Do you have favorite things you like to do around the holidays? I love taking my daughter to see the Nutcracker ballet. The first year we went, we purchased a nutcracker for her, thus starting a collection of sorts. When we sat down to plan this year’s Christmas party, it was extra fun to run with that theme!
Two of my favorite things about this mantle are the huge silouete nutcrackers by Tell All Signs and the little Peg Buddies that were hand painted in the Nutcracker theme. I mean, seriously – do they get any cuter? She makes all sorts of themes, whether it be as cake toppers, or decor for your room – there are so many fun ways to use them! I love the Nutcracker & Mouse King she did….
It’s been really cold here in the NW, so what better way to warm up at the party than a hot cocoa bar? It of course had to include lots of sweet treats, ‘cuz that’s just how I roll. I enlisted the help of Kim from Small Moments. She is a printables rock star, and created this collection for me. All I did is tell her what colors I wanted to go with and she created the invitation, backdrop poster, water bottle wraps, plate circles, hot cocoa cup wraps, gift tags, hot cocoa tube stickers, straw flags, t-shirts, and more! Small Moments even made a wrap for our whipped cream can. You can’t have hot cocoa without some fun toppings, so we had to get Candyfetti from Sweets Indeed. There are so many options, and fun choices! We went with the hot cocoa mix. It even has teeny tiny marshmallows in it! It was seriously fun on top of hot cocoa too! To stir their drinks, we used candy canes shaped like spoons from Oriental Trading. They were a hit with everyone at the party. We added wraps from Small Moments printable collection to cups from Hoopla Events, finishing it up with Hoopla’s straws. Carrying on the theme, we filled the red cubbies full of things to go with our drinks. We had to use these Nutcracker water bottles from Oriental Trading(!), 6 of them fit perfectly in the caddy we recently found in the Target Dollar Spot. Peppermint balls from Oriental Trading and mini-marshmallows, gave guests just a couple more options to add to their cocoa.
For the main dessert table, I used a CandyCrush Events gold table cloth (borrowed from Banner Events), a tassel garland by Lisa Frank Parties, and Pennant Flags by A Lacey Creation. The navy runner is from Oriental Trading. We featured gorgeous sugar cookies from Sweet Treats by M. Love the details she included, and they are so yummy too! A sweets table isn’t complete without candy, and Oriental Trading always has what I’m looking for! Red Jelly Beans, Green Jelly Beans, and even Christmas themed gummies -that are SO GOOD! I used more Candy-fetti on the sweets table as well, his mix is so fun and yummy, that I incorporated it into a couple of our desserts too. The gingerbread drip cake (with a cream cheese filling)….amazing! And French Macarons….To finish off the dessert table, we included mini donuts, chocolate dipped Rice Krispie treats, and chocolate covered Oreos – all made by yours truly.
The table is my favorite part. Small Moment’s printables really pulled everything together! We started with gold chargers, and added Hoopla Events strip plates, striped napkins, and their gold confetti dessert plates. We added the printable circles to the plater to pull everything together. We found these cute Nutcracker themed Chinese take-out boxes on Oriental Trading – using them to hold a mini-donut for each guest. We added a tag by Small Moments to finish it off. Nutcracker ornaments were hung from each water bottle.
We used gum ball tubes from Hoopla, and filled them with hot cocoa mixes to give out as favors. The kids had fun with all of it, and were definitely on a sugar high afterwards! Are you hosting a Christmas Party this holiday season? What theme are you going with? Whatever you choose – enjoy the moments, create memories. Happy Holidays to you from 4kidscakes!
Vendor List:
Styling: Christina of 4kidscakes
Photographer: Jennifer Tibbetts Photography
Printables, t-shirt design: Small Moments
Tassel Garland & Candy Wands: Lisa Frank Parties
Nutcracker Silhouette Signs: Tell All Signs
Peg Buddies: Peg Buddies
Pennant Garland: A Lacey Creation
Red Striped Plates, Gold Confetti Plates, Striped Cups, Gumball Tubes, Straws: Hoopla Events
Chinese Take-Out Boxes, Ornaments, Water Bottles, Candy Cane Spoons, Table Runner, Jelly Beans, Holiday Gummies, Peppermint Balls: Oriental Trading ***
Sugar Cookies: Sweet Treats by M
Cake, Chocolate Covered Oreo’s, Rice Krispie Treats, Mini Donuts: 4kidscakes
Gold Cake Stands, rectangular trays, gold CandyCrush table cloth: Banner Events
Items I purchased elsewhere:
Pretzels, Gummy Bears, Cocoa: Winco
Candyfetti: Sweets Indeed
Red Drink Caddy: Target, Dollar Spot
***”This party is based strictly on my opinion. Others may have a different opinion or experience withe the products listed above. I was provided samples free of charge by Oriental Trading, and I provided my honest opinion. No other type of compensations was received for this review of their products.”***
