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This year my husband and I hosted our 4th annual holiday party. It’s one of those parties that started as a gathering with a few neighbors and has grown…and grown…and grown. This year our attendance was the biggest yet at 65 people. I’m not going to lie, when the final RSVPs came in and we tallied up the guests, even I didn’t expect it to be quite that many. I was a little nervous as to how it was all going to work out, but now that the day has come and gone, I wouldn’t have it any other way. Nothing says the holidays like families coming over to share good food, friendship, and a little Santa magic!
But, of course, the success of our party wasn’t just luck. Having thrown this party 3 times in the past, we kind of had an idea what we were doing, we just had to adjust it to the growing number of guests. Truth is, hosting the perfect holiday party doesn’t have to be difficult or expensive; there are tons of simple ways to make your party fun and festive. Here are 5 holiday party hacks that I’ve discovered over the years:
Deck the Halls. Heard of less is more? Well, that doesn’t apply to holiday parties. During the holiday season, more is more, especially when it comes to decor. But decorating doesn’t need to be difficult or expensive. Normally I use candy cane holders for place cards or food labels, but this year I decided to use them to share pictures of Christmases past! I think they turned out great. To make these holders, all you need to do is hot glue 3 candy canes together and then place whatever you want to display (name tags, place cards, photos, ect.) inside. Oh so easy and very festive!
Tip: To pull this project off, glue two candy canes together (resting them on the counter top while gluing to make extra sure they are even) and then glue the third. I had several uneven ones when I tried to glue all three at once.
Create Your Own Cups. Don’t stop at just decking your halls, deck your table too! Using a little black ribbon, yellow foam, and hot glue, create these cute Santa cups to set the mood of your party.
Can’t get enough holiday cheer? Use non-toxic permanent markers, ribbon, yellow foam, and hot glue to create this adorable snowman cup. Just try your best to keep the design away from the very top of the cup, so as to allow room for the person to drink.
This simple and small party touch goes a long way!
Sweet Treats with a Red Nose. Brown card stock, red pompoms, and hot glue easily transform a regular dessert plate in a reindeer surprise. My kids loved these and they only take a minute or two to create! 
Use them as dessert plates though so you don’t have to make as many.
Pour Your Own Signature Drink. Signature drinks aren’t just for weddings! Once you have your cups decorated, fill them with a holiday drink…think drinks infused with cinnamon, spice, peppermint, or cranberry. Our drink this year was this Cranberry Orange Fizz, made with Sprite Cranberry and Minute Maid that I picked up on sale at Albertsons. 
Simply pour Sprite Cranberry over ice, and then top with an equal amount of orange juice. Toss in some extra cranberries for garnish and cozy up by the Christmas tree. My kids actually ate the cranberries after they finished their drink!
Arrange a Little Santa Magic. When I was a kid, we attended an annual holiday party where Santa made a visit and I’m thrilled to bring this tradition to my own holiday party. We typically arrange our Santa through the Fire Department (who makes visits for a nominal donation), but even if your town doesn’t offer something like that, try tracking down a Santa suit. I recently found out that one of my friends owns their own Santa suit and another has a connection at a costume show which would rent us a Santa suit for a relatively low cost. If you’re looking for Santa on a budget, simply asking around might yield more results than you think. And while you may think that this is only for the kids, I can assure you, Santa was a hit at our party with the adults too!
Are you planning a holiday party? Be sure to stock up on Coca-Cola, Sprite, Gold Peak, and Minute Maid products at your local Albertsons! 
Right now you’ll automatically get $20 off at Shutterfly.com when you buy 4 participating Coca-Cola products. Simply look for the tags in store and receive your Catalina coupon at check out. Shutterfly is the perfect way to print out those holiday photos and savor the memories all year long!
What’s your holiday party hack? Leave me a comment letting me know!
How cute is that!? I love what you did to the glasses. It makes it so much more festive and it’s easy to do.
What cute ideas! I love those cups! The kids would get a kick out of that too!
The holidays are always hectic but it’s great to get inspiration for entertaining from blogposts like this. I love your snowman and santa cup hacks, not only are the creative but they’re fast and easy to make, too.
Thanks for sharing these ideas. I love the festive cups you made. Those are really great!
These are such fun ideas! I really like the way you decorated the cups. A simple touch that is just so festive.
Those are super cute cups and plates. I love the drink mix too which was really tasty looking.
I love all of these ideas. I really like the cups though. That is such a great idea. I love being festive for the holidays!
My party hack is to prepare everything the day before so the day of the party, I don’t stress. Your party looked like so much fun. Love all of your hacks
Those are cute ideas! I especially love the red solo cup hack. Caaaayute!
I love the candy cane picture holder. It is a great way to display your photos from Holidays past.
These are great party hacks. I will have to try them for my Christmas party this weekend.
I am always looking for hacks to make life easier. I love the candy cane picture holders. I will definitely make some for my house.
The cups and plates are so cute. My kids would have so much fun making them.
Oh these are some great party ideas! I love the idea of bringing Santa to the party!
What fun ideas! I love those snowman cups- so cute!
Love Love Love your cups! What a fun way to add a little fun! I am all about the good food at parties! I have some killer treats I roll out!
Your parties definitely look like fun! Your picture holders are too cute. I love that they are so simple to make. 🙂
Thank you so much for sharing these! Just in time for our next party! Love those DIY cups!
Those cups are absolutely adorable. I need to do those for my kids party!
We haven’t had our get together yet, so I am going to be taking some of your hacks and putting them to use. Thanks!
I love those adorable cups and plates- and if I’m being totally honest you had me at creating my own signature drink! I might just steal yours! Great party hacks!
That is so amazing that you do this every year!! What a wonderful way to give back to those you know during the holidays! Great tips, too! All your items turned out darling!!
I love getting creative for my holiday parties. I really like the candy cane holders. So easy to do.
Okay, those cup and plate decorations are super adorable! We are crafting this week so I’m adding this to the list for the kids!
These are great, I especially love that it’s easy for anyone to add some festive by following these.