I've found that when it comes to parties, sometimes the intimate ones are the most fun. When hosting, these are the moments that I really get to enjoy the festivities. One of my favorite holiday traditions is shared with a few of my closest friends. It's simple, inexpensive, and the best way to get excited about the season of giving!
This is the time of year we're invited to step it up a notch from the typical dinner party, but that doesn't have to mean added stress and expense. Last year my friends and I added a twist to our annual Secret Santa Gift Exchange. In addition to bringing a present, each person also brought a dish to share, that represented their Secret Santa recipient in some way. All together we ended up with a random collection of tasty bites that were far from a cohesive meal, but so much more fun. The dinner embraced the theme of giving, created a casual atmosphere, and was hassle-free for me as the host. After dinner we reverted back to childhood (besides the wine drinking) and went to town decorating sugar cookies. The quintessential way to get in the spirit of the season, if you ask me.
Not every gathering has to be a big to do. There are ways to embrace the holidays without stressing out over the details of food and décor. Don't get me wrong, I love most things about entertaining and become easily obsessed with fancy recipes and extravagant decorations. However, in the midst of the holiday whirlwind, it's always nice to set aside some time and (as corny as it sounds) just relax with the people you love.
What holiday traditions do you have with friends?
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Our get-togethers are almost always pot lock. The hosts have to make a main dish, and then everyone else brings something else and/or a drink.
We had a White Elephant party a few years ago and it got to about 40 people in the apartment! It was hilarious though, because of all the different gifts people brought. Afterwards we brought out more drinks and people started trading gifts. I think potlucks are amazing.
Since we had babies, we've started having a (and by started I mean we did it last year and we're planning on doing it again) new years day brunch for parents. That way the babies come, we get to play on new years, and have something to look forward to that isn't a night out of drinking (followed by being up early).
My husband and I started a tradition of throwing a Christmas party every two years. All guests are strongly encouraged to participate in our Christmas tree ornament blind gift exchange. Everyone brings their ornament already wrapped nicely with their name on it. The ornaments have to be valued at $5-$10. If people leave early, they just pick up a gift on their way out. Otherwise, everyone who's left picks blind gifts and we all open them together. It's so much fun to see what everyone got and say who it came from, etc. Plus, we'll always have the memories when we put up our tree every year!
I have "party" photos taken at my parent's apartment during the Great Depression. Their Christmas Eve potluck with friends included one person who brought a loaf of Italian bread, one person brought a can of tomato paste, one came with pasta, and another arrived with a QUART bottle of beer.
First, they had a spaghetti dinner.
Then they decorated the orphaned tree that my father "lifted" from a Christmas tree vendor who had closed down for the final day.
Finally, they drank the beer out of juice glasses and played poker with matchsticks.
My mother said they were the best parties she ever threw.
This year we're hosting a Thanksgiving leftovers potluck party. Everyone brings what they have left, and we turn it all into something tasty. I'm really looking forward to it and hoping it becomes an annual tradition!
This is going to be an interesting year for me. I'm in that weird transition time of adulthood where I'm not living with my parents, but I'm also unmarried, and still tethered to my family's traditions. We've got the added curveball this year of my parents' divorce, so my traditions are in a state of "WTF AM I GOING TO DO!!"
Over the past couple of years, I've been trying to create some traditions that are just mine. Portable ones that I can take with me. I always have a grapefruit for breakfast on Christmas morning - that goes back years. I try and take a long drive through St. Paul to look at the lights, and throw in a Christmas album to do it.
As for friend traditions, last year, my roommates and I had a "Yuletide" dinner and gift exchange on December 22nd - one of my roommies is pagan, so the Solstice just made sense. I'm going to try and make that happen again - it was really fun. I made a whole chicken, vedge, and mulled cider for dinner. So delicious.
@ mjs7640, frame that party pic & (at least) hang it up every Christmas as a reminder. Your post brought tears to my eyes. THIS is The Spirit of the season.
Thanks for posting - made my day.
One of the best parties I've ever gone to was a post-Christmas party in which you were invited to bring the worst gift you ever got. We had a Yankee Swap of gifts no one wanted.
I don't think I have laughed so much or so hard since I was 12. The bad gifts were hilarious, the yankee swap was so much fun because no one really wanted any of the gifts so there were no hard feelings.
It was potluck, probably 30 guests, and nearly everyone there only knew a couple of other people and the hostess, but the yankee swap structured things so that we were all friends by the end.
mjs7640: that was a beautiful post
@FakeGreenDress, funny -- I tried to organize a Thanksgiving leftovers potluck, too! The logistics with my invitees didn't work out, so I cancelled, but it was a new idea for me, too! Maybe next year...
@bodicegoddess, create a fun day for yourself (and any available friends, if you like) but don't get mired in the loss of historical traditions. In the end, it's only one day, after all... you can make it lovely in new ways, but even if you just ignored it, it's over in 24 hours!
One tradition for me is starting my holiday decorating. I usually start the Friday after Thanksgiving (since, as a librarian, I usually have both days off, but not always the Saturday...) but a few years when I lived alone, I started putting up my fake tree after my lovely meal. It's a way to fill the time looking forward to the NEXT big holiday!