Candles, Cake & Snow: How To Host A Sledding Birthday Party

If you were born in January in Chicago, there’s a fairly good chance you’ve had at least one sledding birthday party. (Chicago is not known for its hills, but we make do.) Now that I find myself back in arctic winter weather after many years away, a sledding party sounds like the perfect cabin fever-busting celebration.

You only need a few things to host a sledding party: willing partygoers bundled to the nines, extra hats/mittens/scarves for those who are without, perhaps a set of handwarmers for everyone’s pockets, plenty of sleds (toboggans, tubes, saucers, trash bags, and/or pieces of cardboard), and warming food for before and after. Any of the delicious dishes from my Faux Snow Party menu would be appropriate, while Spiced Apple Cider and any of The Kitchn’s 10 Hot & Boozy Drinks to Get Cozy With This Winter are always welcome in the winter.

And for those of you who can’t stand to have anything holiday-esque around after the new year, my advice is to avoid the color red. Red + sleds = visions of reindeer and Santa, when really the sledding season can last months beyond the big man’s departure. Sticking to a palette of white, cream, brown, blue, and green will ensure your party feels wintery, not Christmas-y.

Here are a few frosty treats and accessories to get everyone in the sledding mood:

1. “Dont Text And Sled” card, Paprika Letterpress Design, $4.50/ea, $25/set of 10
2. Silver tree cupcake toppers, ThePartyFairy, $4.25/set of 10
3. Sled dessert plate (they call it a soap dish), Furbish Studio, $12
4. The perfect party favor: cute, warm, dry socks to offer your guests once all the sledding is done, Old Navy, $4
5. Sledding Birthday Cake, Kitchen Counter Chronicles
6. Sled favor box template, Creations By AR, $5 (this is version by Tethered2Home)
7. Mountain Boy Sledworks Ultimate Flyer, Amazon, $127.94
8. Hedgehog sled fabric for tablecloth, golders for Spoonflower, $17.50/yd
9. Sled favors/place cards, Henderson Dry Goods, $22.50/set of 3
10. Awesomely creepy vintage cupcake toppers, TheIDconnection, $15
11. Sled plate, Bellissimo, $17.50 (if you plan on making this a yearly event)
12. Sled with rider cookie cutter, Country Kitchen SweetArt, $1.25– decorating cookies would be a cozy post-sledding activity!

Have you ever hosted or attended a sledding party? Please share!