Christmas Party Planning > Christmas Party Themes

Christmas in the Islands Party

Whether or not you live in a cold area, you can enjoy this party at this time of the year. For those by the coast, celebrate Christmas in your own Island style. And for those in the mountains, it may be cold outside, but that doesn't mean you can't throw a tropical themed holiday party.

In fact if you are looking for a cheaper party this would be a great idea, because usually by November, party supply stores are trying to get rid of their luau and tropical themed items and will mark them down drastically.

Invitations

There are many fun invitations you could create for this theme. You could get each person a lei and attach a tag which has the information for the party. Another option is to use cards that are blank inside but have ocean or island scenery on the front. Let everyone know they should wear their loudest Hawaiian shirt because there will be a contest.

Decorations

Decorate your tree with a tropical/ocean theme. Hang seashells and mini surf boards for ornaments. Find beach balls, blow them up and set them throughout the party area. Get tiki torches to put along the walk to the front door.

Table Decorations

For table decorations get sand pails and fill them with sand or even small pebbles and put fake tropical flowers in them, along with some little umbrellas. Put out some beach towels and move any plants you have into the party area to give the room a more tropical feel.

Snow Mocktail Centerpiece

A centerpiece combining the look of snow and beach is a lovely addition to the décor. See instructions for making this ‘Snow Mocktail’ centerpiece to accent your table.

Games and Activities

Loudest Hawaiian Shirt Contest

Have a loudest Hawaiian shirt contest. Put out small pieces of paper and pencils and let everyone vote on who they think has the loudest Hawaiian shirt. Give a themed prize to the winner. Prize ideas might be a basket of tropical fruits, sunglasses and sunscreen or a beach towel.

Play tropical Pictionary

Before the party write out tropical items on small pieces of paper; some ideas are: volcano, snorkeling, ocean, sand, beach, surfing, waterfall, sun, and pineapple. At the party one person pulls a piece of paper and then must draw to try and get their team members to guess what is written on the paper. They have two minutes to guess. If they can't guess then the other team gets to guess. The team that guesses it right gets a point. The first team to ten points wins.

Sand Snowman Contest

If you live right by the beach, hit the beach and hold a 'Sand Snowman Making Contest. Participants need to make 'snowmen' out of sand and decorate them. The best ones win!

Food and Drink Ideas

Put together a tropical fruit salad with pineapple, coconuts and kiwi. Make a tropical punch and serve it with umbrellas and straws. Have beef and vegetable kabobs. Desserts that include coconut or pineapples are also a good idea. If you live in colder areas, be sure to add some warm items like the traditional hot cocoa. Serve it with bright colored straws and umbrellas to carry on the theme.

This article first appeared in the 'Celebrating Christmas PDF Magazine' which is a FREE magazine that you can download and even print out.