A “Moms Night Off” Christmas Movie Viewing Party!
It’s late October already, so you know what that means… the COUNTDOWN is on! But if you’re thinking jack-o-lanterns and candy corn, think again – because we’re talking CHRISTMAS today. 😜
Have you heard of the Hallmark Channel’s Countdown to Christmas programming event, where they play holiday movies 24/7? Well, this year (2018) it starts on October 26th, and Cost Plus World Market – which happens to be one of my favorite places to shop for creative & unique Christmas décor – has partnered with them to celebrate it! They also asked me to share some ideas on how to make a holiday movie viewing night extra fun, and that is DEFINITELY what I had in mind while working on this one… 😉
Making Spirits Bright
As much fun as the holiday season is, it can also be plenty stressful… especially for parents of young kids that are working hard to “make the holiday magic happen” on top of everything else.
A lot of my girlfriends are in this stage of life right now, so I LOVED the idea of inviting them over for a holiday get-together where they got to “take a night off” from #allthethings. (And if you’re in this category, you’ll totally understand what “allthethings” means!)
Christmas Movie Magic
Since Christmas movies are on 24/7 during Hallmark Channel’s Countdown to Christmas, they’re a great excuse to host a holiday-inspired movie night whenever it works best for your crew!
Read on for a few creative ideas + free printables to help you throw your own “mom’s night off” (or “girls night in”… whatever you want to call it!), that’s extra FESTIVE and fun…
1. Say CHEERS with flair.
I love serving creative signature drinks, but also love keeping them easy. For example, simple margaritas look extra festive with colored rimming salt. To dye the salt, I put it into a zip-top sandwich bag, added drops of standard food coloring, and massaged it around until the color was even.
And because most moms can relate to what happens when you don’t answer your kid within a millisecond of them calling you… I thought it would be fun to dub these “Mom! Mom! Mom! Margaritas”. ;)
The gorgeous metallic glasses and ombre glass pitcher are from World Market, as well as the darling cans of Bollicini Sparkling Wine and Limoncellino and Pomegranate-Hibiscus Italian Sodas.
2. Show that holiday spirit.
From the couch to the food/drink areas, make sure it’s holiday vibes all around! You can “borrow” holiday décor from around your house and/or use the occasion as an excuse to pick up a few new pieces. ;)
This darling Merry Christmas Y’all Camper Throw Pillow was my inspiration for the look of this party. I love its mix of bright colors, rustic/cozy textures, and retro fun:
Colorful felt garlands, bottle brush trees, flannel accents, and ball ornaments were my main décor elements throughout. (Note: See the “Shop This Post” section below for links to everything all in one spot.) A hand-knotted Natural Macramé Table Runner added texture, warmth, and a bit of boho flair to the food/drink station.
Hanging decorations always make SUCH a big impact on your space! These shiny ball ornaments were taped to the ceiling and floated above a trio of snowy bottlebrush trees, which I spruced up with a small retro felt pom pom garland for extra color:
The rest of the felt pom pom garland was used to embellish the dessert stands and margarita pitcher. I also used larger Multicolor Felt Garlands to instantly “rainbow up” my cookie tray and coffee table.
3. Make them laugh.
Playful words are probably my favorite type of décor, which is why I design printable party details so often! You don’t have to be literal with your food labels either – sometimes it’s even more fun to just make them playful & clever. (Click here to download my printable sign, tent cards, and popcorn tags from this party below.)
Another funny and unexpected touch was this set of DRINK, PLEASE. bar bells! Display them on the coffee table or in other convenient spots so that guests can ring them when they need a refill during the movie. I’m already planning to take these bells on my next girls’ trip, too… I know we will have a LOT of fun with them! ;)
4. Serve simple snacks + movie-friendly munchies.
Since this is a perfect after-dinner party, light snacks and treats are really all you need. Of course it’s fine if you WANT to serve dinner, but I recommend keeping things easy on yourself… pizza delivery, anyone?
For the EASIEST Christmas-colored snack duo ever, just set out green chips (Guacachips) and red salsa. If you can find a Christmas tree shaped dish to serve your green chips from, bonus Santa points to you. ;)
I also included some insanely yummy White Chocolate Peppermint Bark Cookies and crispy Holiday Gingerbread Cookies from World Market, which happens to carry a HUGE selection of creative Christmas food and drink items. One of the reviews on the gingerbread cookies reads: “Seriously the best gingerbread cookie out there! Completely addictive.” I happen to agree – my family ate them up way too fast! 😋
Of course, no movie viewing party would be complete without one snack in particular….
…POPCORN!! Have individual popcorn bags ready (and decked out with festive tags) to make movie snacking easy. Links to download the tags are below.
It’s also fun to set out few bowls of candies that pair well with popcorn and invite your guests to create their own sweet-AND-salty movie mix.
A little side note on the tags: I liked the sound of the phrase “It’s a Christmas movies and popcorn kind of day” myself, but for those of you bothered by the word “day” at a night-time party, I’m here for you as well. You’ll find 2 versions of these popcorn tags to download below – one that reads “day” and another that reads “night”, so you’re covered either way! 😉
Shop This Post
Here are links to everything I found at World Market! I shopped at their Roseville, CA location. You can visit their Store Locator to find the location closest to you.
ENTERTAINING & DECOR:
- Merry Christmas Y’all Camper Throw Pillow
- Green Ombre Bottlebrush Trees
- Metallic Gold Patterned Cocktail Glasses (Set of 4)
- Ombre Monterey Glass Pitcher
- Natural Macrame Table Runner
- Drink Please Bar Bells
- Retro Felt Pom Pom Garland (small poms)
- Multicolor Felt Garland (large poms)
FOOD & DRINKS:
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I love this so much! I kinda Want to the row one for my moms group here! Do you know where I can find the sign/tags?
Hi Amber – You should definitely throw one! You can download the signs/tags here – there’s a download button right below the first image – or you can just click here. :)