A warm and welcoming winter dinner party is the quintessential gathering for the season. But planning an enjoyable night of delicious food and good company doesn’t have to be overly complicated or stressful. Choosing a casual or fun theme will allow you to fully enjoy your get-together with the important people in your life.
Depending on the size of your guest list, you may be inclined to include a small party gift each guest can take home. A sweet treat you can purchase or make in advance for larger gatherings will be the perfect end to a delicious meal. But for smaller, more intimate parties, you can buy party favors more personalized to your friends, including basic vape starter kits, a delicious bottle of wine, or a warm winter scarf.
Eating In – 7 Winter Dinner Party Ideas
A White Elephant Gift Exchange
A white elephant gift exchange is a classic holiday party game that allows you to easily inject a touch of humor into the night’s festivities. It is a wonderful way to include your guests before they have even entered the door.
Set your guests a low budget that can cover simple items and gag gifts, taking away any pressure to find the perfect gift. Consider purchasing one or two extra gifts yourself to accommodate anyone who may have left their gift at home, ensuring nobody ends the night empty-handed.
Break Out the Fondue
If you are looking for the perfect excuse to break out of the fondue set that is gathering dust on the shelf, hosting a fondue dinner party for friends this winter season is the sign you are looking for. The beauty of a steaming pot of cheese is your dipping options are endless.
Before choosing the perfect sides, you need to pick the ultimate cheese. You can decide to go the original route of Fribourgeois or try something new with a delicious Swiss cheese version or an indulgent aged cheddar and pilsner combination.
You can include ingredients like breadsticks, french loaf, delicious and seasonal vegetables, hearty baby potatoes, crisp apple and pear slices, make-ahead meatballs, and large pasta shells, all great options for the ideal dip.
A Self-Serving Hot Cocoa Bar
Skip the traditional dessert and instead opt for a delicious hot cocoa bar, complete with an array of mouthwatering garnishes and toppings. Crystalized ginger, small pillows of mini marshmallows, Kit Kat fingers, and rich caramel syrup are all delicious options.
Chocolate-dipped biscuit fingers and peppermint sticks will double as delicious drink stirrers. For those not planning to drive home, include decanters of decadent dark rum and vanilla vodka for a naughty twist.
Dine in Elevated Style
If you want to make this the ultimate dinner party of the season, consider elevating your party location by hosting it in a mansion, a historic home, or an enclosed outdoor garden space. Not only will you wow your guests with a beautiful setting, you can skip the hassle of cleaning up and eliminate the stress of not having enough chairs or table space.
Companies like Peerspace, which is based in the US, will help you find the perfect location to match all your requirements and assist you with the booking process, helping you rent a beautiful and unique space.
Serving All the Luck
In many cultures and customs, traditional dishes and ingredients are cooked to symbolize good luck, prosperity, and goodwill. For a unique dinner party idea, take a journey around the world by cooking meals that promise to bring your guests a year of good fortune.
Lucky black-eyed peas, traditionally cooked with bacon or ham hock and spooned over rice, will be the perfect side dish to a comforting roast dinner, accompanied by an orange-laced champagne cocktail, building on the Chinese custom of citrus being a sign of prosperity.
Dinner & Games
When the weather is cold and miserable outside, there is nothing better than hosting a casual and cozy game night with friends and family. Create the perfect setting by layering your dining table with a festively fun table runner, simple white plates, and low-level centerpieces.
Select games that can be played with multiple people or teams, like trivial pursuit, various card games, and Pictionary. You can go the extra step and design a quiz night, a sure-fire hit for any dinner party.
An Ugly Sweater Celebration
For something casual and a little different, challenge your guests to an ugly sweater competition, encouraging them to break out the worst of the worst that may be hiding in the back of their closets.
This will remove the need for a set dress code and provide conversation points for guests who may not know each other. At the end of the night, you can hold an impromptu vote, with the winner receiving a cozy holiday prize.
A Winter Wonderland
When the winter season rolls around, and festive excitement is in the air, there is no better time to fully indulge in an all-natural winter dinner party, breaking out the textured neutrals, star motifs, and twinkling fairy lights, bringing a soft and whimsical atmosphere to life.
Simple white plates provide the perfect foundation for chic and stylish glassware and cutlery, DIY yarn-wrapped centerpieces, complete with delicate white flowers and bright pops of cherry red berries, and vases filled with holiday baubles that bring wonderful metallic accents.
