How to Plan an Ugly Sweater Christmas Party

An ugly sweater Christmas party is a great way to bring friends, coworkers, or family together for the holiday. If you are looking to plan the perfect holiday party with an ugly sweater theme, follow this blog for an outline to planning the perfect party.

What is an Ugly Sweater Christmas Party?

Guest who attend an ugly sweater Christmas party are encouraged or required to dress in their most tackiest/funniest Christmas sweater. This party idea is to be more relaxed versus having a formal Christmas dinner or event. It is suppose to be fun and even competitive if prizes are given out to guest for their appearance. The layout of your party is ultimately up to you. It is called an ugly sweater party because that is how everyone will dress… in ugly sweaters. The activities, food, and games are decided by the host or party planner.

Ugly Sweater Party Invitation

For your party invitation you want to be sure to include that it is an ugly sweater themed party so your guest know what to expect. There is nothing more embarrassing than being the only one not dressed for the occasion. Here are some ideas on ugly sweater invitations below:

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ugly sweater Christmas party invitation — CLICK TO BUY NOW

Ugly Sweater Party Themes

The theme of your party will set the tone for the event. Most party host will go with a Christmas theme due to the time of the year when a lot of theses Ugly Sweater themed parties happen. Even though it is around Christmas time it does not mean that has to be the only theme! Here are some other ideas:

Ugly Sweater Beauty Pageant: Everyone is a contestant at this themed party. Create different categories such as ugliest, funniest, most original Christmas sweater and see who takes home the prize!

Hygge Party: If you want to go the Danish route, try a hygge themed party. Tea lights, ginger cookies, smorrebrod, and plenty of aquavit will make this theme complete!

70s Themed Party: Envision an embarrassing family holiday photos and Elton John music playing in the background. Buying a disposable camera for the party will be a nice touch and a great way to capture the memories.

Christmas Movie Marathon: If know your crowd would love cuddling up on the couch, eating popcorn, and watching a movie marathon then this theme is for you! Pick some of your top Christmas movies and host a marathon.

Christmas Themed Game Night: this themed party can get competitive so beware! Keep reading to see what ideas I have under games/activities.

Party Themed Decorations

Party decorations are important to set the vibe of the event. You want to get your guest in the holiday spirit so here are some necessities for your party:

Christmas Tree – perfect for photo opts

Christmas Lights/Candles – sets the mood (inside and outside of the house)

Table Cloths, Tinsel, Garland, etc.

Ugly Sweater Outfit Ideas

This party of the party is where all of the creativity and competition comes out! Your guest should be aware that is it an ugly sweater party so they can participate in the competition. Here are some ugly sweater ideas:

Party Food ideas

For this type of party, you really can’t go wrong with food options. Some key items you may want to include are drinks, chips and dip, veggie tray, meat (ie: chicken wings), sides (ie: pasta salad), candy canes, cookies or cake, etc

You can also decide to have a potluck where your guest can chip in and help by all bringing a dish or drink to the party.

Party Games and Activities

Trivia:

Your trivia game can consist of Christmas questions or questions based on your crowed. For example if you have a group of people that are not familiar with each other you can have a few questions about each person that will make up the trivia game. This is a great way for your guest to get to know each other while also having fun! Creating a game on Kahoot would be perfect for this idea.

Christmas Movie Marathon:

depending on your crowd you decide what type of Christmas movies you want to watch. Here is a list of some ideas:

Family Christmas Movies: Arthur Christmas, Home Alone, The Grinch

Adult Christmas Movies: Bad Moms Christmas, Office Christmas Party, The Night Before

Ugly Sweater Competition:

you will want to create different categories for your guest to compete in for example: Most Creative Sweater, Most Original Sweater, Most Tackiest Sweater, and Funniest Sweater.

Ginger Bread Cookie Decorating:

This idea is great for adults and children. You can find plain ginger bread cookies to purchase at a local food store such as Wegmans. In addition, to the cookies you will need candies and icing to decorate with. There are also kits that you can purchase online from Etsy or Amazon. Links below click to buy

At the end of your party make sure to thank your guest for coming! Hopefully this guide on planning a perfect Ugly Sweater Christmas party was helpful! Comment below any questions. I would also love to hear any other ideas you may have that I did not mention here!.

For more party planning ideas check out the below links:

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Atiya Cheung

Atiya is the founder of the Social Event Planner Guide, a blog that guides readers on brainstorming, creating, and planning the perfect event. The ideas and checklists for event planning can become endless, so let her help you organize your thoughts!