25 Budget-Friendly Holiday Party Ideas to Make the Season Bright

‘Tis the season to be jolly and there’s no better way to get into the holiday spirit than with a fabulous party. Whether you’re searching for ideas to liven up your family get-together or need some office holiday inspiration, we have you covered.

Even if you don’t consider yourself a pro at event planning, this guide will get you going with the best holiday party ideas including decor, food, drinks, themes, games, and activities. Best of all, these ideas are perfect if you have a limited budget.

Holiday Party Planning: Decor, Themes, and Food

When it’s time to deck the halls, these holiday party ideas will work great for your home or office celebration. The first step is sending out your holiday party invitations. Once you’ve handled that, it’s time to move on to other parts of the party planning process. Here’s how to make it happen.

Decor Ideas

When it comes to creating the perfect setting, it doesn’t have to take much time or money with these simple, cost-saving ideas for fabulous holiday party decor.

Forage for Decorations

Save your cash and go au natural! Use fallen pine cones, twigs, branches, and clusters of pine from your backyard, local park, or other public outdoor space. (You could also strategically clip a few branches from your Christmas tree — no one will even notice.) 

After a little clean-up, you’ll have truly natural decor for your winter wonderland tablescape and mantel. Scatter a few walnuts, chestnuts, or pecans for yet another seasonal touch.

Light Up the Room 

To make the season bright and extra cozy, use string lights across your mantel, table centerpieces, and any other areas to add a bit of sparkle. Place flameless tea lights or votives inside mason jars. Wrap the jars with festive ribbon and mini jingle bells, sprigs of holly, or any other decorative items you like. Best of all, you can find most (if not all) of these items at your local dollar store.

Place Ornaments and Spices in a Jar

Sometimes the simplest ideas are the best. Ornaments instantly add holiday ambiance, so fill up any clear vases or jars you have with a variety of colorful ornaments along with mini pine cones, star anise, and cinnamon sticks. 

If you’re really in a pinch, use glassware of different sizes to create visual interest. For wine glasses, rocks glasses, or other small glasses, simply fill with mini Christmas ornaments.

Dress Up the Chairs

Whether you’re decorating your home or your office conference room, it’s easy to add festive flair by wrapping chairs with a wide ribbon and tying it in a bow at the back. 

For a whimsical finishing touch, loop in fresh or faux greenery, pine cones, berries, or glittery plastic ornaments in snowman, snowflake, reindeer, and other holiday shapes.

Add Some Gift Box Glam

Who says gifts only belong under the tree? For a stylish spin on holiday decorations, simply wrap up empty boxes of different sizes in coordinating colors and ribbons and place them wherever you could use some holiday charm. Add them alongside the other decorative ideas on this list to create a lovely holiday vignette.

Holiday Party Themes

Now that you have some ideas on how to dress up your party, you need a holiday theme. Take a look at these options that’ll get your creative wheels turning for your next bash.

Favorite Things FĂȘte

Raindrops on roses and whiskers on kittens might be a few of Julie Andrews’ favorite things, but you can jazz up your own holiday party by having guests gift one another with an item they love. Set a spending limit (say, $25) and watch as the conversation flows when people share the reasons why they chose the gift.

Holidays Around the World Potluck

This party theme is particularly suited for a company holiday party where coworkers come from all different backgrounds. Ask everyone to bring a favorite dish that celebrates their culture’s culinary holiday traditions. 

Whether it’s tamales, latkes, pasteles, toshikoshi soba, or bĂ»che de noĂ«l, you’ll have an instant conversation starter as attendees ask about the backstory of each dish.

Wintertime Beach Bash

Baby, it’s cold outside but you can heat things up with a fun summer-themed holiday party. Choose a tropical, beach, luau, or BBQ theme that brings those warm, sun-filled vibes indoors. Greet guests with party leis and colorful cocktails, and encourage them to wear their favorite Hawaiian-print shirts and summer hats.

Holiday Pajama Party

It doesn’t get much cozier or comfier than having a PJ party with your nearest and dearest. You could even host it as a virtual holiday party with family or colleagues. This theme might be a little hard to pull off for an office party, but we’re thinking your coworkers wouldn’t complain. After all, once the party ends, there’s no need to change clothes. You’re ready for bed! 

Christmas Party Brunch

The holidays are incredibly busy, especially in the evenings when most events take place. Plan a morning brunch to increase the chances your friends and family can attend. Set out a delicious spread in your own home or head to a local restaurant to have them do the work for you.

DIY Ugly Sweater Party

Why buy an ugly sweater when you can design one yourself? Ask guests to bring an old sweater or sweatshirt to the party and set up a table with plenty of crafty supplies — think scissors, hot glue guns, fabric markers, stencils, rhinestones, pom poms, appliques, sparkles, and bells. At the end of the party, you can give a prize for the tackiest DIY sweater of the bunch.

Holiday Murder Mystery Dinner Party

For a spooky twist on a Christmas party theme, host a murder mystery party set around the holidays. Download a murder mystery game online or buy a Christmas-themed murder mystery game pack. You can even hire specialty companies to come run the game for you. It’s sure to take your holiday gathering to the next level.

Food and Drinks

No party would be complete without tasty holiday treats. Here are a few ideas for filling up at your soiree.

Finger Foods

If you’re trying to keep expenses down, remember that you don’t have to host an entire sit-down dinner. Instead, host it happy-hour style with an array of appetizers and easy party snacks and ask guests to BYOB. If you’re not doing booze, ask attendees to bring some holiday sweets instead.

Hot Chocolate Station

Have the cocoa, marshmallows, chocolate shavings, mini candy canes, cinnamon sticks, and sprinkles ready to go for this sweet idea that appeals to the kid in all of us. For a “Naughty or Nice” theme for the grown-ups, consider options for spiked hot cocoa. You could also apply this same idea to create an eggnog station.

Dipping Station

Along with (or in lieu of) the finger foods, offer creative dips and dippers — spinach dip with zucchini chips, unusual hummus recipes with pita, baked brie with crudite, and breadsticks with marinara are filling options that don’t cost much money.

Champagne Bar

Pop, fizz, clink! Break out the bottles of bubbly with this fun holiday party idea that lets guests create their favorite sparkling drink. Include a few liqueurs, mixers, and garnishes (sliced winter citrus is a good seasonal choice). 

To save some cash, opt for a prosecco or sparkling wine rather than springing for real Champagne. After a few sips, nobody will know the difference!

Holiday Party Games and Activities

Step up the festivities with these fun, interactive party games that work for both family get-togethers and company holiday parties.

Selfie Station

For an affordable alternative to pricey photo booths, gather a few fun props (Santa hats, reindeer antlers, silly glasses, etc.) and encourage guests to grab a prop, take a shot, and hashtag it. You can inform everyone of the party’s hashtag in your email invitations and remind them at the party. It’s a fun way to relive the revelry and see fun pics that others took.

Wrapping Paper Fashion Show

Gifts won’t be the only thing you’re wrapping this holiday season thanks to this hilarious game. All you need is wrapping paper, tape, scissors, and a killer catwalk style. 

Break up into teams of two (one model and one “fashion designer” to dress the person) or have each participant dress themselves to make it even more challenging. Consider giving a small prize for best dressed — and biggest fashion faux pas!

White Elephant Gift Exchange

A holiday celebration favorite, this game is all about getting surprise gag gifts for friends and family. In your invitations, ask guests to bring along one present and set a maximum spending amount so everyone brings something of similar value. You can even include some suggestions for gift ideas. At the party, draw numbers to see who gets to pick a present first and set the rules for stealing already opened gifts.

Do a Cookie Swap

Plan a cookie exchange where every guest brings along a tasty batch of homemade cookies. At the party, everyone gets to try different recipes. It’s a great way to try new flavors and enjoy age-old recipes handed down through generations. If you or your guests aren’t much into baking, make it a store-bought cookie swap or contest to see which ones are the best.

Host a Gingerbread House Competition

Get competitive with a gingerbread house competition. Step up the difficulty level by asking everyone to bake their own gingerbread house or keep it simple with store-bought kits. Be sure to grab bags of candy like Mike & Ikes, candy canes, and Skittles to decorate them with.

Everyone’s Got Talent

Get to know your friends, family, or colleagues better with this fun holiday party idea. Let guests know ahead of time that there will be a talent show, so those who want to participate can bring any necessary supplies. (Juggling balls, glow sticks, or an accordion, perhaps?) For better or worse, this is one activity that’s sure to amuse. (Who knew Uncle John could eyebrow dance like a boss?!)

Holiday Movie Trivia

From “The Grinch” and “A Christmas Story” to “Elf” and beyond, test everyone’s pop culture prowess with a printable holiday movie trivia game. You can always add quotes and fun facts from your personal faves if you don’t see them on the list.

Turn this event into a full evening of fun by making it into a movie marathon night. You can play all of your favorite classics or spend the evening discovering new Christmas movies you haven’t watched. Make it a themed night by watching only Hallmark holiday movies or a franchise like “Home Alone.”

Merry Textmas Showdown

For this entertaining twist on texting, come up with a holiday message (at least 280 characters to up the ante) and write it down on a chalkboard or poster board so everyone can see. Then, set a timer for 10-20 seconds and have everyone text the message (there doesn’t have to be an actual recipient) to see who writes the message error-free. Read some of the texts aloud — you might be surprised at the hilarious autocorrects.

Turn Caroling Into Christmas Karaoke

Sure, you could go around the neighborhood and sing Christmas carols with friends. Or you can take things up a notch and host an at-home Christmas karaoke competition. Download a playlist of all the best holiday songs. Don’t be afraid to branch out with holiday tunes like “Ludacrismas” and “The Chipmunk Song,” which are sure to have guests cracking up.

Holiday Party Ideas to Celebrate the Season

There’s nothing like gathering with friends, family, and coworkers to enjoy some holiday cheer, and we hope this list sparked your own creativity. Don’t forget that sending online invitations is one of the best ways to save time and money.

Greenvelope lets you choose from a variety of customizable designs, track RSVPs, and so much more. While you’re already in the holiday spirit, be sure to order your holiday cards and Christmas cards to share your merriest greetings of the season.