35 Low-Key Christmas Party Ideas That Spread Major Holiday Cheer

Formal Christmas parties are fun, but not always easy on your wallet or schedule. There are invitations to send, decorations to hang, drink menus to plan — the list goes on and on. By the time your event rolls around, you might feel more depleted than in the holiday spirit.

Our advice? Skip the large and laborious gathering in favor of something more intimate. Here are 25 low-key Christmas party ideas that will delight your family and friends and help you create more unique memories. From cookie decorating with a '90s twist to Christmas karaoke and pampering parties, we've got you covered.

Tired of the traditional red and green hues? Theme your Christmas party after the other colors of the rainbow. You can use saturated bottle-brush trees, pom-pom garlands, streamers, painted nutcrackers and glassware to get your palette across, then challenge your family and friends to find matching outfits.

It is a truth universally acknowledged: Your holiday table setting can be any color you want. That's right! Classic red and green not your thing? No worries, mix it up this year and set a guest-impressing table using any color that makes you happy. Learn how we used both vintage and new items to set a pretty-in-pink holiday table and more, below.

Cozy up couch-side with a cranberry cocktail, candied popcorn and your closest friends to view all of the holiday classics. Sure-fire crowd-pleasers include: It’s a Wonderful Life, Home Alone, National Lampoon’s Christmas Vacation and, of course, A Charlie Brown Christmas. Have yourself a very merry, little movie marathon and take a sip every time Santa appears on screen. You can get the full recipe for our famous Boozy Bourbon + Cranberry Cocktail recipe, below.