21 Creative Christmas Party Themes for 2024

There’s no doubt that once the festive season hits, invites to Christmas parties can come in every direction. There are school Christmas parties, end-of-year work celebrations, family festive functions and everything else in between, so to make sure yours doesn’t fall flat and end up just like every other holiday party this year, try one of these creative Christmas party themes instead!

These themes for Christmas parties give you the chance to add a personal touch to each celebration and help you plan activities that make it far more than the typical holiday season mingle. These are the type of Christmas parties that people will remember and they may very well become a new annual tradition!

And while we’re talking theme parties, save these ideas for the new year – New Years party themes, Halloween party themes, party themes for adults, kid party themes & fancy dress party themes.

Top Christmas Party Themes for a Jolly Good Time

You know that feeling when there’s that obligatory Christmas party you’re expected to go to, but you’d rather be at home, snuggled up on the couch with a Christmas movie on and a bucket of popcorn in your lap? Yeah, me too!

Over the years I’ve been to many work Christmas parties that feel exactly like this. The kind where the most exciting thing that happens is getting fed, and if it’s your partner’s Christmas party, the conversation ends up being all work talk. Blah…

But then there’s those parties where they actually throw in a party theme and some related activities and the whole vibe is different. That’s what these holiday party themes can do! Transform the mundane into something fun or hilarious.

And they aren’t just for work parties. Try one of these themes for your family festivities too.

1. Ugly Sweater Party

Embrace the tacky and fun side of Christmas by hosting an Ugly Sweater Party. Encourage guests to wear the most outlandish holiday sweaters they can find, complete with glitter, jingle bells, and quirky designs.

You can even make it a competition by awarding prizes for the ugliest, most creative, or funniest sweaters. Set up a photo booth with festive props for guests to capture their crazy outfits, or set up a DIY station where they can add even more decorations to their sweaters.

In fact, you could just have everyone bring a plain sweater and you provide the uglies. Craft and Christmas… the perfect combination for a fun night.

2. Winter Wonderland

Transform your space into a magical Winter Wonderland with all-white decor, snowflakes, and twinkling lights. Use white drapes, silver accents, and frosted ornaments to create a serene and elegant atmosphere.

Set up a hot cocoa bar with yummy toppings like marshmallows, whipped cream, sprinkles, and peppermint flakes. Plan winter-themed activities like making snow globes, creating snowflake crafts, or even a ‘snowball fight’ with rolled-up paper or plush balls.

3. White Elephant Gift Exchange

A White Elephant Gift Exchange is a perfect mix of surprise and laughs. Each guest brings a wrapped gift, typically inexpensive and often humorous, and participants take turns either selecting a new gift or stealing an already opened one.

There are a few ways to play but usually, guests draw a number at the start of the game and go in that order of choosing a gift. So number 1 chooses first. You can either have everyone open their gifts straight away or wait until the end so it’s even more unpredictable. When it’s number 2’s turn, they can either steal the gift the first person chose or pick a new gift. This continues until each person has a gift in hand, either stolen from someone else or chosen from under the tree.

The unpredictable nature of the game makes it highly entertaining. You could end up with something awesome or something completely ridiculous.

4. Santa’s Workshop

Bring Santa’s Workshop to life by decorating your space to look like you’ve stepped into the North Pole. Candy cane decorations, toy-making stations, and elf hats.

Dress as elves and plan fun holiday crafts such as ornament decorating, cookie decorating, or creating personalised stockings. You can find loads of handmade Christmas decoration tutorials to get you inspired! Or get the Cricut out for some of these festive Cricut crafts.

5. Christmas Movie Marathon

A Christmas Movie Marathon is perfect for relaxing and enjoying the holiday classics. Create a cozy home cinema vibe with blankets, pillows, and twinkle lights or set up your own backyard cinema with a projector and screen – great for those of us with Christmas in Summer.

Curate a playlist of favourite Christmas movies like Home Alone, Elf, and Die Hard (that counts, right?). Serve movie-themed snacks like popcorn, gingerbread cookies, and hot chocolate.

Throw in some Christmas movie trivia rounds if you want a break between movies too.

6. Gingerbread House Decorating

Get creative with a Gingerbread House Decorating party. Provide pre-assembled gingerbread houses or kits with all the necessary ingredients like icing, candy, and sprinkles. Set up a decorating station with a variety of toppings and encourage guests to design their dream gingerbread house.

For extra fun, turn it into a competition by voting for the best gingerbread house or have a few fun categories like “Most Creative” or “Best Use of Candy.”

Just try not to eat all the decorations before the houses are done!

7. Christmas PJ Party

Invite your friends to get comfy in their favourite holiday pyjamas for a Christmas slumber party. Create a relaxing atmosphere with dim lighting, soft Christmas tunes, and plenty of plush blankets.

Activities can include a holiday movie marathon, a hot cocoa bar, and Christmas games.

This is equally fun to do with the family on Christmas Eve or even on Christmas night once Santa has been. It’s a lovely way to finish the day with a new family tradition.

8. Holiday Karaoke Night

Get everyone in the holiday spirit with a Christmas karaoke night. Set up a karaoke machine with a playlist of Christmas classics like Jingle Bells and All I Want for Christmas Is You.

Get your guests hyped to perform solo or in pairs and groups, and add a fun twist by offering prizes for the best performances, the funniest duet, or the most creative renditions. Let’s see who has the best Mariah Carey vocals…

Have a box of holiday-themed props next to your ‘stage’ like Santa hats, reindeer antlers, and tinsel boas for performers to use.

9. Christmas Around the World

Explore global holiday traditions with a Christmas around the world party. Decorate different areas of your space to represent various countries, showcasing their unique Christmas customs or serving up international holiday dishes like panettone from Italy, stollen from Germany, or tamales from Mexico.

Have your guests dress in traditional attire from different cultures or represent a country’s holiday tradition. You can also have activities like learning holiday phrases in different languages or sharing stories about how Christmas is celebrated around the world.

This is festive fun with an educational bonus! And extra special if you do have friends from other cultural backgrounds who can share their traditions.

10. Christmas Masquerade Ball

Host a glamorous Christmas Masquerade Ball, where your friends and family can wear elegant attire and festive masks.

Create an opulent atmosphere with Christmas colours, sparkling lights, and luxurious decorations. Hire a live band or DJ to play a mix of holiday classics and dance music. Set up a photo booth with ornate backdrops and props for guests to capture their masked looks.

Who doesn’t love a chance to get fancy sometimes?

11. Polar Express Party

Bring the magic of The Polar Express to life with a family-friendly Polar Express party. Invite guests to wear their coziest pyjamas, just like in the movie, and serve hot chocolate with all the fixings.

Set up a viewing area to watch The Polar Express movie, complete with popcorn and candy. Decorate your space with train-themed decor, golden tickets, and a “North Pole” signpost.

For added fun, consider a craft station where kids can make their own sleigh bells or train crafts.

12. 12 Days of Christmas

Get creative with a 12 Days of Christmas party, where each guest or group is assigned one of the 12 days from the classic carol. They can dress up, bring a themed dish, or prepare a short skit or game based on their assigned day.

Decorate the space with elements from the song, such as “five golden rings” or “a partridge in a pear tree.”

This is a great way to add a dress-up theme to your Christmas party if you love a fancy dress party, but you can get really creative with how you choose to use the different days of Christmas.

13. Christmas Lights Tour

Kick off your Christmas lights tour by gathering guests for a drive or walk-through of neighbourhoods known for their elaborate holiday light displays. Provide lists of must-see houses, and encourage carpooling since it can get pretty busy at the most popular light displays.

Give each person a Christmas light scavenger hunt and challenge them to find everything on the list before you finish your tour. Prizes for completed lists or whoever gets the closest, maybe?

After the tour, return back to the house for festive drinks and holiday treats, good conversation and the best company!

14. Christmas Cocktail Party

Host a chic Christmas cocktail party with a selection of festive drinks and appetisers. Create a signature holiday cocktail, like a cranberry martini or spiked eggnog, and offer a variety of holiday-themed finger foods.

Decorate your party space with elegant, minimalistic decor in silver, gold, and deep reds or greens. Set up a mixology station where guests can craft their own cocktails, and consider adding a fun element like a “best cocktail” contest.

Another way to host a holiday cocktail party is to challenge each guest to bring ingredients for a festive cocktail and each take turns making your drink for the group. At the end of the night, you can do a vote for the best cocktail of the night. Although this one might be best with a small group of your BFFs to avoid having to sample too many different drinks in a single night…

15. Santa’s Spa

Treat your guests to a relaxing evening with a Santa’s spa party. Set up a relaxed area with soft lighting, scented candles, and calming holiday music.

Have a variety of DIY spa treatments like peppermint-scented foot soaks, cranberry facials, and sugar scrubs. Provide cute slippers and headbands for your friends to wear while they indulge in self-care activities.

You can also set up a hot cocoa bar with gourmet toppings or have light, healthy snacks like fruit skewers and herbal teas.

The best thing about this Christmas self-care party is that it’s a chance for everyone to stop and relax for a few hours during the busy holiday season when self-care is often forgotten!

16. Retro Christmas

Take a trip back in time with a Retro Christmas party themed around a specific decade, like the 1950s, 60s, or 80s. Decorate with vintage ornaments, tinsel trees, and era-specific decor. Encourage guests to dress in attire from the chosen decade and play holiday music hits from that era.

Serve up nostalgic snacks and drinks, like punch or classic hors d’oeuvres. To add to the retro vibe, plan activities like a classic board game corner, or a dance-off to popular songs from the time.

18. Christmas Costume Party

Let your guests’ imaginations run wild with a Christmas Costume Party. Invite everyone to come dressed as their favourite Christmas character, from Santa and Mrs. Claus to the Grinch or even a holiday-themed superhero.

Offer prizes for the best costumes, such as “Most Creative” or “Best Duo.” Decorate with character-themed elements, and include themed activities like a costume runway show or a holiday trivia game where the questions are based on Christmas movies and characters.

19. Holiday Baking Party

Gather your friends for a Christmas baking party where the focus is on creating delicious holiday treats together. Set up different baking stations with all the necessary ingredients and tools for making cookies, pies, and other festive goodies.

You can have a cookie swap at the end where everyone takes home a variety of baked goods ready for Christmas entertaining, like sugar cookies, gingerbread and rum balls. To keep the atmosphere festive, play holiday music, and provide seasonal drinks like mulled wine or hot cider.

It can also be fun to add a decorating contest for the best-decorated cookies or gingerbread men. But the best thing about this party is that you’re tag-teaming to get all your holiday baking done together, hopefully saving time while still fitting in one last catch-up with friends before Christmas.

20. Secret Santa Party

Host a Secret Santa party where the joy of giving is paired with the fun of mystery. In this classic gift exchange, each guest draws a name in advance and brings a gift for their assigned person, keeping their identity secret until the reveal.

Gather around the tree for the big exchange and try and guess who your Secret Santa is. You can choose to reveal all at the end or not at all.

We do Secret Santa as a family each year with both sides of the family. In my family, we each have 3 guesses to try and figure out who our person is. Keep the festive spirit going with holiday treats, hot cocoa, and plenty of laughter.

21. Gift Wrap Party

Turn the holiday chore of wrapping presents into a fun and social event with a gift wrap party. Invite friends and family to bring their unwrapped gifts, and set up stations with all the essentials: wrapping paper, ribbons, bows, tags, and tape.

Have a variety of festive papers and embellishments so everyone can get creative with their wrapping. Play holiday music in the background, and serve up festive snacks and drinks to keep the atmosphere merry.

A gift wrapping party is such a cool way to check off an essential holiday to-do list item while catching up with friends!

I hope you’ve found some new ideas for your next holiday party with all these fun Christmas party themes to suit different occasions and friend groups! Mix it up, make it memorable and potentially fit a few extra catch-ups into your December by getting creative with your party themes! Which is your favourite?