No party programme yet? Check out these Christmas party ideas.

The festive season often feels so far away. But before you know it the streets are sparkling, and the holidays aren’t just coming – they’re here. Unlike the big red man himself, we don’t have all year to plan. But don’t worry, with some easy-to-execute Christmas party ideas, your last-minute celebrations will still be sure to impress.

Hop aboard and head sled first into the holidays with Christmas party ideas for children, work or family and friends from Adobe Express.

Christmas party ideas for hosting from home.

Put the ho-ho-ho in hosting at home and deck your halls with holiday cheer – even if your advent calendar is already half eaten. There’s a lot of ways to celebrate Christmas and the winter holidays and they don’t require a degree in event planning.

Start the season on your time with these five festive Christmas party ideas:

• Play festive games. When it comes to last-minute Christmas party ideas, a festive games night is top of the list. Whether it’s testing your acting skills in Charades, a stocking guessing game or pinning the nose on Rudolph, there’s sure to be laughter all around.
• Have a Christmas movie marathon. Prepare some festive snacks, snuggle up in your Christmas jammies and get seated for a Christmas movie marathon. From Home Alone to Gremlins, Love Actually to Batman Returns or Die Hard to The Nightmare Before Christmas – there’s plenty of Christmas movie party ideas to suit all tastes.
• Get the holiday playlist going. Whatever your Christmas party ideas, putting together a Christmas playlist is the cherry (or the angel?) on top. A holiday playlist keeps the festivities flowing. Go traditional, or make a playlist tailored to your tastes with covers or parodies from your favourite artists.
• Gift wrap relay. Ready. Set. Wrap! Race against the competition to wrap gifts as quickly as possible. The basics are simple: players in each team take it in turns to wrap a present, hand it to the present inspector, and then tag in their teammate to wrap another. You can use actual presents, or just identical boxes with a prize at the end. (Or the presents could just get donated at the end if you feel charitable.)
• Christmas crafts. Take some inspiration from Santa’s Elves and get crafty. Get together with your friends for some Christmas crafts at home. Create cards, bunting, gingerbread houses or Christmas tree decorations in the warmth of your home together.

Food ideas for a Christmas party.

Ready for a belt-loosening bellyful of festive food? Whether you want food ideas for a Christmas party, or it’s the main course, there’ll be something to suit your tastes.

Browse our menu of festive dinner party ideas and see what takes your fancy:

• Host a holiday potluck. Pitch in on a potluck and prepare to plate up with a variety of delicious dinners all made by your friends. It’s a delicious way to spend the day, and you may even find your next Christmas cuisine classic for years to come. Best of all, it means the host isn’t solely responsible for all the dishes and the dinner. Make things extra special by introducing festive food from around the world – with each person responsible for a different culture. You could even send out a menu to your guests, with each person assigned as chef for a given dish.
• Get competitive with a Christmas bake off. Kickstart your Christmas cheer with a bit of competition. Go head-to-head and climb to the top in a festive bake off. Bring the cinnamon, ready the gingerbread, and don’t scrimp on the icing – there’s everything to bake for.
• Plan an elegant sit-down dinner. Raise the bar with this elegant Christmas party idea and play host at an extravagant sit-down dinner. Make things official with an exquisitely personalised and festively formal dinner party invitation. Offer a set menu and elevate the festive fare. So long turkey, hello venison. Candelabras and reindeer sculptures to accent the table? How splendid.
• Brunch. Plan a Christmas brunch and relive those magical mornings. Seize the day while the frost is still fresh, with delectably festive foods. Whether savoury or sweet, you won’t be lacking choice.
• Christmas cookies. Cookies are the big man’s favourite – and they might be yours too after this. Don’t just go store bought though! Make your Christmas cookies an occasion. Get together, bake, and then get crafty and decorate your cookies.

Want to make sure you’re the perfect Christmas party host? Get prepared with our handy hosting guide.

Festive dress codes and Christmas party outfit ideas.

It’s not a Christmas party without some festive fashion – and holiday style brings holiday spirit. Get gaudy like a Christmas tree or bring a touch of elegance to your holiday meal with these Christmas party outfit ideas.

• Get everyone to dress in their finest threads. Bring out the suits, don the dresses and deck yourself in your finest threads. If you’re planning an elegant sit-down dinner, then this dress code will work a charm. Throw your own Christmas ball and be the stars of your dance floor.
• Host an ugly Christmas jumper competition. How much is too much? We’re not sure, but you’ll unwrap that mystery quickly with this competition. Whether it’s off-beat or just outright ugly, set your friends the task of attending your party in the “quirkiest” Christmas jumpers they can find.
• Give all your guests Santa hats. Did you know, any party becomes a Christmas party when you’re wearing Christmas hats? Whether there’s no dress code, or you’re going full-on finery, a Santa hat always adds to the holiday cheer.
• Festive film fancy dress. Fancy dress doesn’t have to be limited to spooky season. Take a leaf out of Jack Skellington’s book and bring a bit of Halloween to Christmas. Choose your favourite films, whether Christmas classics or off-beat choices, and dress as some of the iconic characters.
• Pyjama party. One of the best parts of Christmas is spending the day in your pyjamas, opening presents, and finally being able to unwind for a bit. Take the spirit of lazy Christmas mornings and make it an occasion. Whatever Christmas party ideas you have picked out, they’ll be more enjoyable if you’re all comfy.

Editable Christmas menu examples from Adobe Express.

Children’s Christmas party ideas to keep them entertained.

Bring home that holiday magic with some children’s Christmas party ideas so good, they might even get you in the spirit too. Teach the little ones what Christmas is all about and enjoy the sound of your child’s holiday cheer. You’ll forget the naughty list ever existed.

• Do a festive scavenger hunt. Borrow from the Easter Bunny and prepare a festive scavenger hunt. While this might be a perfect children’s Christmas party idea it can be a great time for parents too. You can hide little presents along the way, place baubles and decorations for a tree-dressing session later, or even give them tokens to trade for treats.
• Make gingerbread houses. Decorating sugar cookies or glueing together gingerbread houses with icing sugar is a holiday hit that’s as tasty as it is creative. Let them loose and don’t worry – the clean-up is going to be delicious.
• Get them to write letters to Santa. Start the festive season off right and teach the kids some important writing skills. They get to enjoy the fantasy of Christmas for a bit longer, and you get to experience it with them.
• Sledding. While you might not be able to take a page out of Santa’s book with sleighing, sledding is the next best thing. Hit high speeds on the hills (or moderate speeds on smaller slopes) and add a bit of adrenaline alongside your Christmas cheer. The only caveat here is you’ll need to dream of a white Christmas to make it happen.
• Card crafts and writing. The holidays aren’t just about you – they’re about your family and friends too. So, sit down as a family and make Christmas cards crafty. Teach them to personalise and create their own Christmas cards for people they care about. You can even make an event of going out and posting them together.

Fun work Christmas party ideas.

Nothing quite gets you in the holiday spirit like taking a break from work. But second to that is enjoying the Christmas cheer with your colleagues. It’s a chance to get to know each other better and unwind for a moment. You’ve got through another year as a team, you deserve a chance to let your hair down.

Spread the cheer with these fun work Christmas party ideas:

• Organise a Secret Santa exchange. It’s a classic but Secret Santa is undeniably fun. Not only does Secret Santa build anticipation and turn into a fun guessing game, but it’s always funny to see what people get. You can add themes to the gift giving, set spend amounts, or set up a wish list if you’re really struggling.
• Have a Christmas quiz. For a low-budget, high-fun work Christmas party idea, why not sprinkle in some magic with a Christmas quiz? Best of all, you can do this online if your team is remote. Add in a variety of Christmas-themed questions and don’t be scared to make it funny.
• Set up a festive photo booth. Festive photobooths are a guaranteed laugh, and with the right props, always memorable. They’re interactive, good fun, and everyone can participate. Plus, seeing the pictures the next day is always worth it.
• Visit the Christmas markets. Get out of the office, stretch your legs, and take in those festive aromas at your local Christmas market. Get the gang together and enjoy an outing away from screens and telephone calls. This activity requires little planning, other than just getting out there.
• Tinsel toss. Christmas can be a time for creativity, and what better way than to repurpose tree decorations for games. Tinsel toss is simple: divide into two teams and take turns trying to toss tinsel onto the opponents.

Free Christmas party invitation ideas.

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Good to know.

How do you throw a fun Christmas party?

The best way to throw a fun Christmas party is to just start. Don’t get wrapped up trying to plan the perfect party and running out of time. It’s a good idea to host a range of activities for different people’s interests. You could get people involved in the decorations too!

How should you decorate for a Christmas party?

Gaudily. Or elegantly. Or winter-y. There’s no wrong answer here – but why not put it to a vote? You could even get people to bring in leftover Christmas decorations. Just don’t forget the tree.

Discover more Christmas decoration ideas.

What time should you start a Christmas party?

If you’re planning a Christmas party after work, try to start it at 5-6pm. If it’s hosted at a venue, maybe try for 7-8pm. Brunch party? That one’s obvious – whenever you want, because it’s never too early or late for brunch. Try to think about the people you’re inviting and the purpose of the Christmas party, and you should be able to set a good start time.

Is Adobe Express free?

Yes, our free plan offers many core features including thousands of templates, photo editing and effects, animation, and 2GB of storage. See our  pricing page for details and to compare plans.