As we roll into mid-December, the holiday parties kick into overdrive. Whether it be with a classroom full of kids, with your favorite school staff members, or at home, a few simple additions can add some extra spice to any holiday shindig. With this said, I recently scoured the Oriental Trading catalogue for some fun items to use at our school district holiday bash. I found a handful of items that proved to be a real hit. The best part is that many of these fun finds will transition nicely into my own family party that we host on Christmas Day.
HOT CHOCOLATE BAR
After seeing these all over Pinterest the last few years, I have been hankerin’ to slip a Hot Chocolate Bar into a party. Well, after stumbling across these few fun finds that matched our theme, I jumped on the chance to toss one into our staff party this year. I was able to snag antler swizzle sticks and peppermint spoons to place at the bar. These two items mixed with whipped cream, marshmallows, and some fun signs knocked it out of the park. This station was busy all night . . . some even added a little extra “spirit” to their late night treat. You can snag the signs (shown below) that I incorporated into our chocolate bar HERE.
On a mildly related note, I also picked up some festive cups to have in the water station. Oriental Trading has oodles of tumblers to pick from. These cracked up the crew. I have a few of these solo cups left as well as a handful of swizzle sticks. You can bet your holiday stockings that I will be using them with my own crazy family on Christmas Day. However, they most likely will not be holding or stirring hot chocolate . . . (((GRIN))).
PHOTO PROPS
We always have a photo booth at our staff parties. And, let’s face it . . . a photo booth ain’t a photo booth unless you have some fun props to choose from. Oriental Trading had a few fun sets to choose from that don’t break the bank. These DIY props proved to be just the ticket at our party . . . especially as the night marched on 😉 In addition to the fun prop set, I tossed some holiday pinhole sunnies into the mix (see photo a above). I can’t tell you how many people ended up wearing a set home . . . hehehehehe 🙂 #photoboothsuccessstory
I also will have these props out at home on Christmas Day. If I know my family, these will find their way into our hands sometime after dinner . . . probably during our annual Christmas Bingo game. What can I say? Things get a little wild around the Dolling house during the holidays and dippy costumes on sticks are definitely on point for us.
CENTERPIECES
This year we rolled with a lumberjack theme. It was at the local Elks Lodge . . . need I say more? With this tidbit out in the open, I wanted to create some centerpieces that had an outdoor flavor (go figure). Well, I came across WOOD ROUNDS in the catalogue. Say what? I had NO idea that Oriental Trading had items to complete such projects. These were the perfect centerpiece base. All we had to add was a lantern filled with pinecones, candles, or cheap ornaments, some burlap, a buffalo plaid napkin, and some fresh holly. **Note . . . the lanterns and candles were from my own wedding. I did not go out and spend a bazillion dollars on lighting as my parents did that 7 years ago . . . hehehehe.**
We couldn’t afford to do this on all of the tables. What did we substitute, you ask? OMGOSH . . . cheap tan butcher paper was the perfect substitute. We picked up a roll that was the exact size of a table runner at Home Depot for less than 4 bucks. We cut these to fit the square 4 tops, taped them in place, and doodled on them in Sharpie. It was so easy and it looked amazing (if I do say so myself). I am going to use this idea at my home party too. We have a new table that is SUPER long. My runners don’t fit it any more. After typing that all out, my wheels started turning. I think I just solved my problem 🙂
Alright, so there you have it. A quick post outlining a few festive additions to add some extra spice to any holiday celebration. Next time you have a party to plan . . . Christmas or other, be sure check out Oriental Trading. As you can see from the fun highlights above, the company offers oodles of items for any sort of shindig. On that note, I am out. I’ll see you again soon . . . in the meantime . . . continue to soak up the rest of the holiday season.