Christmas Party Checklist for Families – Santa's Cheat Sheet

Help, the relatives are coming! Oh God, is tomorrow Christmas Eve already? Heavens, it’s Christmas time! – The helpful angel is near: as a Christmas party checklist for your family celebration.

The Christmas geese are unfortunately sold out for the time being, the ordered presents still haven’t all arrived, the “Father Christmas” engaged for the children has cancelled at short notice, the Christmas tree is already leaning dangerously to one side, oh and there’s also the dusting to be done…. It sounds like something out of a film and hopefully it will never become reality 😉

But it can get similarly chaotic just before Christmas. And this is even more true when you have the wonderful task of organising a Christmas party for your relatives.

To make sure that everything goes smoothly in the end and you don’t go completely mad, it’s a great help to have a Christmas party checklist. Fortunately, you don’t have to create one from scratch. Modify it for your needs.

The following Christmas party checklist is specifically for family parties, but even if you have to organise a Christmas party for friends or your company, many of the points apply and it can be of help to you.

The Christmas Party Checklist for Families

Tip: Just put this Christmas party checklist on the fridge or somewhere you’ll see it every day. Regularly check off what you have done and mark what is urgent. This way you will keep track of everything and the preparation of the Christmas party will run like clockwork!

Some items on this Christmas party checklist are optional. We have marked all the absolutely necessary points in bold.

About 4 – 6 Weeks Before Christmas

Clarify the following points as early as possible:

• When will the Christmas party take place?
• Who is coming, how many people are there?
• How many adults, how many children?

4 Weeks Before the Christmas Party

• Start planning! 🙂
• How much budget do I have available?
• Create a guest list in which you mark the guests in different colours according to their eating habits, e.g. children because they eat less. Are there vegetarians and vegans?
• Is the Christmas party taking place at your home?
  • If so, make a list of what needs to be changed in your home: Do you need more tables? Etc.
  • If not, where? Book your desired location early!
• Who is responsible for the food?
  • You? ⇒ What should I have? What do I have to buy later?
  • Another family member? ⇒ Who?
  • A restaurant? ⇒ Which one? Book early!!!
  • Does every guest bring something? ⇒ Keep a list so that nothing is duplicated.
• Are guests staying overnight? Where do they stay?
  • With you / yourselves ⇒ Plan in advance in which room.
  • In the hotel ⇒ Book!
• Design beautiful invitations for the Christmas party
• Write the invitation text and send out the invitations, which should contain the following info:
  • Place
  • Date and time
  • Dress style more formal or more casual?
  • Ask for acceptance or rejection at least 2 weeks before the date.
  • If applicable, request to contribute something to the buffet.

3 Weeks Before the Christmas Party

• Christmas decorations?
  • Do you have enough Christmas decorations?
  • If necessary, craft more Christmas decorations
  • If necessary, buy/order desired Christmas decorations
• Should there be a programme?
  • Will someone give a speech?
  • Are you planning Christmas games for children or Christmas games for adults?
  • Will there be Secret Santa?
  • Will someone play Santa Claus/Christmas Child for the children?
  • Will there be musical interludes? ⇒ See next point
  • Will there be a Christmas raffle?
• Music?:
  • Do you sing Christmas carols together? ⇒ Print out lyrics
  • Music planned by plant? ⇒ Prepare CDs, LPs or playlist
  • Are there musicians in your family / among the guests? ⇒ Ask who would like to enrich the Christmas party with a small musical performance
• Divide tasks! You can’t do everything alone. Therefore, at the latest now, ask other family members for help and distribute tasks or areas of responsibility.

2 Weeks Before the Christmas Party

• Check with any guests who have not yet made a clear commitment or cancellation!Go through the commitments and cancellations and adjust your guest list.
• If you are making the food yourself or part of it, calculate the quantities according to the guest list and write yourself a detailed shopping list!
• Buying in bulk 1: It’s best to get as much as possible now. All ingredients that don’t have to be bought fresh, all drinks, paper napkins, bin liners, washing-up liquid, etc.

1 Week Before the Christmas Party

• Buying, setting up and decorating the Christmas tree
• Final check: Do you have enough crockery, glasses and cutlery? If necessary, ask other family members / guests to help you out.
• Bulk shopping 2: Now get everything that is still on your shopping lists for drinks, food and other items. Only what really has to be absolutely fresh should be put on an extra shopping list for just before the event!
• Table order? Should there be a fixed table order? Then design one and make or print name tags. (Or give this task to a helper).

On the Last Working Day Before the Christmas Party

• Buy the things on the extra shopping list for just before the party: perishable food such as certain types of fruit or vegetables, fresh meat or fish.

1 Day Before the Christmas Party

• Set the tables/chairs and lay the tablecloths
• Clean the flat or location (have it cleaned) and make the final decorations
• Prepare sleeping places for guests
• Charge camera and free up memory card

2 Hours Before Guests Arrive

• Get ready for the Christmas party and then…
• Turn on favourite music, take a deep breath and relax…. 😉

Good luck planning with the Christmas party checklist!

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By the way, on Abenteuer Freundschaft you will also find quite a few Christmas gift ideas, as well as tips for activities with friends, family or partner all year round.

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