The Ultimate Guide to Hosting an Epic Friendmas Celebration
Work Christmas parties and end of year family catch-ups are fun, but there is nothing we look forward to more than a friends Christmas catch up. After the year 2021 has been, we don’t need an excuse to celebrate with our mates over various festive food and a few drinks. With only two weeks left till Christmas, and very little time to plan we have put together the ultimate guide to hosting an epic friendmas with your closest bunch of mates.
Decorations Are Essential
Christmas is the one time of year you can go all out for a table setting. Choose a colour scheme and stick with it! You can really go as classic and traditional or all-out tacky Christmas with heaps of novelty items. Decorating a Christmas table can be as easy as some festive napkins, name cards, Christmas baubles and few candles. Be sure to leave plenty of room for plates, cutlery and sauces you don’t want your friends going back and forth from the kitchen to collect anything.
Delegate The Food
We should say Christmas is about spending time with the ones we love, but a close second is definitely the food! No other time is it appropriate to enjoy a large feast and proceed to unbutton the top button of your jeans for relief. A pot luck approach will save you many dollars and ensure that there is something for everyone to enjoy. Avoid over catering by sending out a list of items or courses in the group message, and everyone can volunteer. Don’t forget our favourite part, dessert. If your friends lack skills in the kitchen, get your event catered to check on everyone’s dietary requirements.
Festive Cocktails
Should no party be without some alcoholic beverages? And Christmas has never been a better time to get a little fancy! We suggest coming with 3 easy cocktail recipes, keep it basic with 3-4 ingredients and let your friends shake up their own cocktails. Some of our favourite festive cocktails include
- Eggnog – bourbon, cream, cinnamon & milk
- Margarita – Tequila, lime juice & Cointreau
- Southside – gin, mint, lime juice & sugar syrup
Secret Santa
Who doesn’t love to receive a gift? A secret Santa, Kris Kringle (KK) gift will ensure no one leaves your friendmas celebration empty-handed. Keep it fair by setting a limit or even a theme to keep it fun. “Joke KK” gifts are great, especially with a group of friends — what other group of people knows you better than your closest besties? Why not take Christmas gifting to the next level by playing the white elephant game. It is quite simple, all you have to do is get everyone to pick a number from a hat to determine the gifting order. The first person selects a gift to unwrap, the next person can either open one of the unopened gifts or choose to steal a gift that has already been opened. This game can get quite exciting and all a bit of fun.
Christmas Themed Playlist
Love them or hate them, a playlist filled with Christmas classics and new festive hits will be sure to get everyone in the mood! These songs are best played for gift time or even to speed up the cleaning up process. To start off your Christmas Music Playlist we have given you a few of our favourites below
- All I want for Christmas is you – by Mariah Carey (Duh!)
- Mistletoe by Justin Bieber
- Santa Tell Me by Ariana Grande
- White Christmas – Bing Crosby
- Christmas Is All Around – Billy Mack
- Last Christmas – Wham!
- Do They Know It’s Christmas – Band Aid
- Baby It’s Cold Outside – Dean Martin
- 8 Days of Christmas – Destiny’s Child
- Santa Baby – Eartha Kitt
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Frequently asked questions
Friendmas is a Christmas celebration held with your friends rather than family or workmates, usually a relaxed catch up with festive food and a few drinks. It often happens in the weeks before Christmas Day. The focus is on spending time together, with the food and decorations as a fun bonus.
How do I host a Friendmas on a budget?A pot luck approach keeps costs down because each guest brings a dish or course, so no single person carries the whole bill. Send a list of items or courses in the group chat and let everyone volunteer to avoid over-catering. Keep decorations simple with festive napkins, name cards, baubles and a few candles.
What decorations do I need for a Friendmas table?Choose one colour scheme and stick to it, then build the table with festive napkins, name cards, Christmas baubles and a few candles. You can go classic and traditional or lean into fun novelty pieces, as long as it stays cohesive. Leave plenty of room on the table for plates, cutlery and sauces so guests are not running back to the kitchen.
What are some easy festive cocktails for a Christmas party?Keep cocktails to three or four ingredients so guests can mix their own. Crowd-pleasers include eggnog (bourbon, cream, cinnamon and milk), a margarita (tequila, lime juice and Cointreau) and a southside (gin and mint). Setting out three simple recipes lets everyone get involved without you tending bar all night.
How do I handle guests with dietary requirements at Friendmas?Check dietary needs early in the group chat so dishes can be planned around them, and label food on the day where helpful. If guests are not confident cooks, consider having part of the meal catered to cover requirements safely. A little planning means everyone can enjoy the spread without worry.
What is a good Friendmas or Kris Kringle gift idea?A gourmet hamper makes an easy crowd-pleasing gift because it suits most tastes and feels generous without needing to guess a single item. It also works well for a group Kris Kringle where you want something that fits a set budget. Hampers With Bite offers Christmas gift hampers with fast Australia-wide delivery, so you can send to friends interstate too.
How far ahead should I plan a Friendmas?Even a couple of weeks is enough if you delegate, so lock in a date, send the pot luck list and confirm numbers early. Sorting drinks and decorations a week ahead leaves the final days for last touches rather than a scramble. Planning early keeps the night relaxed for you as the host.
What food works best for a Friendmas catch up?A shared spread suits Friendmas well, mixing a few savoury dishes, a main and at least one dessert so there is something for everyone. The pot luck format naturally creates variety when you assign courses across the group. Add a gourmet sweets or grazing hamper as a centrepiece or host gift to round out the table.