also carry on traditions passed down for generations. Below, you'll find our favorite Christmas dinner recipes and special treats that are perfect for an old fashioned Christmas party!Old Fashioned Christmas Party Ideas - What To Eat
Dinner Ideas
Dessert Ideas
Christmas Drinks & Cocktails
What does an old fashioned Christmas look like?
It’s time to put away the phones, TV screens, and most of the electronics to get back to an old-fashioned Christmas with delicious made-from-scratch recipes, beautiful decorations, and activities focused on being present with our family and friends.
Where to buy old fashioned Christmas hard candy?
You can find old fashioned Christmas hard candy like your grandmother used to have online at Walmart or Old Time Candy.
Where to buy old fashioned Christmas decorations?
You can find old fashioned Christmas decorations at antique stores, thrift shops, estate sales, as well as, online.
We search for old decorations on Etsy and recreations on Amazon.
Let us know your favorite party themes or family traditions on Instagram @thekimandkaleeshow.
Looking for more old fashioned Christmas party ideas?
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