December parties around here are a different animal. Most Christmas party ideas you find online were written for somewhere it actually snows, which is why half of them involve a fireplace and the rest assume nobody will be outside in a short sleeve shirt on the twentieth. Metro Atlanta Decembers run mild and damp, which is a gift if you plan for it and a problem if you do not.
We deliver to a lot of these events, so this list is built around what a real Georgia December Saturday can handle.
First, decide where the party actually happens
This is the decision everything else hangs on, and most people skip past it to the food.
A yard party works most December weekends here. Cold is rarely what ruins it. Rain is. So pick your covered spot first: a garage with the door up, a carport, a tent over the food and seating, or a fellowship hall you already have keys to. Check the National Weather Service forecast office for Atlanta a few days out rather than a phone widget, and make the call on Thursday instead of Saturday morning.
The other thing to look up is sunset. It is dark by about five thirty in December, so an outdoor party at seven is a party in the dark whether you planned for that or not. Atlanta sunset times are worth a check before you put a time on the invitation.
12 Christmas party ideas that work in a Georgia December
For families at home
1. A hot cocoa and popcorn table. The cheapest crowd pleaser on this list. Cocoa in an urn, marshmallows and peppermint sticks in bowls, and a popcorn machine running at the end of the table. The smell does more work than any decoration you can buy, and a machine runs off one household outlet.
2. A Christmas movie night in the yard. Dark by five thirty means you can start a movie at six and still have kids in bed on time, which is not possible in July. An outdoor movie screen with blankets and camp chairs turns the second half of a party into something calm. We wrote up the whole setup in our guide to backyard movie nights.
3. A snow machine. This is the one nobody expects. Falling snow at a December party in Georgia photographs beautifully and kids lose their minds over it, because most of them have genuinely never seen it fall. It is one of our party extras and it needs a standard outlet.
4. Cookie decorating, run as stations. Do not hand twelve kids one bowl of icing. Set up three or four small tables, each with one job: icing, sprinkles, candy, bags to take them home in. Kids move down the row instead of standing in one long line.
For churches and schools
5. A row of Christmas carnival games. The same engine that makes a fall festival work makes a Christmas event work. A handful of simple carnival games with candy canes and small prizes spreads a crowd out instead of bunching it at one table. One volunteer per game is the rule that makes it run.
6. Breakfast with Santa. A morning slot is easier on volunteers than an evening one, the food is cheaper, and a two hour window keeps it from sprawling. Someone needs to own the photo line and keep it moving, or it swallows the whole event.
7. A gift wrap station. A long table with paper, tape, and scissors, and people wrap what they bought. At a church or school event it works as a small fundraiser at a dollar or two a gift, and parents are grateful.
8. Classroom parties on a rotation. Three stations, fifteen minutes each, a timer on the board. A craft, a snack, a game. Room parents who run one big activity for twenty five kids end up with chaos by minute six.
For a bigger crowd or an evening event
9. A neighborhood light walk that ends at your house. Everybody walks the street looking at lights, then lands at one yard for cocoa and a fire pit. It costs almost nothing and people remember it for years.
10. An ugly sweater contest with real judging. It only works if somebody actually judges it. Name a judge, announce winners at a set time, and have something small to hand over.
11. A toy drive built into the invitation. Ask guests to bring an unwrapped toy instead of a hostess gift. It gives the party a reason to exist and saves everyone a decision.
12. An inflatable in a gym or fellowship hall. A dry bounce house or obstacle course indoors takes the forecast out of your hands completely. It is how a lot of metro Atlanta churches and schools run their Christmas events, and it gives the kids somewhere to go while the adults visit.
Christmas party themes that do not need a shopping trip
Five themes keep coming back because they are cheap and nobody has to explain them: winter wonderland, ugly sweater, hot cocoa bar, candy cane, and pajamas. Winter party themes work best when they lean on what you already own. Red and white paper plates with a bowl of candy canes read as a theme. A Pinterest board with twelve craft projects reads as a second job.
If you want a winter wonderland theme party and you are in Georgia, the snow machine is the whole theme in one rental. White lights, a few paper snowflakes, and actual falling snow in the driveway beats anything you could assemble from a craft store.
Christmas party games for kids, the ones that reset fast
Short games with a clear ending hold a crowd of kids. Long ones lose them.
- Candy cane fishing, hook a cane off a string over a sheet
- Gift unwrap relay, one layer of paper per kid down the line
- Pin the nose on the snowman
- Musical chairs with carols instead of pop songs
- Snowball toss, cotton balls into a bucket from a taped line
- Stocking guess, five things inside, write down what you felt
Each one of those resets in under a minute, which is the only quality that really matters once there are eighteen kids in a room.
How to plan a Christmas party without the last week going sideways
Work backward from the date instead of forward from today.
Six to eight weeks out. Lock the date and the location, and book anything that has to be delivered. The first two weekends of December are the crush around here, because every church, school, and company picks the same three weeks.
Three weeks out. Send the invitation with a start and an end time on it. An end time is a kindness to everybody, including you.
One week out. Count heads and count chairs, then decide the rain plan and write it down.
Two days out. Confirm deliveries, buy the food, and check where the outlets are. A cocoa urn, a popcorn machine, and a snow machine on one circuit is how a breaker trips mid-party.
Seating, tables, and the food table nobody planned for
Here is the math people get wrong. A 6ft folding table seats about eight, or six comfortably once there are plates and cups on it. A party of thirty needs four or five tables for seating, then one more for the food, plus a small one for whatever machine you are running. Tables and chairs are what nobody thinks about until two days out, and a child height set keeps the mess in one place at a younger party.
A cold December afternoon is more forgiving than an August one, but hot dishes sitting out still have a clock on them. The food safety danger zone is worth a glance if your party runs long.
Check your date
If a bounce house, a movie screen, a snow machine, or a stack of tables is part of your December plan, get the date on the calendar while you still have a choice of Saturdays. Rentals start at 150 dollars a day, and delivery, setup, anchoring, and teardown are included within 35 miles of Conyers.
Check availability through our contact page or call (404) 480-2645, and we will help you work out what fits your space and your headcount.
Frequently asked questions
Can you have an outdoor Christmas party in Atlanta?
Usually yes, and plenty of our December bookings are outdoors. Metro Atlanta Decembers run mild enough that a yard party works most weekends, but rain is the real risk rather than cold. Have a covered spot picked out before the day, whether that is a garage, a carport, a tent, or a fellowship hall you can move into.
What time should an evening Christmas party start?
Earlier than you think. It is properly dark around here by about five thirty in December, which is great if you want lights or a movie and awkward if you planned an outdoor party for seven. For families with young kids, a four to six window usually beats an evening one.
What are good Christmas party themes?
Winter wonderland, ugly sweater, hot cocoa bar, candy cane, and pajamas are the five that keep showing up because they are cheap and nobody has to explain them on the invitation. Pick the theme that matches what you already own rather than the one that needs a shopping trip.
What Christmas party games work for kids?
Short ones with a clear ending. Candy cane fishing, a gift unwrap relay, pin the nose on the snowman, and musical chairs with carols all reset in under a minute, which is what keeps a line of kids from going sideways. A row of carnival games works the same way for a bigger crowd.
Do you rent a snow machine for Christmas parties in metro Atlanta?
Yes, snow machines are one of our party extras and December is when they get booked. Falling snow at a Georgia event is genuinely novel in a way it is not up north, which is why church and school Christmas events keep asking for them. They run off a standard outlet.
Can you rent a bounce house in December?
You can. Our units run wet or dry, so in December you simply keep them dry, and a dry inflatable is fine in cool weather. Plenty of church and school Christmas events put one in a gym or a fellowship hall instead, which takes the forecast out of the decision entirely.
How far in advance should we book for a December event?
The first two weekends of December are the crush, because every church, school, and company lands its party in the same three week window. If your date is fixed, call as soon as you have it. Delivery, setup, and teardown are included within 35 miles of Conyers.