Somerset Place

As the winter air turns brisk and delightful scents of cinnamon and evergreen linger, it's time to start crafting your Christmas celebration plans. To help spark your inspiration, we've gathered five festive Christmas party ideas and stories from  Mingle magazine for you to reimagine and bring to life. Happy holidays!

AMANDA FENN⎟ MINGLE AUTUMN 2022

Vintage Christmas Movie Night

by Amanda Fenn

There's nothing quite like seeing the magic of Christmas through a child's eyes. Every December, Amanda Fenn hosts a cousins' Christmas pajama party — a festive tradition for their families to kick off the holidays together. This year, she created a nostalgic movie theater experience topped with a ticket booth and concession stand. This event drew inspiration from her vintage wooden racer sled and the muted old-fashioned Christmas lights she found at an antique market.

Upon arrival in their pajamas, the cousins received play money for tickets and concessions. The ticket booth featured whimsical  decorations such as a tassel garland, a "Making Christmas Magic" banner, and a mylar Santa balloon. Movie tickets, adorned with candy canes, cupcake toppers, and holiday twine, were creatively arranged on reclaimed barn wood.

As for dinner, Uncle Matt made a snowman pizza with pepperoni, peppers, and cheese. While the pizza was baking, the cousins wrote letters to Santa and put them in a metal "Letters to Santa" mailbox. Amanda decorated the dining room with a greenery swag garland made from floral wire, dried eucalyptus, fresh evergreen sprigs, ruscus, and dried ferns. On the corner of the garland, Amanda tied rust and light-pink velvet ribbon, and underneath it, she displayed framed printable vintage Christmas artwork.

For Amanda's unique take on the chandelier and concession stand she used for this Christmas party, check out her article in Mingle Autumn 2022.

JENNIFER DIGIACOMO⎟ MINGLE AUTUMN 2021

A Christmas Ugly Sweater Party

by Jennifer Digiacomo

While this celebration was a Christmas party, the ugly sweater theme is perfect for all ages and can be customized to celebrate any winter holiday. The decorations included DIY wooden winter houses, paper garlands, bottlebrush trees, and printables featuring animals in colorful sweaters.

When Jennifer is planning a party, she makes sure to scope out the local dollar store and the "Bullseye's Playground" section at Target to find affordable  decor items that she can transform to match the theme. She found these adorable wooden houses at Target, which she dressed up with pink acrylic paint, gold and white puff paint, hot glue, and miniature bottlebrush trees from Dollar Tree.

Guests arrived dressed in festive sweaters, entering into a contest with prizes awarded for "Tackiest," "Most Creative," "Funniest," and "Best DIY." As guests sat down at the dining table, each got mulled wine and eggnog served with paper straws in glass milk bottles adorned with printable wrappers.

The centerpiece featured frosted candle holders surrounded by bottlebrush trees and a sweater garland on a gold-and-white confetti-print tablecloth. Colorful garlands, like one from Hobby Lobby, added charm to centerpieces. For the dessert table backdrop, a hula hoop was transformed into a wreath with spray paint and faux foliage, serving as an alternative way to hang banner flags and create a perfect background.

For more details on how Jennifer decorated her Christmas party, check out Mingle Autumn 2021.

KELLY WELK⎟ MINGLE AUTUMN 2022

Soaking in the Season: Wreath Workshop

by Kelly Welk

For Kelly and Carolyn, wreath-making workshops have become a cherished tradition. What started as a small gathering has now taken over the woodworking shop on Carolyn's  flower farm. Her husband, Pip, so kindly moved his tools and projects to the side and let them transform the space into the most festive and inviting holiday workshop.

"When you step inside, you're greeted with fresh pine trees and globe lights, mulled wine and cider simmering away, fresh Red Tin Treat baked goods from our own kitchen, and everything you could ever need to create your own fresh evergreen wreath." – Kelly Welk

Each station had a wreath base, wire, snips, and a bucket of fresh moss. Amidst sipping wine and enjoying sweet treats, guests partook in wreath decoration, adding ribbons, bows, bells, and pinecones. A thoughtful touch on top of that was the gift of homemade pine sugar scrub that guests used to cleanse hands post-wreath creation.

Read Kelly Welk's full article on how she hosted the wreath workshops with Carolyn in Mingle Autumn 2022.

JACQUELINE TURNER⎟ MINGLE AUTUMN 2023

A Winter's Tea

by Jacqueline Turner

"As the  long winter days grow chilly and cold, there is nothing more delightful than to enjoy a hot cup of tea — soothing to the soul and a lovely way to invite a time of peace into your heart. Add some sweet treats, like raspberry thumbprint cookies, lemon cake balls dipped in white chocolate, and refreshing miniature dill cucumber sandwiches, and you have a cozy afternoon tea for one." – Jacqueline Turner

After settling her three boys for an afternoon quiet time, Jacqueline found joy in setting the table, a hobby she loves for various gatherings, even those enjoyed alone. Browsing through her stash of table decor, she selected vintage finds from local Goodwill treasure hunts. These included floral dessert plates, a white lace tablecloth, a silver-finished cream and sugar set, a white-and-gold tea kettle, and a glass candle holder.

Jacqueline also loves to take in the warm, calming glow of candlesticks. So, naturally, a mood-setting, drippy candle was the perfect addition to her winter's afternoon tea. As a finishing touch, Jacqueline added creamy white roses to keep her home feeling cozy.

Read more about her afternoon tea setting in the Autumn 2023 issue of Mingle.

SARA DE ST JEAN⎟ MINGLE AUTUMN 2018

Holly Jolly Cookie-Decorating

by Sara De St Jean

In her daughter's fifth year celebrating the holiday season with friends, Sarah hosted a cookie-decorating Christmas party featuring classic red and green with tinsel and pom-pom decor. The retro vibe extended to paper designs, a traditional tinsel garland, and a vintage bar cart serving breakfast. Santa hat chair covers and simple red pom-pom garland adorned the flocked tree. The over-the-top use of red and green was a perfect complement to the colorful sweaters the girls wore.

Hosting the Christmas party on a Sunday morning, Sarah filled the breakfast cart with sweet goodies, like doughnuts and cinnamon rolls with bottles of vanilla milk. Each girl had miniature frosting bottles in red, green, and white, accompanied by a shaker bottle of sprinkles. The girls listened and sang along to Christmas music while they decorated stacks of cookies to take home. Each guest went home with a gift from Sarah's daughter: matching Christmas pajamas for Christmas break sleepovers.

Want more inspiration for a memorable Christmas party? Check out our Mingle magazine, where you can find countless creative ideas for unique gatherings.

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