DD (9) wants to have an Xmas party with friends - need ideas?

[ilovediznee]

Ok, put your thinking caps on. Our DD (9) wants to have about 10 girls over from school and have an Xmas party. She wants to do a $10 gift exchange, watch Xmas movies and decorate cookies. This would only be a Saturday night party, not a sleepover.

Has anyone done one of these and do you have any ideas?????

Thanks

 

[C.Ann]

No ideas, but it sounds like great fun!! I'm going to be watching what others post as this sounds like something my DGD would enjoy..

 

[funkychunkymonkey]

Oh yea, I did this every year from the time I was 8. It was pretty fun. Mom would let us bake those cookies in a bag (just add eggs and oil) and while they baked we would watch a movie (and eat all sorts of munchies with coco). Then we would frost cookies (and put some away for each freind to take home). Then mom would always take a group picture (then make picture ordements for all the guests for christmas). Best advice: have the party before Christmas and have fun!

 

[preb]

Last year, when my DD was 9, I hosted a mother/daughter cookie exchange. We held it on a Sunday afternoon and each girl brought a 1/2 dozen cookies wrapped for each participant (we had 10 mother/daughter pairs, so 5 dozen cookies) plus one dozen for "tasting". In addition to the cookies I just had cheese and crackers, veggies and dip and other snacky foods. I purchased gingerbread house kits from Costco and we had a nice time decorating them as mother/daughter "teams". If you don't want to spend that much, you can make gingerbread houses out of graham crackers. At the end we played "Christmas Charades" with different Christmas symbols and characters. It was a riot, with words like eggnog, wisemen, Heat Miser...you get the idea. It was a wonderful afternoon and has become a new tradition, with someone different hosting this year.

 

[PatsGirl]

Some type of Xmas arts and crafts project, a Xmas movie, but I think a gift exchange or Secret Santa might cause more issues than fun...

 

[C.Ann]

Oriental Trading has some awesome arts and crafts ideas that would work well for something like this (usually sold by the dozen) and they are pretty inexpensive!

 

[aprilgail2]

My daughter had one 2 Christmas's ago- I had a local chocolate store make plain chocolate houses and bought all kinds of candy and icings to decorate them and the girls sat there making their houses and then they got to take it home with them at the end of the party! We had a gift wrapping contest- whoever wrapped the box fastest got a gift, we played pass the gift- sort of like hot potato but the person holding the gift when the music stopped got to keep it (I am not taking about big gifts--just little things like a my little pony or a kooky pen etc)

 

[paintnolish]

Hobby Lobby (or craft store) for ornaments to paint. You could also do the ones with paint or glitter and glue inside a clear glass ball. You could also string popcorn for a tree. Ooh, how about Xmas bingo? This sounds like fun! I want to have one!

 

[kacaju]

but I think a gift exchange or Secret Santa might cause more issues than fun...

I have to respectfully disagree. I know my dd9 and her friends would love to do that!!

We just did a halloween party for my dd and her friends, I love the girls at this age!! They had so much fun!!

I love the idea of a Christmas party too...

 

[Lisa loves Pooh]

Maybe instead of a gift exhange, you just collect inexpensive gifts perhaps to take to the pediatric ward at the hospital.

We did something like this except with bandaids for my dd's b-day. We did not get to visit any children understandably, but we did pre-arrange everything and my dd did get to deliver it personally to the charge nurse (or someone in charge) on the floor.

That way you do not have to worry about--rivalry among gift recipients and the kids can do something for others in the spirit of the holiday.

(We actually called ahead about our idea of doing something and they gave us suggestions of what would be good to bring.)

 

[hppy2bhome]

Every year since my youngest was 3 or 4 we've have had Gingerbread house decorating parties. I make every house line the tables with candy and watch them decorate them. I take a photo of every child after they are decorated. Tayler is now 12 and this is the first year she will not be having one. Our youngest age 7 has had friends over also but this year she becomes the official gingerbread party girl. I use the pampered chef mold (I have 3 now) and make any where from 10-15. Last year both girls had one and I make 19. It's a lot of work but a memory to last a life time.


hppy2bhome

 

[ilovejack02]

I would def skip the gift exchange, but other than that it sounds like GREAT fun!!! I know I have no interest in buying anymore presents than I just have to and honestly my kid already is getting to much as it is!

How about bring a can good for local food bank ?

I am planning one for DS7 we will decorate cookies, have hot chocolate and just let the kiddos play and have Christmas movies playing ! I cant wait!

Last year, I had someone come put snow down in our front yard.. spent about 300.00 LMAO, dont you know it snowed almost 7 inches about two weeks later .

It never snows here !!

 

[golfgal]

Maybe instead of a gift exhange, you just collect inexpensive gifts perhaps to take to the pediatric ward at the hospital.

We did something like this except with bandaids for my dd's b-day. We did not get to visit any children understandably, but we did pre-arrange everything and my dd did get to deliver it personally to the charge nurse (or someone in charge) on the floor.

That way you do not have to worry about--rivalry among gift recipients and the kids can do something for others in the spirit of the holiday.

(We actually called ahead about our idea of doing something and they gave us suggestions of what would be good to bring.)

I know the hospitals around here wouldn't even let them in the door with all the flu going around so it might be a better idea for another time.

I think the gift exchange is a GREAT idea. Is there some way you can draw names or if not have everyone bring a $10 gift and do some kind of a game to pass the presents around. At 9 years old they are PLENTY old to be able to participate in a gift exchange without hurt feelings. I know at that age our kids did one at school and they had a BLAST (it was a secret Santa deal).

I feel sorry for those that have kids that couldn't participate in a gift exchange at a party without having problems .

 

[mom2travel]

My DD is 9 and we love throwing little fun parties like this.

How about...

* Christmas-themed bingo? (you can make the boards on your computer, and use Christmas-wrapped candies or something like that as markers)

* Who am I? You can think of characters from Christmas stories/movies (religious or not) and write them down on individual slips of paper. A girl pulls a paper out without looking at it, and you pin/tape it to her back. She shows the other girls and they need to each act out or state one clue, and she needs to guess who she is

* pin-the-santa hat on/pin the red nose on... An alternative to pin the tail on the donkey

* crafts - we love making different kinds of ornaments (and usually have a variety of supplies at hand so the more and less-crafty guests can choose what they would like to make)

* t-shirt, picture frame or tote bag decorating

* pinata

* freeze dance to Christmas music (can't have a party w/ DD's friends without freeze dance)

* wrap a treat (toy/candy/whatever) in layers of crepe paper so it forms a ball. Sit in a circle and pass the ball around. When the music stops, that girl upwraps a layer. The girl who unwraps the last layer keeps the treat


As far as the gift exchange goes, I would probably stay away from Secret Santa unless I knew the girls' families well enough to know they would follow through with a purchase. However, I would do a grab bag. You can ask for a book, or for a gift in the $x-$y range; I would have a few extras around "just in case" though. Rather than a pull-a-gift grab bag though, I like where all the wrapped gifts are on the table. Girls pull a number to determine what order they pick in. Number 1 goes first, then 2, 3, etc. Once they all have a wrapped gift and are sitting in a circle, start the music and have them pass the gifts around. Whatever gift you have when the music stops you keep. You can start and stop the music as many times as you want (or need to make sure no one gets their own gift)

Have fun!!

 

[rie'smom]

Maybe get her a Christmas tree of her own that her friends can help her decorate.

If the girls are careful types, buy styrofoam cones in different sizes and let them make gumdrop trees by sticking straight pins through them into the cone.

You can also find gingerbread house kits. Buy one for each girl and allow them to decorate it. They could make the gum drop trees to go with their houses.

Baking and decorating cookies is also a good idea.

These are all things that I planned for my daughter and her friends when they were younger. She's 15 now and was asking the other day about having friends over to make the houses and gumdrop trees-they still. We'll make hot chocolate and Bisquik drop biscuits to eat as they decorate.

 

[princess.chell]

My friends and I used to have Christmas parties together, from like 5th grade till 8th grade we had one every year. Here are some of the things I remember us doing.

"Gingerbread" Houses. We used to take frosting, pint size (or bigger) milk or oj cartons, graham crackers, and candy and make "gingerbread" houses. It gets messy, especially when we got silly, but was so much fun.
Making ornaments, like other people have said.
Watching a Christmas movie.
Playing in the snow, I'm not sure where you are from, but we nearly always had snow when we had our parties so we always made time to play in it. I remember 8th grade we had a ton of snow so we all bundled up in makeshift snow clothes (because in 8th grade we are just too cool for snowpants and real snow clothes) and played in the snow, making snow angels, attempted to build a snowman and just having fun. I still remember that night...
And we did do a grab bag. We would put all the presents (under $10 and one year we did joke gifts) in a bag then draw numbers to see who got to pick first. I think one year we did the "game" that a PP mentioned. Eighth grade we did a secret santa because it was our last Christmas together and we had lockers at school to give gifts in.

I'm sure that whatever they do they will have fun. I still remember those "parties" and most of the time we just hung out and goofed around. Have fun!

 

[Terry36]

Game:

How about asking the kids to bring a wrapped book ($15 - $20). Each of them would sit in a circle and you would read the Left, Right story...sorry I can't remember the name right now. Everytime you say left or right the kids move the books that way. This game is hilarious.

You could buy the Reindeers or snowman or whatever this years Webkinz is and it could be their party favor. Justice has been having 40% off lately on anything so you could get alot of them cheaper.

Decorate pretzels, cupcakes, gingerbread cookies, etc.

Make hot chocolate.