Let’s face it, everything is up in the air at the moment. Any kind of planning, be it a holiday or just having friends around, is pretty much an exercise in guesswork. Will we be on lockdown, partial or otherwise, in one or two weeks time?
One of the great joys of having a kitchen design company like Papilio build you a kitchen is showing it off. Lots of our customers include “party” elements in their design briefs, alongside requests for bespoke furniture to wow their guests. As we zoom into December (how different it seems from last year), many of us are wondering how best to bring friends and family together to celebrate the festive period.
Well, take cheer in the fact that there are still plenty of ways to throw a party, even if it has to be remote. One of the few positives of the pandemic has been the rise of the video call. For work, they make us all more efficient (who doesn’t love attending meetings from your cosy kitchen with a coffee in hand).
For socialising, they allow us to keep up with friends and family while staying safe during the pandemic.
While it might not sound like a party done over the internet will have much Christmas cheer, we’ve come up with some sure-fire hits to make a socially distanced home Christmas party a blast!
Host a cocktail hour from your own kitchen.
Firstly, send out some invites that include a list of the drink items your ‘guests’ will need. Alongside the old favourites like gingerbread eggnog or white Russian, why not pick some of the more outrageous options from the smorgasbord of Christmas themed drinks. Perch your laptops in a prime location to catch all the action of guests’ mixing gaffs, which are sure to get more frequent by the third or fourth cocktail of the evening.
Another option, to keep the booze bill down, is to let everyone mix their own favourite cocktail. Guests can then vote on the best and try them at a later date if they want.
Either way, it’s a fun way to connect with friends over Christmas.
Do a Christmas themed Great British Bakeoff
Ahead of time let your guests know the baked delight that will be on the menu for the party. Let’s face it, we’re not all potential winners of Bake Off, so perhaps pick something accessible for less naturally gifted bakers! Make sure to pair the experience with some glamorous apéritifs or quaffable champagne cocktails and offer prizes for the best results (and the worst!). Who will ‘rise to the occasion’ and who will ‘fall flat on their face’? The only guarantee is that there will be plenty of fun.
A Christmas quiz night
A great one for those who want to bring lots of families together. Each family can submit a ‘team name’ and try to come out on top in a Christmas quiz night. There are plenty of quizzes available online, and you can include video and music rounds using the ‘screen sharing’ facilities available in most video calling packages. Having Christmas themed rounds is a fantastic way to usher in the Christmas sprit, along with nibbles and drinks on the side. Of course, you’ll need a prize for the winners!
These are just a few of the ways to make sure the 2020 Christmas party season isn’t a washout.
Papilio bespoke kitchens are a kitchen design company who also offer bespoke furniture. We make sure your kitchen and furniture are personal to you and your family; whatever shape that takes. Contact us for a chat with a design consultant.
