Who doesn’t love holidays when people gather, relax, and get free from their busy schedules? But what’s even better is when holidays are paired with fun festivities and some gifts to make a wider smile. We gathered some of the best holiday event ideas that everyone loves and enjoys, making meaningful memories.
In this article, we will discuss 4 holiday season event ideas that allow everyone, whether in-person or virtual, to cherish and celebrate their holidays with laughter, food, and games. So let’s make this holiday festive fun and dive right in.
1) Themed Costume Party
You read it right; it’s a themed costume party! This is one of the most chosen fun event ideas for the holiday season. Being an in-person event, it’s creative and brightens the festive mood with your family, friends, and colleagues. Let’s see how you can plan this idea to make an impact on your holiday season:
Choosing a Festive Theme
The first step is deciding on a theme that puts your holiday season in high gear and excites your guests:
- Winter Wonderland- With this theme, you can create a snowy wonderland vibe with some fairy/Christmas lights, and shiny snowflakes and motivate guests to dress up as their favorite winter characters or anything inspired from the winter season.
- Ugly Sweater Party- Don’t get discouraged by the name of this theme as it’s all about some comedy and sentimentality of tacky holiday sweaters with funky and quirky designs. You can even encourage your participants to go all out with accessories and props to become the center of attention.
Planning Fun Activities
Now it’s time to make the real content of our holiday event idea and get some fun activities in the line-up that ought to keep everyone entertained and interested:
- Costume Contest- Have a contest with different categories like “Most Funny Dress”, “Hyper Creative” etc., and make your guests do some humorous ramp-walks or dance moves as a comedic competition. Offer prizes to winners like gift cards, antiquities, tech gizmo, etc.
- Themed Games- Set up a DIY snow globe station or organize a snowflake-making table. Give art and prop supplies to guests to decorate their sweaters on-site or compete in sweater-themed trivia.
- Photo Booth- Create a photo booth area with props and backdrops matching your theme, like snowy landscapes or holiday lights to get some insta-worthy pictures and videos.
2) Holiday Cookie Decorating Contest
This holiday event idea can be a complete virtual event or can be made into a hybrid event and that is why it’s simple yet effectively engaging and fun. All you need to do is provide your guests with plain cookies and a bucket load of different decorations and then let them do all the work. It’s an easy-to-execute holiday season event idea.
For a hybrid event, include virtual participants by sending them cookie-decorating kits in advance or providing a list of supplies to prepare at home. They can join the competition via video conferencing platforms, ensuring inclusivity and broad participation:
Supplies Needed For This Holiday Event Idea
To host a successful holiday cookie decorating contest, accumulate the following supplies:
- Plain Cookies: Provide a variety of shapes, such as stars, snowflakes, trees, and gingerbread men. Make sure the cookies are sturdy enough to handle icing and decorations.
- Icing: Offer multiple colors of icing in squeeze bottles or piping bags for easy application. Include different variations, such as thicker icing for outlines and thinner icing for filling.
- Decorations: Set up a table with sprinkles, edible glitter, candy beads, mini marshmallows, and other edible decorations. Include tasty and fun options like chocolate chips, colored sugar, and small fondant pieces.
- Basic Tools: Provide tools like plastic knives, spatulas, toothpicks, and napkins for easy handling. Don’t forget plates or trays for displaying finished cookies.
For virtual participants in a hybrid event, create kits with pre-baked cookies, icing, and decorations that can be delivered to their homes or made available for pickup.
Benefits of a Cookie Decorating Contest
- Boosting Fun With Creativity: Guests get to express their artistic side in a relaxed and festive atmosphere and even enjoy some sweet treats during the process.
- All Ages Appropriate: Both children and adults can enjoy the activity together, making it family-friendly.
- Adaptable for Hybrid Events: Virtual participants can join the fun, ensuring everyone is cared for and included in the holiday festivities.
A holiday cookie decorating contest is a fun and engaging event idea for the holiday season. Whether you’re hosting it as an in-person gathering or a hybrid event, it’s sure to bring joy, laughter, and a touch of sweetness to everyone involved!
3) Virtual Holiday Trivia Night
The next idea for a fun holiday season event is completely virtual and virtually requires very little planning and supplies except a working network, video camera, and a device capable of video conferencing. Meaning it’s a low-cost and fun-filled energy activity that keeps all age groups interested and in a healthy competition.
How to Host a Virtual Holiday Trivia Night
- Choose the Right Platform- To host your virtual holiday trivia night make sure to use applications that are compatible with your device, and are trustworthy in terms of glitches and in-app features. To make things even more interesting use different quiz tools.
- Prepare Holiday-Themed Questions- Include a mix of easy, medium, and challenging questions to assess all knowledge levels. Focus on a variety of holiday topics, such as:
- Holiday traditions around the world.
- Iconic holiday movies, songs, and books.
- Fun facts about winter holidays that you celebrate like Christmas, Hanukkah, and New Year’s.
- Historical events that occurred during the holiday season.
Structure the Event
Divide the trivia into rounds, such as:
- Holiday History
- Pop Culture & Movies
- Food & Traditions
- Guess That Holiday Song (play a snippet of a song for participants to identify).
- Use a time limit for each question to keep the game moving.
Create small breakout teams for larger groups to foster collaboration and interaction. Assign fun team names like “Santa’s Elves” or “The Gingerbread Geniuses.” Offer prizes for winners, such as digital gift cards, festive e-cards, or holiday-themed goodies.
4) Charity Fundraiser Gala
This holiday event idea is a mix of some elegance with a defined purpose. You can have your guests celebrate a night filled with entertaining activities while at the same time supporting an organization or community that can benefit from the charity. This holiday event idea brings two most important concepts together that is to have fun while sticking to the gratitude and generosity that the holiday season brings.
Ideas for Activities at Your Gala
To make your charity fundraiser gala both fun-filled and effective, have activities that require participation and maximize fundraising efforts:
- Silent Auction- You can have your guests bid on items that are donated like art pieces, gift baskets travel packages, etc. You can even use bidding sheets or mobile event apps for easy participation and registration respectively.
- Raffle Prizes- Sell raffle tickets for exciting prizes such as high-end electronics, exclusive dinners, or themed gifts. Announce winners throughout the evening to keep the energy high. Keep broadcasting that the proceeds go directly to the cause to promote ticket sales.
- Live Entertainment- Feature local musicians, performers, or a live band to set the festive vibe. Include interactive entertainment like holiday-themed registration and check-in badges, photo booths, or caricature artists for bonus fun. Consider guest speakers or representatives from the charity to share inspiring stories about the impact of donations.
- Donation Stations- Create donation booths or digital kiosks where attendees can make additional contributions.
Conclusion
The holiday season is all about joy, connection, and making memories. These holiday event ideas offer something for everyone. You can celebrate in style, have fun, and create moments that will be cherished whenever you revisit the photos or memories of the holiday event that you created. So plan your fun and festive holiday event and tell us all about it!
Leave a Reply