When it comes to gift-giving, I follow a minimalist guideline, focusing on experiences, consumables, or items that are useful and/or meaningful. No matter how you approach holiday gifting, remember that quality time goes a long way, and gifts that endure time and memory have the biggest effect.

This post is full of ideas, especially lots of local Austin companies to support!

For the Foodie

Culinary Class
What better experience for a foodie than learning tips and tricks to create incredible dishes? This Austin culinary class list I put together is a helpful guide for class options.

Restaurant Gift Certificate
If your city is like Austin, it has an abundance of restaurants to visit and try. A gift certificate to a new restaurant can help cross a restaurant off the “to-try” list. Barley Swine and Uroko are some of my favorites. I also enjoy Juiceland.

Cookbook
There are so many beautiful cookbooks out there and more come out every year. Locally, check out Thai Fresh: The Cookbook or Franklin Barbecue: A Meat Smoking Manifesto. Some of my other favorites include:

• The Smitten Kitchen Cookbook and Smitten Kitchen Every Day
• Woks of Life
• 108 Asian Cookies

I also love my cookbook stand!

Local Products
Share a unique piece of your city with others. Austin has so many talented food artisans, and food is always a welcome gift. Try these local options:

• Chocolate bars from KESSHŌ
• Whiskey from Still Austin
• Coffee Beans from Greater Goods Coffee Co.
• Honey from Two Hives Honey

Kitchen Tools
Help a foodie up their game in the kitchen with some new or upgraded tools.

• HipStirs is a local Austin company with cocktail kits
• The Elevated Craft Cocktail Shaker is the perfect gift for those who like making cocktails at home
• Some of my favorite kitchen gadgets: hand lemon juicer, food processor, immersion blender, quality wood cutting board, and electric kettle

Tickets to a Food Event
We love our festivals in Austin, and food events happen year-round. Here’s a list of a few of them. From Field Guide Festival to the Texas Monthly BBQ Fest, there’s always an opportunity to eat with other foodies.

Favorite Food Products
Your friends will really love these!

• This almond toffee made in Hico, Texas, is the most crave-able chocolate/candy concoction
• Fishwife tinned fish, so you can host your own tinned fish party

For the Wanderluster

Kindle Fire Tablet
I use my Kindle Fire nearly every day, and it’s a must-have when I travel.

Books, Movies, and More
Feed the wanderlust by gifting travel-themed books, movies, and other media. I have some recommendations in this post. Also, check out my book recommendations on my Bookshop.

Getaway
Give a wanderluster what they want most: the experience of travel. Maybe it’s plane tickets or a hotel reservation. Maybe it’s an excursion (like this one with elephants in Thailand) or a food tour on their upcoming trip.

Scratch Off Map
Help a wanderluster keep track of where they’ve been with a scratch-off map. These come in a variety of colors, and some map out U.S. states and Canadian provinces in addition to countries. See all the options on Etsy.

Photo Book
We take a lot of photos when we travel, but a lot of times, the photos stay on our phone or cloud storage. A photo book is a fun way to reflect, share your memories, and decorate your coffee table. I recommend using Mixbook.

External Charger
A semi-boring but very useful gift for travelers is an external charger.

For the Hostess with the Mostest

Serving Board
Every hostess needs a beautiful serving board to serve cheese or appetizers. Personalize a wood one yourself like we did, or buy a white marble one, great for photos.

Cute Vase or Ceramic Piece
As someone who loves fresh flowers at my celebrations, I recommend a unique vase for your number-one hostess. Bonus points for including a beautiful flower arrangement with the vase.

Succulent, Herbs, or Other Potted Plant
Cut flowers are beautiful, but potted plants last longer. Pick up a succulent or house plant at Succulent Native.

Linens

We are always using dish towels/tea towels in the kitchen. There are many cute ones out there!

Candle

7th Street Candle Co, a local Austin shop, has a great selection of hand-poured candles. One of my favorite scents is the chamomile fig. (They also host candle-making workshops!)

Treats
From jewelry to skincare, give your favorite hostess something for pampering. Some local Austin gift recommendations: SOCO Botanicals Symphony Face Oil, Bejou Skincare, and Amanda Deer jewelry.

Eco-Friendly Cleaning Products

Choose products that are sustainable and cleaner for you. We use Blueland products in our home, specifically the tablets for laundry detergent, dishwasher, toilet bowl, and hand soap.

For the Creative

Creative Workshop
If your city is like Austin, you’ll find class opportunities for a wide variety of interests. Here we can learn how to make a candle or a succulent arrangement, play an instrument, and more. Check out this BIG list of options in Austin.

Local Art
Find a piece of unique art. One thing I’ve noticed about creatives is that they love surrounding themselves with things to inspire their creativity. Here are some of my local favorites:

• My friend Kathyphantastic makes beautiful watercolor items
• Ornaments and cutesy things from Stipple Pop
• Art from: Artful Peaks, Good AM, Catie Lewis, A Lil Scribble

If you’re looking for places to shop for locally created gifts (lots more ideas!), check out:

• 7th Street Candle Co
• Roommate Collective
• Blue Genie Art Bazaar
• Take Heart
• Atown
• The Paper + Craft Pantry

I hope this holiday gift guide gives you some ideas. Happy gifting!

What’s your favorite item to gift? What gift ideas would you add to this list?

Get ready for the holidays with these posts:

• Holiday Cookie Party: Recap of 3 Parties and 43 Cookies
• Favorite Holiday Party Ideas
• Local Holiday Shopping at Blue Genie Art Bazaar

The post 2025 Holiday Gift Guide appeared first on Fearless Captivations.

So, to commemorate the season of cookies, this post shares a recap of all three experiences and some of the 43 types of cookies I had in 10 days.

My Cookies

I pre-ordered Kat Lieu’s timely, newly released cookbook – 108 Asian Cookies – and aimed to bake all my cookie exchange contributions from the book. This is a fun and colorful cookbook, with many familiar recipes that include Asian ingredients like red miso.

I made 5 different cookies from the cookbook for the parties. I had trouble locating some ingredients – namely, pandan extract and ube jam – so I had to make slight variations.

The Low-Key Girls Get-together

Cookie count: 7

I made: Black Sesame White Chocolate Cookie and Matcha Peanut Butter Blossom

My friend Jane had a few friends over for a casual hang-out and to officially meet her new baby! I love that a few of us baked “viral” cookie recipes (oatmeal banana bread chocolate chip cookie and almond butter croissant cookie), and they went viral for a reason: they were delicious cookies!

The Christmas Market

Cookie count: 21

I made: Boba Cookies and Raspberry Linzer Cookies

My friend Sandra has been obsessed with Christmas markets, so she wanted to recreate the vibe at her house, along with a cookie competition. She made an incredible spread of Christmas market food, like brats and meatballs.

I don’t think the competition categories were announced ahead of time, but they were the most festive, prettiest, crowd favorite, and most creative. Someone made the mortadella cookie, which won most creative. It looks like a sausage slice and was on The New York Times’ annual cookie list this year. The most festive cookie went to the gingerbread non-binary people, and the crowd favorite went to the lemon crinkle. Prettiest cookie went to the raspberry linzer by yours truly! It almost makes me forget that hours before, I was in a cookie crisis because I burnt the first batch. My prize was some mahjong goodies!

The Cookbook Club Friends

Cookie count: 15

I made: Miso Hot Chocolate Brownie Cookies

I joined a cookbook club this year, and it’s been a lot of delicious fun! The group has been meeting since 2019, cooking from a different cookbook each month. I often meet up with “restaurant foodies,” so it’s fun to discuss recipes and taste dishes with “cooking foodies.” For one, I’ve never seen more impressive cookbook collections! It’s also a good introduction to different cookbooks.

This cookie party was no different; there were so many tasty cookies!

Cookie Party Thoughts

Eating 43 types of cookies at 3 cookie parties in 10 days is kind of crazy and so delicious! (Where are my dessert lovers at?) Here are some of my random cookie observations:

• Ginger molasses is a classic holiday cookie recipe, and I loved it at every party. Call me a grandma.
• Want a festive cookie? Use red and green sanding sugar or dye, peppermint, or jam.
• Taste-wise, you can’t go wrong with a crinkle or thumbprint cookie, and they can be very easy to make.
• If you’re hosting a party, there is a chance people will bake more than 1 type of cookie.
• Chocolate chip is a solid cookie, but not for the holidays. I vote for more fun, though you’ll always have people who love the classic.

Baking cookies is much lower-stakes than most desserts. Should I keep hosting cookie potlucks in the new year? Maybe with themes? How many more recipes should I bake from the 108 Asian Cookies Cookbook?

Looking for more food party ideas? Check out these posts:

• How to Throw a Pie Potluck Party + Pie Recipe Ideas
• Paella Party to Celebrate 10 Years
• How to Throw a Tinned Fish Party

The post Holiday Cookie Party: Recap of 3 Parties and 43 Cookies appeared first on Fearless Captivations.

Blue Genie Art Bazaar has long been one of my favorite places to shop during the holidays. They moved into their current location off Airport Blvd, across from the ACC Highland campus a few years ago. Did you know over 400 artists apply to be a vendor each year? About 200 are chosen and all are local to Austin or regional.

What I love about Blue Genie Art Bazaar is shopping for many local artists in one place! I’ve discovered many of my favorite artists/companies and found a lot of great gifts at the bazaar. Where you spend your money makes a difference, so I encourage you to keep your money local.

Blue Genie Art Bazaar also has an online shop for those who don’t want to shop in person. You can have it shipped to you or pick it up in person.

Ok, I’m sure you’re curious about my top picks! I could easily find something at every booth, but here are 29 booths you might like.

For crafty fun:

• A Brighter Year – coloring books and things
• Mountains of Thread – embroidery kits

For fun things:

• Kathyphantastic – stickers, magnets, and cards
• Jollie Ollie – hair things, drink sleeves, and more
• Cake Shack – fake cake

For art and art goods:

• Felice House – Western and nature art
• Regone Studios – prints of your favorite Austin restaurants
• Tawa Threads Co – colorful art inspired by National Parks
• Victrola Designs – cool prints
• Live Oak Glassworks – stained glass
• Kimball Prints – funny dish towels
• Wanderlight – light up nature scenes

For gifts that are food or food-related:

• Madhu Chocolate sells chocolate and I love their chai tea
• Southern Concoctions makes cocktail kits
• KESSHO has Asian-inspired bean-to-bar chocolate

For wearables that aren’t jewelry:

• Espacio ATX leather goods and hats
• Popfizzcheers for hair accessories

For house decor:

• Horsemen Co is for plant lovers
• Authenticaa makes metal ornaments that come with cute cards
• Boyd’s Custom Fabrication for candle holders and woodwork
• The Gardener’s Wife has dried flowers
• StipplePOP has some very cute ornaments

For jewelry: 

• Rebekah Vinyard Jewelry – delicate statement pieces
• Mimi’s Origamis – folded origami
• Asa and Rae – pretty clay
• Aylsbury Street – clay jewelry
• Charity Ridpath – recycled plastic folders
• Indigo & Lily Co – pressed flowers

For things that smell good:

• Latika – soap and lotion

If you want more ideas, here’s the full list of exhibitors.

One last bonus: there is free parking available in the nearby parking lots! Hoorah!

I hope you shop locally this holiday season!

Need more gift ideas?

• See this previous Blue Genie Art Bazaar post for more vendors.
• Check out my BIG Holiday Gift Guide!

The post Local Holiday Shopping at Blue Genie Art Bazaar appeared first on Fearless Captivations.

Apple, cherry, chocolate, buttermilk…do you have a favorite type of pie? Pie season is year-round! From Thanksgiving to summer pies to pi day (March 14), it’s always a good time to enjoy pie. Thankfully, these places in Austin have you covered!

Brentwood Social House

We’re starting savory! Brentwood Social House is one of the few places that offer pot pies, a great comfort food. Choose from an individual-size chicken or vegan curry pie.

Location: 1601 West Koenig Lane, Austin, TX, 78756

Website: https://brentwoodsocial.com/

Pie Bar

For a unique create-your-own experience, Pie Bar allows you to customize your own 4-inch pie. Choose your crust, mousse/cobbler, and toppings. They also have pre-made options and suggestions if you want to leave them to the professionals. When it comes to mousse flavors, you’ll have 10+ options to choose from! 

Location: 8900 South Congress Ave., Austin, TX 78745

Website: https://www.piebaraustin.com/

Quack’s

One of Austin’s classic bakeries, Quack’s serves pie by the slice at all three of its Austin-area locations. Look for Quack’s 43rd Street Bakery, Captain Quackenbush’s Coffeehouse, and Lady Quackenbush’s Cakery. Cherry, chocolate cream, and key lime are mainstays. 

Locations: 

• Quack’s 43rd Street Bakery (Hyde Park): 411 E 43rd St, Austin, TX 78751
• Captain Quackenbush’s Coffeehouse (South Austin): 5326 Menchaca Rd, Austin, TX 78745
• Lady Quackenbush’s Cakery (Mueller): 1900 Simond Ave #300, Austin, TX 78723

Website: https://quacksbakery160953351.wpcomstaging.com/

Sugar Mama’s Bakeshop

This bakery known for its cupcakes makes a plethora of sweets, including pie! Their menu rotates by month and follows seasonal ingredients. For example, the current menu features strawberry rhubarb and lemon blueberry mini pies. Full-size pies (9-10 inches) and savory pot pies are also available.

Location: 1905 S 1st St, Austin, TX 78704

Website: https://www.sugarmamasbakeshop.com/

Tiny Pies

If you’re looking for a pie-focused bakery, Tiny Pies is it! They offer sweet, savory, tiny, and not-so-tiny pies in many flavors. I love their Texas Two-Step with pecan and chocolate brownie layers and the Classic Apple is always good.

Locations:

• Burnet: 5035 Burnet Road, Ste. 100, Austin, TX 78756
• South Lamar: 1100 S. Lamar Blvd, Ste. 1116, Austin, TX 78704

Website: https://tinypies.com/

Upper Crust Bakery

If you’re looking to feed a crowd, Upper Crust Bakery has full-size pecan and Dutch apple pies daily. They also have other flavors available to order.

Location: 4508 Burnet Rd, Austin, TX 78756

Website: https://www.uppercrustbakery.com/

Need more Austin dessert recommendations?

• Best Cupcakes in Austin
• Best Desserts in Austin
• Which Dessert at Little Ola’s Biscuits Should You Order?
• Best Asian Desserts in Austin

The post Where to Eat Pie in Austin appeared first on Fearless Captivations.

This post is sponsored by Basic Invite. Thank you for supporting the brands that support Fearless Captivations!

One of my favorite things about the holiday season is getting holiday cards! As a life-long lover of snail mail, I love that this time of year encourages people to send out cards. Opening them adds to the season of celebration! We display our cards all month long and many of them feature the sweet faces of our friends’ kids.

I typically send out photo-less cards, but this year, we got some cards with our little family from Basic Invite. They were very easy to put together and I hope our families love them as much as we do!

Ordering and sending holiday cards can be a stressful task on the holiday to-do list, but here are four tips to make sending holiday cards easy.

1. Take a Quick Photo

While some people hire a photographer for an annual photoshoot, it doesn’t need to be as time-consuming as you think. Photographers can be a BIG help for the perfect photo, especially if you’re wrangling kids, but you can also make it quick and easy with a tripod and timer. That’s what we did with our photo. It took less than 15 minutes and about 10 takes, but we finally got a photo that we liked. I used the same photo in all of the versions.

2. Customize Your Cards with Basic Invite Templates

Here’s the fun part! You can customize every part of your card on Basic Invite, including:

• Text
• Text placement
• Number of photos
• Colors of the design (add gold, silver, or rose gold foil for extra sparkle)
• Card shape
• Design on the back of the card
• Type of paper (I like matte)
• Envelope color (40 different color options)

Choose from over 800 holiday card options. Don’t worry, you can use filters, like color and number of photos, to narrow down your choices. You can also favorite the ones you’re considering to compare them.

If you’re unsure of the design, you can order samples to see it in person. I got five options of Christmas cards that are a mix of classic and modern designs. Which one is your favorite?

Did you know we also used Basic Invite for our wedding thank you cards? We got two different designs and you can see them in this post. There are cards for every occasion on the website, so you can plan ahead if you’re not doing holiday cards.

3. Say Yes to Free Address Printing

Another way to save time is to say yes to free address printing. You can upload your contact list to have it printed on the envelopes. Don’t have addresses yet? Send out a link through Basic Invite for people to enter their information and you’ll have addresses available on the website when you order.

The envelopes are peel and stick to close, and you can also choose to have Basic Invite send your cards. All these little things will make it easier for you to get your cards sent.

4. Don’t Forget Stamps

Save time by buying stamps online. Order them on the US Post Office website right after you order your cards, so you don’t forget.

Ready to Order Holiday Cards?

You still have time to order and receive your cards before Christmas. Use the code “HOLI30” for 30% off your order.

I realized when creating my cards that the process was a way to slow down in this busy season. Sending cards is a celebration and I recommend it to add joy to your life and those you send them to!

What kind of holiday card design is your favorite?

The post How to Make Sending Holiday Cards Easy appeared first on Fearless Captivations.

The holidays look a little different this year, but it doesn’t mean you won’t have any fun. Places like Mozart’s have spent lots of time planning to make their holiday experiences safe. Mozart’s invited me (complimentary) to see this year’s light show and check out the delicious show menu.

Mozart’s Coffee Roasters is a popular coffee shop on Lake Austin. Their spacious patio is a popular spot for studying college students and those who work remotely. With their menu of coffee drinks and snacks, the shop is the go-to place to enjoy the sights while being productive. They’ve perfected their annual light show, coordinated with music, and it’s become an Austin tradition. Doesn’t enjoying holiday lights while drinking a warm beverage sound like the ideal way to get into the spirit?

From now until January 6th, you’ll have the opportunity to enjoy Mozart’s light show. The show is running a little differently this year because they have new safety protocols.

• Advance reservations for a 1-hr time slot are needed to get a table and start at $10. Parties up to six people can be seated together.
• Time slots are available 6 – 11 pm.
• All guests are required to wear a mask when not seated.
• Tables are spaced distantly and sanitized in-between.

When you go to the light show, be sure to order some of Mozart’s favorite treats like hot chocolate! Warm up with a peppermint hot chocolate or the big one, the Christmas-in-a-cup, which comes in a campfire mug. It’s got a brownie and cookie in it!

For snacks, the bread pudding is delicious and the cinnamon sugar pretzel is bigger than your head!

And don’t forget to get some cocoa bombs to take home! Made in Austin, it’s a hard chocolate shell with marshmallows inside. Put it into a cup, pour hot milk over it, and enjoy the chocolate goodness!

I’m glad I got to see the light show this year and hope you experience it for yourself. 

Details for Your Visit

• Free parking is available in the Oyster Landing parking lot.
• Dogs (one per table) are allowed!
• There is a stroller parking area outside of the seating area.
• Select menu items are available gluten-free and vegan.
• See more information on their website.

Do you have any favorite light show memories?

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The post Austin Holiday Tradition: Mozart’s Christmas Light Show appeared first on Fearless Captivations.

With kids running around and friends meeting our new puppy, our parties have evolved throughout the years into a more family-friendly and relaxed environment. Guests arrive early and leave by 10 pm. It’s not better or worse, just different. We still eat and laugh a lot, which I think is what matters most.

I admit I was not ready for this party! I did a bunch of mental pre-planning but with a training run that morning that I procrastinated for a few hours, we were running around cleaning and cooking until the last minute. Pro tip: clean and go grocery shopping in the days before a party! Nevertheless, guests trickled in later than expected, so it turned out all right.

For dinner, we made spinach artichoke dip, garlic bread, vegetable pasta casserole, and beef pasta casserole. Our friends brought creamed corn, beans, and pate chaud (Vietnamese pork puff pastry). For drinks, we had naughty (spiked) and nice Christmas punch (this recipe) and eggnog, a la Alton Brown’s eggnog recipe aged for three months! This eggnog was boozy and creamy. I think it’s good to sip on but typical of eggnog, it’s rich and thick.

But we were also here for holiday desserts. For the cookie contest, we had four competitors.

1. Levain Bakery Chocolate Chip Cookies
2. Trash Cookies
3. Cranberry Cookie Bars
4. Lemon Sugar Cookies

The top two cookies ended up being the Levain Bakery Chocolate Chip Cookie and the Trash Cookie with the Trash Cookie being the winner. When Cristina unwrapped her prize, she unknowingly found her award-winning cookie mix – Trader Joe’s It’s Sedimentary My Dear Cookie Mix! HA! That’s right, the winning cookie was a mix from Trader Joe’s! It was pretty good, so if you’re looking for a quick cookie mix, the jar is about $6. The cookie has sugar, brown sugar, peanut butter chips, candy-coated chocolate, oats, coffee grounds, and graham cracker crumbs.

Embarrassingly, I ran out of time to make cookies, but here are the two recipes I was considering: Lace Cookies and Butter Pecan Cookies. But I did make this Sweet Salty Santa Bark and it was so good!

One of my goals is to get more photos and more photos with people! We see each other fairly often but a photo lasts much longer.

I’m thankful for gatherings like these and hope you celebrate in your own way this season. It doesn’t have to be big, themed, or perfect. Happy Holidays!

Have a favorite cookie recipe? Share it below!

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The post Our Holiday Cookie Party appeared first on Fearless Captivations.

I’ve been to the Trail of Lights a few times in my years of living in Austin but I hadn’t been in three or four years. I can confirm that it is still a lot of fun, especially for families. Austin Food Blogger Alliance was invited for a complimentary experience of the trail and its food trucks.

The trail features light tunnels, festive displays with familiar characters, shopping booths, live music, and dance performances, and even Santa. You’ll easily spend an hour here or maybe three.

Can you believe the first Trail of Lights event happened in 1965? As you can imagine, the displays and number of lights have expanded since then. It’s beautiful to see the Austin skyline in the background.

I love the ferris wheel and carousel!

They also have fun events like cocktail and crafting workshops and a movie night. Don’t forget to stop at the tree!

Food and Drink at Trail of Lights

There are four different areas around the trail for food vendors, and the nearly 30 choices range from tacos to pizza. Plus there are plenty of dessert items like kettle corn and funnel cake.

We got to try food from a few of the food trucks. Don’t miss the brisket tacos at Bohemian Barbecue located at Candy Cane Lane. Stop at Shawarma Point at the North Pole for loaded curly fries. Another favorite is grilled cheese sandwiches at Burro Cheese Kitchen. See the full line-up of full vendors here.

Getting to Trail of Lights and Parking

They have two official parking lots close to Zilker Park. Parking passes must be purchased in advance online and it is $15 per car.

The $6 shuttle includes your general admission ticket. It runs continuously from Republic Square Park in Downtown Austin or Toney Burger Event Center in South Austin.

The best way for you or your rideshare to get to Trail of Lights is by Mopac and not Lamar. They close off Barton Springs Road nightly, so expect a lot of traffic in the area around Barton Springs Rd and Lamar Blvd.

Quick Info

• Get there 15 minutes before it opens or right as it opens if you want to avoid crowds. There’s also a Zip pass that allows you to get in at 6 p.m.
• Zip Passes are $15-20, depending on the day you go, and include early entry, separate entrance and access to the Zilker Lounge where there’s cookies, cocoa, seating, and nicer bathrooms.
• Trail of Lights is free seven out of the 14 days it’s open. Otherwise, general admission is $3 per person. Tickets can be bought in advance and this will allow you to get in through a separate line.
• Seating is available near the food trucks and bar tents.
• Trail of Lights is usually open through two weekends in December, this year from December 10-23, 2018.
• Find more info on their website.

Do you have any favorite holiday traditions?

You can find me on Instagram, Facebook, Twitter, Pinterest, and Bloglovin’. You can also subscribe to the exclusive email list.

The post Celebrating the Holidays at Austin’s Trail of Lights appeared first on Fearless Captivations.

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Need holiday party ideas? The holiday season is a fun time to throw a party because of the holiday cheer in the air and all the cute décor and themes you can incorporate. Hosting a gathering is also helpful for guests to slow down and step away from the hectic schedule this season.

Here are some of my favorite holiday party ideas that can be combined into one party or be the sole focus of your party.

Cookie Exchange/Contest

Ask guests to bring a dozen or two of their favorite homemade recipes and swap away! Have festive bags, tins, or Tupperware ready to fill. Feeling competitive? Make it a cookie contest with a secret vote. See our cookie party here.

Cookie Decorating

Bake sugar cookies (gingerbread people, Christmas trees, and stockings would be fun shapes) and prepare (or ask guests to bring) colorful toppings and frosting to decorate the cookies.

Movie Night + Themed Foods

There are plenty of great Christmas movies to choose from and My personal favorite would be Elf. You could pair the movie with the themed food of spaghetti for dinner (maple syrup optional) and plenty of candy canes. Or how about watching Die Hard and making some yippee-ki-yay burgers?

Gift Exchange

Whether it includes gifts people would find useful or crazy and funny White Elephant gifts, a gift exchange is an entertaining element to add to a party. Be sure to set a dollar amount. For example, ask guests to spend up to $20. You could even ask for themed gifts and each person could bring an ornament, book, piece of jewelry, or pair of socks.

A spin on this is the Favorite Things tradition. Set a budget for each gift, $5-20. Every person brings three of their gift. There are two ways to pick the gifts:

• Guests wrap their gifts before arriving. Everyone puts their name in a hat three times. The names you draw are the gifts you’re taking home.
• Don’t wrap the gifts. Set all the gifts out and have guests choose their favorite three.

Gingerbread House Decorating

Similar to a cookie decorating party, this edible DIY will possibly result in the cutest gingerbread village ever. Have everyone bring a kit from the store (for the ease of building) or go old school and buy a bunch of graham crackers, frosting, and colorful candy.

Give Back

Get your friends together and give back this season. Try volunteering at your local food pantry, buying gifts for a child at the Angel Tree at the mall, caroling at your local nursing home, or writing cards for people in the hospital. See more ways to give back here.

Craft Party

Pinterest is your best friend when it comes to holiday and Christmas craft ideas. Plus, crafting can double as gift-making! Try making ornaments or snow globes. See my holiday craft party here where we made cookie mixes to gift.

Potluck

Get into the holiday spirit with festive food. Ask guests to make and bring their favorite appetizer. Don’t forget a bottle of wine or other favorite beverage.

Fondue Party

Warm up this season with a traditional Asian hot pot dinner with a savory broth or try a cheese or chocolate fondue.

Hot Chocolate Bar

Baby, it’s cold outside! Treat your guests with a hot chocolate bar complete with toppings like marshmallows, cinnamon sticks, peppermint sticks, Irish cream, and several kinds of chocolate.

Holiday Sweater Party

Another fun party element is the infamous holiday sweater. Head to your local thrift store early for the best selection! Want to make the party extra easy? Have everyone meet up at your favorite restaurant for brunch or go ice skating.

Have a happy holiday season!

What’s your favorite holiday party idea I haven’t mentioned here OR which one of these ideas will you do?

Keep up with me elsewhere! You can find me on Instagram, Facebook, Twitter, Pinterest, and Bloglovin’. You can also subscribe to the exclusive email list.

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