How to host a “Favorite Things” Christmas Party!

Have you ever heard of a “Favorite Things” party/gift exchange? Some of my favorite things to do around the holidays are hosting parties, getting together with friends and of course giving and receiving gifts. This favorite things party combines all these things in an affordable way and as a BONUS, is a girls night out. If you’re anything like me the words “affordable” and “girls night” already have you sold, so let me tell you how easy it is to throw this party together and what a fun tradition it is to carry on year after year.

• Step 1: Come up with the “rules” for your group
  • For our group I decided that everyone would bring 5 of their “gifts” and that the limit would be $6 a piece. So to better explain that, basically you would find something that you love or a group of things that total no more than $6 and then purchase 5 identical gifts. Depending on how many people you invite you might want to adjust the number of “gifts” each person brings but the number I chose made it so no one had to spend more than $30. 

Obviously you don’t get something from everyone if there are more than 5 people attending but rather 5 gifts, just like you brought. A couple of the “favorite things” I took home last year were; a cute festive mug with a fav nail polish and a fun card game with a favorite candy.

• Step 2: Get the word out to your group
  • I personally love to use Evite for all my parties that I am not sending out a hard copy invitation. And honestly, most the time I send out a hard copy invite, I also send out an Evite for easy RSVPs. Beside the usual party details of when and where etc., here is what my Fav things party invite message for this year looks like:

MESSAGE FROM HOST:

Think of or browse for a fun item or items that totals $6 or less. Then bring 5 of those same item(s) (so it should cost you $30 or less total ?) and have a FABULOUS time hanging out with the girls and leave with 5 new favorite finds! Also if you want, bring a favorite treat/appetizer to share 🙂

• Step 3: Find your own “favorite things gift” to bring to the party  
  • Some awesome places to shop include, Target’s dollar spot, the dollar tree, stores like 5 below or anywhere really, for fun everyday items like nail polish, chapstick, etc. My “favorite things gift” for LAST YEAR were these super cute decor signs that read “Let it Snow” and an adorable mini jar snow globe Christmas Card holder

    

  • I found all of it in Target’s Dollar Spot! The adorable sign for $3 a piece and the mini snow globe jars in a pack of 2 for $3. I also included some of my favorite Christmas cookies, “snowball cookies” because they were the perfect addition to my gift’s theme. I spent right around $6 and in total around $30.

• Step 4: Host the Party
  • Hosting the party is super easy! You can either do this potluck style like we did, where everyone brings an appetizer or treat to share or, depending on your group size, you can head to your favorite restaurant and grab a large table.
  • Either way, simply enjoy hanging out with friends and eventually exchange once everyone has arrived or before anyone leaves.

(Optional: You can display everyone’s “favorite things gifts” and or take turns sharing what each person brought.)

• • For the actual exchange have each person put their name on 5 small pieces of paper and stick them in a bowl or a hat. Then have each person pick 5 names out of the bowl/hat. If you get your own name, you put it back, and there’s a chance this could have happen to the last person, in that case they would need to trade their own name for a name from someone else. Totally not hard to figure out, just make sure that before you exchange, each person has 5 different names and no one has their own name.
  • Once each person has 5 different names, and no one has their own name, then each person gifts their “favorite things gift” to those 5 people whose names they have picked from the bowl.

• Step 5: Leave refreshed from a girls night and go home with 5 new gifts!

That’s it, it’s that simple and so much fun!  

-Katelyn