Tis The Season For Book Parties: 5 Easy, Affordable, And Festive Celebration Ideas

With the holidays coming up, parties are on everyone’s mind. But you can only host so many traditional holiday parties before guests will probably stop coming. If you love hosting parties, or if you have a book club that’s studying a particular book that you would love to celebrate, or if you just love books so much that you would be willing to host a whole party about books, this blog is for you!

Here are some pre-planned ideas for parties, but you can definitely use this approach as a template for a different book, if you and your friends are in love with a book that is not on this list.

Some of the key factors are preparation, commitment to theme, keeping calm and carrying on. Parties are a big job, and these book parties are not for the faint of heart. You have to prepare at least two weeks in advance (the invitations MUST be hand delivered… you cannot simply send out a virtual Facebook invite for people who are celebrating literature, text, and paper).

 

1. Classic Potter Party

There are too many reasons to host a Potter party for anyone to not host one. And there are far too many ways to pull one of these off! Take these ideas and then run with them, doing a specifically GryffindorNewt Scamander, or Muggle party. But for a general, “Harry Potter” party, here is a launch board.

  • Preparation: 2 Weeks till Go Time
    • Send out invitations. Insist that guests wear house colors, wizard hats, or something of that nature. Bringing wands would be a plus! Or you could always have that base covered.
  • Preparation: 1 Week Till Go Time
    • Decorate your house, (try to do just one thing a day, so that you don’t get overwhelmed). For the food, buy all the ingredients on the weekend, make any cookies/cakes ahead of time and freeze. The day before the party, cut veggies, measure ingredients for sauces and drinks, set out all the dishware and cutlery, and make sure you’re stocked up on sponges.
pumpkin

Source: PopSugar

butterbeer

Source: Life Tips

One sure-fire way to make the day magical: play the John Williams soundtrack in the background the whole time. There’s nothing like music to really set the mood!

2. Tips For Turning A Kids Party Into An Adults’ Party

Some close-minded people might think that the Harry Potter series are kid’s books. They should be taught otherwise, and what better way than through a party? A lot of the ideas listed above for a Potter party are more kid-centric, but there are definitely ways to give the same party a rating other than PG.

  • Splash whiskey or rum into the butterbeer. Easy.
  • Have actual food instead of just candy and snacks. Something like shepherds pie:
screen-shot-2016-12-15-at-2-05-07-pm

Source: Brit Morin

3. Life Of Pi Party

This book, like the Potters in a lot of ways, somehow manages to appeal to every single possible demographic, so whoever you are and whoever you’re throwing parties for, this one will be a hit.

  • Preparation: 2 Weeks Till Go Time

Get those invites rolling! Pi didn’t have a computer, so neither do you… no FB invites here. Instead, make your own with this beautiful stamp.

ele

Source: Amazon

Next, get your house looking awesome. Space out your tasks so that it doesn’t take over your life (or your house…). It will be the little things that matter here, to create the perfect aesthetic. Like this place setting:

  • With one week to go, make and freeze some fun desserts and treats, like these zoo animal cupcakes.
animal-cracks

Source: Studio DIY

4. The Night Before Christmas Party

Of course, we have to have some holiday representation here. This one can be tailored a thousand different ways to cater to any different age group, but a few ideas for this kind of party are universally applauded.

  • As with the other parties, step one, 2 weeks out, is to do any non-perishable preparation, like sending invitations and decorating the house. Make sure to insist that all your guests come in pajamas! Plan your menu, and create these labels:
  • One week out, prepare some treats to freeze, and gather supplies for treats to make moments before go-time.

Six Sisters Stuff has innumerable, fabulous, mouth watering treats like these Christmas tree brownies:

and these Santa cookies:

At the party, make sure to have a few awesome Christmassy games ready to go!

5. Tips For A Big Group Party

If you’re the unlucky parent that got stuck with the entire kindergarten choir or the whole second grade soccer team for party night, go for The Night Before Christmas theme for sure. But with a few amendments and caveats.

  • Caveat #1: still invite the kids to come to the party in pajamas, but make sure the parents really understand that this is not a sleepover.
  • Caveat #2: still play party games like Jingle Bell Toss, but have three different game stations set up, so that waiting turns doesn’t become the Great Parlay Of 2016.
  • Caveat #3: Don’t just read The Night Before Christmas with the kids. Get a sing-along CD or a movie version of the story. Great time-fillers.
  • Amendment #1: Yes. Keep the tree brownies. But let the kids ice them. It’ll be messy as all get-out, but less work for you, and the kids will have an absolute blast.
christmas-kids-1073567_640

Source: Pixabay

For lifetime party-planners or hardcore Pinterest users, these ideas are standard and fairly unremarkable. But there are a lot of us out there who’ve maybe always subscribed to a more minimal holiday party season; but maybe we’re ready to branch out, to try something new, to buy glitter for once. This blog is for you! Use these ideas and expand upon them, or build your own themed party with these ideas as a template.

Happy partying, and happy holidays!

YouTube Channel: Munchies

 

Featured image via BizBash

h/t Bookish