Party of the Month: Sugarplum Holiday Dessert Party

I have so many party ideas, that I thought I'd create a monthly blog post called "Party of the Month". Each month I'll be highlighting a bnute productions party kit, and giving ideas for decorations, food, arts and crafts, entertainment, goodie bags and more! I would love to hear your thoughts and ideas as well, so make sure to comment!

The Party - December 2009

Sugarplum Holiday Dessert Party

Whether it be a holiday dessert party or just a holiday sugarfest, your guests will love this party theme. bnute productions offers all the basics you'll need, invitations, banners and more... but below are more ideas to make this a sweet holiday gathering!

Decoration Ideas

Besides a festive personalized Sugarplum Banner, to make this party sparkle, you'll need to create a candy fairy land. Keep your main color palette simple by using lots of turquoise, reds and whites, then add accents here and there of other bright candy colors. Online many candy decorations can be found (i.e., lifesaver garland, large candies, oversized candy canes), but here are some simple directions below to making your own large lollipops like pictured above.

Large Lollipops

An old wrapping paper tube, some color poster board, a ribbon, some glitter and clear cellophane is all you need to make a sparkling oversized lollipop or two. Cut 2 circles from the colored poster board. Add glitter and decorations if desired. Tape or glue each circle to either side of the top end of the wrapping paper tube. Now wrap the lollipop with cellophane and tie with a ribbon.

More Decoration Ideas

With the extra color poster board, make large candy shapes (peppermints, gumdrops, etc.) and add lots of glitter. Then punch a hole in the top, string and hang from the ceiling. Make sure to also scatter filled candy jars throughout the house for easy access to nibbling!

For more Candy Decoration How-To's, see:

HGTV Hard Candy Decorations

How to Make Giant Candy Decoration Ideas

Food & Drink Ideas

The menu for A Sugarplum Dessert Party is a pretty simple... just serve lots and lots of yummy holiday desserts-- cookies, fudge, brownies, cakes, etc. Don't forget to make sure there is lots of jars full of candies too-- chocolates, gumdrops, peppermints, and ribbon candy too! For drinks, offer some hot cocoa, flavored milks (chocolate, strawberry, vanilla), and coffee. Don't forget eggnog-- this is the best (and only) time of year to indulge in this creamy drink!

Art & Craft Ideas

Candy Garland Project

Yes, you can buy candy garland, but why not set up a table and have folks make their own... Making candy garland is simple. Buy several bags of peppermints or candies that have wrappers. Simply staple the wrappers end to end... or for a bit more festivity, tie the ends of 2 candies with ribbon.

Make it easy for your guests and have baskets filled with candies (one color per basket) as well as set out a basket of pre-cut ribbon. The ribbons should be cut to approximately 7" long.

Game Ideas

Candyland

Of course you have to had a Candyland board game set up... Why not a couple games set out.... it's great for kids, and nostalgic for folks who haven't played it in awhile!

Hansel and Gretel Hunt

Another idea... lay out a trail of candy, and at the end, have a prize. You could lay out several trails, each trail using a different candy. Depending on the kids ages, make the trails difficult by making the kids hunt for the candies along the way.

Treats & Goodie Bags

Well, this party is one big treat to begin with, so further explanation isn't necessary... but for a goodie bag, why not give each guest a small cellophane bag, and have them gather candies from your assorted jars around the house to take home.

Another idea... how about a book for each child. "Twas the Night Before Christmas" would be a perfect fit, given the Sugarplum reference in the poem!

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Enjoy these ideas, and have a sweet and wonderful party!

St. Patrick's Day (American Style)

Our family has always celebrated St. Patrick's Day as if it were one of the "big" holidays-- we enjoy a big family gathering to eat a traditional Irish dinner, wearing of the green all day, buying clovers for every person and definitely drinking green drinks... It just dawned on me, though, that my way of celebrating this day is most likely a completely Americanized version of the day. Someday I would love to go to Ireland for St. Patrick's Day and experience the traditional celebration, but for now, I'll enjoy my Americanized version! Here are all things-St. Pat to me!

McDonald's Shamrock Shake
I love McDonald's Shamrock Shakes. Our family didn't head to McDonald's that often growing up, but if we did manage to get there during March, I'd always get a Shamrock Shake! I found a Shamrock Shake recipe online so you can make it at home! Yum.

Wearing Green
When I was little, I dressed head to toe in green, whether the patterns matched or not. In high school, it was all about tricking your friends and only wearing green underwear or socks... To this day, I still wear the green for St. Pats. Heck, I don't want to get pinched!

Good Ol' Irish [American] Pub
Who doesn't like a great Irish pub... Although I don't think the ambience in an American/Irish pub is quite like an Irish pub in the rolling hills of Cork County, it still can be a good time! Even in my suburbian town we have an Irish pub!

Irish [American] Songs
I love Irish music... I have several different albums, for when I'm in that Celtic mood, but here's one of my all-time favorites to play on St. Pats: Bing Crosby's Top O'the Morning - His Irish Collection. My favorite tune from this album is "Macnamara's Band."

Green Beer
A Guiness is really the beer to be drinking on St. Pats... it's so rich and delicious... but it's hard to have a lot of Guiness. That's probably why the green beer phenomenon is so popular! I found many recipes online to make your own green beer at home! Not a beer drinker, check out these Irish Drink recipes as well.