Cute Christmas Party Favours for Grown Ups
Partake in the season of giving with these little christmas gifts for your guests
Coming home with a lolly bag from a friend’s birthday party was one of my favourite parts of being a child. (Why did we stop this as adults? Why?) There’s no reason you can’t bring this lovely little tradition back – and when better to do so than during the season of giving?
If you’re hosting Christmas this year, and have decided not to buy expensive gifts for a million people, a party favour could be an excellent alternative. The best party favours are thoughtful, affordable, small and meaningful. Here are some creative ideas for Christmas party favours.
If you’re hosting Christmas this year, and have decided not to buy expensive gifts for a million people, a party favour could be an excellent alternative. The best party favours are thoughtful, affordable, small and meaningful. Here are some creative ideas for Christmas party favours.
Mini treats
Continuing with the simple brown paper wrapping, these gift bags can be bought from craft shops or some two dollar shops. They could also be used as place cards if you write your guests’ names on the bags. If the seating is random/unplanned, fill each bag with gifts of different value and watch people get envious over their neighbour’s takings. Or, if you would rather keep things amicable, fill them with the same things – perhaps a mini bottle of champagne or a candle.
Continuing with the simple brown paper wrapping, these gift bags can be bought from craft shops or some two dollar shops. They could also be used as place cards if you write your guests’ names on the bags. If the seating is random/unplanned, fill each bag with gifts of different value and watch people get envious over their neighbour’s takings. Or, if you would rather keep things amicable, fill them with the same things – perhaps a mini bottle of champagne or a candle.
Use a creative advent calendar to display your party favours, and get guests to pick a gift from the wall. You’ll have to pick small, light gifts so they can hang easily. Jewellery could work quite well, or mini chocolates. If you want the presents to be a total surprise, get your guests to close their eyes/be blindfolded as they choose from the tree.
See more beautifully Chrismassy homes
See more beautifully Chrismassy homes
Gifted experiences
There’s been an increasing movement away from material gifts and toward gifting experiences lately. Place a note in each envelope with a different voucher. They could be actual monetary vouchers for a professional massage or blow dry etc. Or make your own personal vouchers offering things like ‘a babysitter for the night’ (you) or ‘a personal chef for the night’ (also you). This works best if you tailor each voucher to each guest, so that a guest without children doesn’t end up with the offer of a babysitter (unless they have a pet, in which case go for your life).
There’s been an increasing movement away from material gifts and toward gifting experiences lately. Place a note in each envelope with a different voucher. They could be actual monetary vouchers for a professional massage or blow dry etc. Or make your own personal vouchers offering things like ‘a babysitter for the night’ (you) or ‘a personal chef for the night’ (also you). This works best if you tailor each voucher to each guest, so that a guest without children doesn’t end up with the offer of a babysitter (unless they have a pet, in which case go for your life).
Edible snowman kit
This is a little bit cute! If you’ve found you’re scrambling to find party favours at the last minute – make an edible snowman kit.
This is a little bit cute! If you’ve found you’re scrambling to find party favours at the last minute – make an edible snowman kit.
Simply put marshmallows, chocolate peanut butter cups, mini chocolate chips, pretzel sticks, thick red string, a black and an orange marker and orange sprinkles in a clear plastic bag, and then into a canvas bag. Voila! You don’t even have to make them yourself – your guests will have loads of fun doing that.
Holiday baked goods
Baked goods are often the first thing to come to mind at the mention of party favours. Add your own unique touch by using a family recipe and wrapping them beautifully in Christmas-themed ribbon and tags. Most people will appreciate the effort and thought that has gone into both the baking and the wrapping.
Stress-free holiday baking tips
Baked goods are often the first thing to come to mind at the mention of party favours. Add your own unique touch by using a family recipe and wrapping them beautifully in Christmas-themed ribbon and tags. Most people will appreciate the effort and thought that has gone into both the baking and the wrapping.
Stress-free holiday baking tips
Individual Xmas puddings
Christmas puddings can be quite time consuming to make, but on the upside, they can be made a month in advance and will only get more delicious with time (or so my grandma says). I love the way the pictured treats are wrapped in fabric scraps that are not in-your-face Christmassy. If you have a huge meal planned, these could either be had on the day as dessert or eaten later when your guests are less full.
Christmas puddings can be quite time consuming to make, but on the upside, they can be made a month in advance and will only get more delicious with time (or so my grandma says). I love the way the pictured treats are wrapped in fabric scraps that are not in-your-face Christmassy. If you have a huge meal planned, these could either be had on the day as dessert or eaten later when your guests are less full.
Sweet ornaments
I love ornaments as gifts – you can use them every year and they always make you instantly think of the person who gave them to you. The option to make your own or buy from a store is there. If you choose ornaments with your guests’ initials on them, they could act as place cards, and if you place them directly on the napkins (as pictured), they will be a beautiful part of your table decoration.
Make your own ornaments
I love ornaments as gifts – you can use them every year and they always make you instantly think of the person who gave them to you. The option to make your own or buy from a store is there. If you choose ornaments with your guests’ initials on them, they could act as place cards, and if you place them directly on the napkins (as pictured), they will be a beautiful part of your table decoration.
Make your own ornaments
Perfect preserves
If you don’t want to slave away over the oven, consider making your own preserves, like a delightful apricot jam, lemon butter or a honey mustard. This means that your gift will last way past the holiday season, giving your guests ample time to enjoy the preserves when they have a little more time/room in their bellies. Homemade jams are a perfect way to use up excess ripe summer fruit too.
If you don’t want to slave away over the oven, consider making your own preserves, like a delightful apricot jam, lemon butter or a honey mustard. This means that your gift will last way past the holiday season, giving your guests ample time to enjoy the preserves when they have a little more time/room in their bellies. Homemade jams are a perfect way to use up excess ripe summer fruit too.
Lollies in jars
A lolly jar is about as easy as you can get with making party favours. Choose festive-coloured treats and put them in a beautiful jar tied up with a Christmassy string. Jaffas are always popular (candy canes less so).
A lolly jar is about as easy as you can get with making party favours. Choose festive-coloured treats and put them in a beautiful jar tied up with a Christmassy string. Jaffas are always popular (candy canes less so).
Presents for pampering
With the dry heat and ocean swims that come along with an Australian summer, homemade (or store-bought if you’re short on time) sugar scrubs or moisturiser could be appreciated by your guests. You can make sugar scrub very easily using coconut oil, sugar and an essential oil. If you want to go one step further, put a pair of exfoliating gloves in there too.
With the dry heat and ocean swims that come along with an Australian summer, homemade (or store-bought if you’re short on time) sugar scrubs or moisturiser could be appreciated by your guests. You can make sugar scrub very easily using coconut oil, sugar and an essential oil. If you want to go one step further, put a pair of exfoliating gloves in there too.
Bulb and the beautiful
Wrap a flowering bulb in newspaper, tie it up in string and there you have it – the perfect gift. Unless you have a seriously impressive garden, this will probably require a trip to the nursery and a chat with a green thumb about which bulbs are seasonally appropriate, and the most inexpensive (if that’s what you’re after).
DIY bulb gift
Wrap a flowering bulb in newspaper, tie it up in string and there you have it – the perfect gift. Unless you have a seriously impressive garden, this will probably require a trip to the nursery and a chat with a green thumb about which bulbs are seasonally appropriate, and the most inexpensive (if that’s what you’re after).
DIY bulb gift
A tiny Xmas tree
This mini Christmas tree is on cuteness overload. Snip off a piece of a branch and place it in water, then add tiny red bows for an adorable party favour.
This mini Christmas tree is on cuteness overload. Snip off a piece of a branch and place it in water, then add tiny red bows for an adorable party favour.
Tupperware for leftovers
Ok, so this isn’t a conventional party favour. However, one of my favourite things about Christmas day is when the host loads their guests up with delicious leftovers for them to take home and nibble on in the coming days.
In my experience, it’s always a scramble with the host struggling to source enough tupperware/empty ice cream containers/juice bottles to cover each guest. If you plan for this and give each guest a new tupperware container to fill with their pick of leftovers, they’ll be guaranteed to be impressed with your forethought. Plus, you can never have enough tupperware. Never.
TELL US
Do you give your guests party favours? What are your clever Christmas favour ideas? Share them with us in the Comments.
MORE
Read more fun Christmas stories
Ok, so this isn’t a conventional party favour. However, one of my favourite things about Christmas day is when the host loads their guests up with delicious leftovers for them to take home and nibble on in the coming days.
In my experience, it’s always a scramble with the host struggling to source enough tupperware/empty ice cream containers/juice bottles to cover each guest. If you plan for this and give each guest a new tupperware container to fill with their pick of leftovers, they’ll be guaranteed to be impressed with your forethought. Plus, you can never have enough tupperware. Never.
TELL US
Do you give your guests party favours? What are your clever Christmas favour ideas? Share them with us in the Comments.
MORE
Read more fun Christmas stories
Do you have a slew of dusty books perched upon your bookshelf? Maybe you’ve already read them, or have finally admitted to yourself that you never will. They’d make perfect party favours for your guests! You could either pick them according to each of your guests’ literary tastes and write their names on the wrapping paper, or make it a lucky dip. It could be humorous when your friend who is an infamously terrible cook receives a cookbook. Just make sure you don’t burden any of your guests with a book you struggled to finish. Wrap the books in simple brown paper with string and a sprig of Christmassy foliage.