Decorate for a birthday party with Christmas flair.
It's easy for someone's December birthday to get overlooked in all the Christmas festivities, but if your child was born around Christmas, you can still help him celebrate in style with a Christmas birthday party. Christmas has so many facets to it that it's simple to incorporate your child's favorite part into a birthday party. Decorations set the mood for the party atmosphere, so depending on the specific party theme, you can turn your home into a place to celebrate both Christmas and birthdays. Does this Spark an idea?
Poinsettia Party
Poinsettias are just one example of a Christmas symbol that works well for a party theme.
Take one element of Christmas, and make it the theme of the birthday party. Poinsettias, with brilliant red and green foliage, make an excellent decoration, especially when you wrap the pots in metallic gold foil. Line the entryway with poinsettias, and group them in clusters around the room. Use red and green party streamers to create a false ceiling, dividing it into segments of five green streamers, then five red, and so on---just like poinsettia leaves. Red, green and gold balloons can accent each chair at the table. Choose any singular Christmas symbol as a theme, such as a gingerbread man, candy cane, a nutcracker or stars.
Polar Express Party
Read the book or show the movie at a Polar Express party.
When your child's Christmas birthday party centers around the beloved story of "The Polar Express," decoration inspiration should draw from the book and movie. Set up a small ticket booth at the entrance where guests can receive their gold tickets. Inside the party room, recreate the inside of the famous train with "windows" made of cardstock. Use various winter scenes cut from magazines or enlarged photographs to make it look like the children are peering out into the winter landscape. Fill the ceiling with helium balloons with metallic strings hanging down to recall the famous emergency brake scene. Use your actual Christmas tree as a decoration, only include a model train circling it, just like in the movie.
Christmas Workshop
Use a picture of a village to guide you in creating shops to hang on the wall.
Center your child's Christmas party decorations around the idea that the party is taking place in the village of Santa's elves. Use paints or markers and poster board to create individual shops with roof shingles, windows, doors and signs such as "Doll Factory," "Candy Cane Shop" and "Reindeer Antler-Polishing Station." Use glitter glue, real candy canes and Christmas ribbon to emphasize details. Create enough elf shops to encircle the entire party room. Zigzag white twinkle lights across the ceiling to recreate a canopy of stars. In one corner, set up a small wooden table with tiny tools to make guests think a hard-working elf has just left for a moment.
International Christmas
Star-shaped ornaments are popular in Italian homes at Christmas.
Let your child celebrate her heritage and her birthday at the same time with an international Christmas party. For example, if your ancestors hailed from Italy, include a traditional Italian crèche, elegant star-shaped ornaments on the tree and in centerpieces, elaborate lighting---both indoor and out---and luminaries along the pathways. Other Italian Christmas decorations include wooden toys, such as rocking horses and trains. Candles are also prominent in Italian homes, lighting mantles, tables and windows. A ceppo---a wooden pyramid that resembles a tree---is a key feature in Italian homes at Christmas. Research what key elements are used to decorate homes in other countries to transform your international Christmas party.
Tags: your child, birthday party, Christmas party, Italian homes, Polar Express