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18 Dec, 2023
15 min read

Christmas Eve Party Ideas to Spark Kids Holiday Joy!

Family Bonding at Questroom | Questroom

As the seasons transition and October's spookiness fades away, there is a delightful festive atmosphere in the air. High streets are being adorned with decorations, and the familiar sounds of Mariah Carey's Christmas songs can be heard from the shops, signaling the approaching Christmas season. Christmas is a holiday that brings families together, friends celebrate, and even colleagues gather for some joyous moments. However, organizing celebrations, whether traditional or unique, can be a daunting task. Sometimes, those responsible for planning a party during the holiday season have no idea where to begin... Finding family Christmas Eve party theme ideas that suit all ages, preferences, and schedules can be challenging.

Best Christmas Eve Outdoor Activities

Escape Room

Gather your team and have an unforgettable Christmas party at Questroom. Immerse yourself in thrilling escape rooms that will take you to new worlds and provide an adrenaline-fueled experience like no other. To make the planning process easy and hassle-free, consider exploring our range of Christmas Packages, where everything is organized by our event planners.

Toy Shopping

Recreate the joy of shopping for toys during the holiday season by organizing a toy shopping day with friends. Afterward, choose a local charity to donate your haul to, tapping into that same sense of excitement you experienced as a child.

Skating

Ice skating is a thrilling winter activity that can be enjoyed by everyone, regardless of their skating skills. Whether you're a beginner or an expert, lace up your skates and head to a local ice rink with your friends. Spend the day gliding on the ice, playing hockey, or racing each other. Afterward, you can all warm up together with delicious bowls of soup, chili, and comforting warm beverages.

Christmas Karaoke

Prepare yourself for various renditions of "All I Want for Christmas is You" and challenge Mariah Carey's vocals. To help ease any nerves, serve Christmas-themed cocktails, don Santa hats, and create a Christmas karaoke party that will be unforgettable.

Caroling

A fantastic idea for an outdoor Christmas party theme is to gather your friends and family for a delightful session of Christmas caroling. Sing your favorite holiday songs like "Joy to the World," "Deck the Halls," and "We Wish You a Merry Christmas" with all your heart and create beautiful memories together.

Visiting Christmas Tree Farm

Instead of simply buying a Christmas tree from a store or parking lot, consider creating lasting memories by taking your family to a Christmas tree farm. Hand-select the tree that you believe will be the perfect fit for your home, and in some cases, you may even have the opportunity to cut the tree down yourself and transport it back to your car. While this process may take more time, the memories created are likely to be cherished for a long time.

Drive-in Movie

Drive-in movie theaters are experiencing a resurgence, just in time for the holiday season! See if any local venues will be screening popular Christmas movies such as Elf, National Lampoon's Christmas Vacation, or Love Actually.

Outdoor Party

If you reside in a location with sunny and warm weather during December, consider hosting the party outdoors. This can be a great opportunity to take advantage of the beautiful weather and enjoy the festivities under the clear blue sky. Not only will the fresh air and sunshine create a cheerful and uplifting atmosphere, but it will also provide ample space for various activities and games. In addition to traditional party games, you can also incorporate a slightly messy activity for young children, such as decorating gingerbread houses. This hands-on craft allows the little ones to unleash their creativity and have a blast while getting their hands dirty with frosting and colorful candies.

What to Do at a Christmas Party?

Secret Santa Gift Exchange

A Secret Santa gift exchange is one of the things to do at a Christmas party. Prior to the party, have each person draw a name to ensure that everyone receives a Christmas gift. Set a budget and have a conversation with your gift buddy to determine what entertaining for Christmas they want this year. This activity can bring back a sense of childlike excitement for older guests. If you're struggling to come up with gift ideas, consider practical options such as a durable water bottle, restaurant gift cards, or personalized subscription gift packages tailored to your interests.

Gift Wrapping

Instead of waiting until Christmas Eve to wrap gifts at the last minute with the same roll of paper, why not host a gift-wrapping party? Invite your friends over and ask each guest to bring a couple of rolls of wrapping paper. This way, you can mix and match different designs for a variety of beautifully wrapped presents to display under the Christmas tree.

Gingerbread House Decoration

Prepare multiple gingerbread houses and allow your guests to indulge in the fun of decorating them. Families or couples can work together on a house, or individuals can choose a partner to decorate with. Offer a variety of icing, colorful gumdrops, and other creative toppings. To add some excitement, you can turn it into a competition and award prizes to the team with the most elaborate gingerbread house. Afterward, proudly display the decorated gingerbread houses on a festive serving platter that complements your party's holiday theme.

Guess Who Game

In this fun and engaging game, players take turns selecting a sticky note from a pile. Each sticky note has a Christmas character written on it, such as Santa Claus, Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer, or Frosty the Snowman. The players then carefully place the sticky note on their forehead without peeking at the character written on it. This adds an element of surprise and anticipation to the game. The other players in the game then take turns giving hints, clues, and descriptions to help the player with the sticky note and guess the character written on it. This creates an interactive and collaborative atmosphere as the players work together to solve the mystery. The game continues until all the players have had a chance to guess their character or until a predetermined number of rounds have been played. This game is a fantastic way to celebrate the holiday season and enjoy some lighthearted fun with family and friends.

Letter to Santa

At a kid's party, you can create a festive atmosphere by providing crayons, colored pencils, paper, envelopes, and stickers for the children to write letters to Santa. Before the party ends, you can ask them to leave their letters in a special mailbox for the North Pole.

Hot Chocolate Party

Why not create a delightful and cozy hot chocolate bar that will surely bring joy to your friends and family? You can set up a charging station where everyone can gather and indulge in a variety of mouthwatering toppings. Imagine the aroma of cinnamon sticks, the warmth of ground nutmeg, the sweetness of chocolate chips, and the fluffy goodness of whipped cream. Your loved ones will have the opportunity to customize their own delectable cups of hot cocoa, making it a truly memorable experience. To ensure that the hot cocoa remains perfectly warm and inviting throughout the afternoon, consider using a slow cooker. This way, everyone can help themselves to a steaming cup of deliciousness whenever they desire. So go ahead and create this delightful hot chocolate bar that will fill your home with warmth and happiness!

Christmas Tree Decoration

The most popular of the best Christmas gathering ideas! Invite your friends to help you decorate the Christmas tree by putting out ornaments, candy canes, string lights, and garlands. Enhance the Christmas cheer by playing your favorite Christmas movies or music in the background. For a nostalgic touch, you can make your own cranberry and popcorn garlands to wrap around the tree, or if crafts aren't your thing, you can purchase an artificial tree on Amazon to reuse every year.

Wearing Ugly Sweaters

Ugly Christmas sweater parties are a popular holiday tradition and become even more enjoyable when everyone can decorate their sweaters together. Invite guests to bring old sweaters to the party and provide materials like pom-poms, sparkles, buttons, felt, and more so they can spend the evening creating their own festive designs. Don't forget to have a competition to determine the best sweater at the end of the night!

White Elephant Gift Exchange

White Elephant parties, also known as Yankee Swap, Pollyanna, Dirty Santa, and various other names, involve setting a budget, bringing a gift, and then observing as your guests select and exchange presents until they find the perfect one.

Grinch Theme Party

Create your own holiday Whobilation with a festive and fun Grinch Christmas Party. Crown the Holiday Cheermeister, enjoy a snack of roast beast, and don't forget to invite the Grinch himself! Bring the world of Dr. Seuss' Whoville to life with this Christmas party idea that you won't want to miss out on.

Wreath Creation

Wreath-making is an excellent activity for a corporate Christmas happy hour. Purchase wreaths from a local farmers market and gather ornaments, holly, and other decorations to enhance the wreaths. Create a hot toddy bar and prepare for an engaging and interactive company Christmas party idea that will be enjoyed by all participants.

Santa's Visit

Invite Santa Claus to your holiday party and watch the kids' excitement as they see Old Saint Nick arrive, preferably in his sleigh filled with gifts. To add to the festive atmosphere, provide Santa hats for all your guests to pay homage to the beloved man in red.

Name that Song Game

Divide your guests into 2 to 3 teams for a fun holiday guessing game that breaks the ice. In this competition, teams will listen to one line of a Christmas song and write down the name of the song. Keep track of the answers to determine which team accumulates the most correct answers. Let the music be one of your Christmas party themes!

Scavenger Hunt

Instead of immediately starting a Christmas movie marathon, add some unusual activity to your gathering by organizing a scavenger hunt. If you're in need of holiday-themed ideas, you can purchase a deck of over 200 cards to assist you.

Christmas Movies Marathon

Create a cozy atmosphere with a warm fire and gather with loved ones to enjoy classic holiday movies such as The Polar Express, Home Alone, and Miracle on 34th Street. Offer freshly popped popcorn with delicious toppings like parmesan black pepper, cinnamon sugar, or everything bagel seasoning. Serve your favorite movie theater candies in mini tart pans for a fun touch. Enhance the movie night experience with a "Now Playing" letter board reminiscent of a theater marquee.

Christmas Dinner

Create a festive tablescape and invite friends over for a Christmas dinner. You can choose to prepare all the dishes yourself if you're up for the challenge, or you can make it a potluck-style dinner to share the workload.

Light a Sparkler

Instead of settling for mere twinkling string lights, take your party to the next level by providing sparklers for each guest to light during photo time or at the end of the night. Sparklers, with their mesmerizing glow and crackling sound, add an additional festive touch to the celebration, creating a magical atmosphere that will leave a lasting impression on your guests. As they hold the sparklers up high, the sparks dance in the air, creating a beautiful spectacle that is not only visually captivating but also enhances the quality of the pictures taken. The vibrant sparks serve as a backdrop, adding a dynamic element to the photos, making them truly special and memorable. So, why settle for the ordinary when you can elevate your party with the enchanting charm of sparklers?

Why Is an Escape Room the Best Activity for Christmas Eve?

At Questroom, you can enjoy the ultimate experience during your Christmas party! We offer several advantages, including free parking (you can find information about parking locations on our website). Additionally, you have the option to book the entire location exclusively for your group. All games can start simultaneously, and the space will be reserved solely for your team, with no other groups present. You will have a dedicated event organizer who will provide personalized service. All the staff at the location will be at your disposal. We also have a lobby space available for catering. And here's another important advantage! Your guests can enjoy the atmosphere not only during the game but also before and after. The entire Questroom staff will be working for you to ensure an unforgettable evening!

Fun for Everyone

Escape rooms offer a wonderful opportunity for children to unleash their imaginations and showcase their puzzle-solving skills. Regardless of their ability, as long as they have adult assistance, children can participate in tackling captivating puzzles as part of a team. On the other hand, individuals with more life experience can shine and share their wisdom. The diverse challenges in escape rooms cater to different types of minds, ensuring that there is something for everyone to engage with.

Communication Skills

Escape rooms place a strong emphasis on the significance of effective communication. In order to solve puzzles, teams must convey information, exchange ideas, and coordinate their efforts, fostering better communication skills among colleagues.

Solving Problems

Escape rooms provide an opportunity for participants to develop creative problem-solving and critical-thinking skills. By engaging in puzzles and challenges, individuals are encouraged to think innovatively, analyze situations, and make timely decisions. These skills are highly beneficial in professional settings, as they promote thinking outside the box and the ability to perform under time pressure.

Morale and Motivation

Escape rooms promote teamwork and collaboration, bringing participants together, especially families. It emphasizes that no one person can solve everything, encouraging parents to let their children find and figure out clues on their own. This involvement of everyone in the action and fun creates a team effort, with everyone leaving as heroes who contributed their part.

Memories for a Life

Participating in escape room adventures as a family creates a one-of-a-kind memory that can be cherished and reminisced for years to come. This shared experience strengthens personal relationships, fosters greater unity among family members, and offers an enjoyable and fun-filled activity where everyone can actively participate and contribute their ideas and skills. Collaborating and working together to solve puzzles and escape the room also helps build trust and communication skills, which can be valuable in various aspects of life.

Extended Joy

Escape rooms are not only a fun activity but also offer the advantage of being a time-efficient option. With a duration of approximately 1-1.5 hours, escape rooms can easily fit into a larger plan or accommodate busy schedules. After completing the escape room experience, there is still ample time to enjoy a celebratory drink and dinner, ensuring a memorable and enjoyable evening. Additionally, participants need not worry about feeling exhausted or overwhelmed during the hour-long activity. For those seeking a greater challenge, multiple rooms can be played, allowing teams to swap and play additional rooms for the ultimate competition.

Getting to Know Each Other

Participating in team-building activities, such as an escape room, can foster stronger connections among family members, allowing them to become more familiar with each other and work together more comfortably. Even in a casual setting like an escape room, individuals can uncover new facets of their family members that they may not have observed in a formal or professional setting.

Buy Our Gift Card for a Christmas Celebration

Make your friends, colleagues, or family members happy and give them the gift of a brand new experience that will remain a vivid memory in their minds for a long time. No more boring gifts! If you don't know what to give a loved one for Christmas, a gift card from Questroom can be an excellent gift option! Give them the opportunity to immerse themselves in the fascinating world of quests and create vivid memories that will stay with them for a long time. Questroom gift card is an original and memorable gift that will allow them to choose a convenient time and place to visit the quest on their own.

Gift Card Usage Rules

  • The gift card is used when purchasing a game; it is used a SINGLE time and in full. NOTE: The unused amount is not refundable.
  • This card can only be used for the initial purchase of a game. It can NOT be used to add players or pay for any additional charges on a pre-existing booking.
  • If the purchase amount EXCEEDS the face value of the card, the buyer can make an additional payment for the remaining amount.
  • The gift card may not be returned or exchanged for any cash equivalent.
  • The gift card can be used at any of the Questroom locations listed on the website.
  • When paying with this gift card, discounts offered at the time of purchase in the online store are valid.
  • This card is valid for five years from the date of purchase.

Challenge Yourself

So, this was a list of fun Christmas parties for kids and teens ideas! Are you ready to take on the ultimate adventure? Test your skills and solve mind-bending puzzles at Questroom! Our escape rooms offer thrilling challenges that will keep you on the edge of your seat. Book your [live escape game in Los Angeles](escape room game los angeles) today and create unforgettable memories! Contact Information: Korea Town: 170 S. Western Ave, Los Angeles, CA 90004 Hollywood: 5517 Santa Monica Blvd, Los Angeles, CA 90038 Culver City: 5235 W Adams Blvd, Los Angeles, CA 90016 To book LA room escape, visit our events page. If you have any questions, feel free to contact us at 310-707-1240 or reach out to us via the online chat.

Ivan is an expert in escape room design and development for almost a decade. He and his team have developed dozens of 5-star escape rooms across multiple genres in the United States, focusing on amazing live experience and unforgettable storytelling.

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