Party on Down December

It’s that time of the year! Hanukah officially kicked off or lit-up, if you will and Christmas is just around the corner! It makes me want to drown myself in sequence and sip on champagne. Whether you’re going to a schmoozing fest or hosting your own, budgeting is key. Searching for coins in between the couch cushion’s = DON’T INDULGE in party planning! Instead, try two of my fun ideas and save!



Make this Your Invitation!

Option one:

Ugly Christmas Sweater Party- It’s just as fun to dress down as it is to dress up! Everyone likes a theme so have at it. Go to your local thrift store and purchase the most ridiculous thing you can find or be like me and actually have something in your closet that your Great Aunt sent you from Wisconsin that you couldn’t bare to throw away! To make this party fun grab some wines and cheese and then head over to Pershing Square or LA Kings on Ice and show off those sweaters! It’s $10 to $12 to skate depending on which rink you choose. Make it a BYOB and your investment in the party will be minimal. Don’t forget the mistletoe.

Option two:

Christmas Brunch-Pick one of your favorite affordable brunch spots, perhaps- Pete’s Café or Bottega Louie and invite all your friends for Omelets and Secret Santa. This game is fun and simple. Decide on a price, let’s say $25 and buy a gift in that price range, wrap it and leave no marks that it’s from you. After a delicious brunch full of bottomless mimosas, you’ll be ready for Secret Santa! Here are the rules:

1. The first thing you need to do is determine the number of people involved and write each number on a small strip of paper. If you have 11 people playing, there should be 11 strips of paper numbered 1, 2, 3, and so on… Put the small strips into the container or Santa Hat.

2. After you're done, go around to each person and have them draw out a strip of paper, this will determine the order of the players. Number 1 will select a gift first. Number 2 will have the option to steal Number 1’s gift or open there own.

3. This continues until everyone has opened a gift and then Number 1 has the option to keep their original gift or steal any of the other player’s unwrapped gifts. This could get messy or silly so only invite your friends. Ransom’s could make this disastrous (I know from experience)!

4. There are no sore losers! At the end you have the option of sharing what gift was your but, it’s more fun to keep it a mystery!

Get to planning!

Happy Holidays,

Carlyn