We’ve finally reached the second half of the year and it’s safe to say (considering the impact of COVID-19 on our lives) WE’VE MADE IT! Now to celebrate the second half of what’s to come, why not have a little Christmas in July celebration? It’s a fun and exciting alternative to your usual festive season in December, which is normally such a blur with endless shopping, cooking, and hosting family and friends.
A Christmas in July party has the awesome elements of the festive season minus the stress that comes with it.
And so you ask: “How do you host a party during lockdown?” – It’s a virtual party, of course! You’ll set up your space as you would normally do when hosting family and friends, with just a few tweaks suited for your virtual lockdown party.
We’ve put together some pointers, on how to set up the perfect event right in front of your laptop or phone.
Send Out The Invites
It’s not a party without the guests. Create a quick and easy digital invite on Canva and send them along to your nearest and dearest. But if you are not keen on designing a full-on invite, a simple text message will do. Don’t forget to include the theme and what they need to make your virtual party festive.
Designate any tasks and responsibilities to your guests, whether it be music selections or even designating the responsibility of putting together a list of virtual games that you all can play.
Deck The Walls
You need to create the sense that it’s the festive season, so get out the holiday decorations and hang them up around your house. Whatever it may be, holiday lights, trimmings, and stockings, they’re all necessary for a Christmas in July virtual party.
To get yourself and your guests in the “festive” mood, dress up and prepare yourself a cocktail, and play the Christmas carols and holiday playlists.
Get Out the Snacks And Drinks
Talking about cocktails ..
For your snacks and food, you can include some of the traditional items that you usually serve during the festive season but why not change it up a little? Ask your guests to let you know what their favourite festive food is and you can then share the recipe with them to make and then indulge during your virtual party. It will make the occasion a little more special for each of your guests.
If you are interested in changing up the menu completely or just to include a few new treats, Montagu Snacks have a wide range of perfect snack recipes for you and your guests to indulge. They are quick and easy recipes that you can whip up, and hey, these new treats could be added to the list of your traditional menu for your next party – we all love to try something new every once in a while. Might we add, their Christmas Fruit Bars are to die for, they’ve even added a cheeky recipe for you and your guests to try out – we highly recommend.
Alternatively, you can all sit around your screens with a warm cup of love. Since it is a Christmas in July celebration, make it a white Christmas with Nomu’s brand new White Hot Chocolate, or indulge in any of the other truly decadent and delicious hot chocolates found in the Hot Chocolate Collection. And to spice things up, you can whip up Nomu’s delicious Spiced White Hot Chocolate. It’s simple and easy to make, but most of all it brings a little warmth and coziness that you and your guests can enjoy.
But if you are looking to add some festive “spirits” to the “mix”, we’ve included some cocktail/mocktail recipes.
Whenever you’re out with friends & family a good old classic always takes the cake, why not impress them with a super fun & tasty Paloma Cocktail. You’ll make this one with grapefruit, limes, soda, and a dash of tequila of course!
- Fill a glass jar with ice cubes, 75ml of soda water and a dash (15ml) of lime juice
- Add 1½ shots of tequila (your brand of choice), ½ a shot of agave nectar and 50ml of pink grapefruit juice
- Stir and enjoy!
For those of us wanting to keep it clean during the lockdown or share something with the younger guests, why not try this refreshing Peach & Mint Mocktail, a hit with all families, will be sure to leave you wanting more.
- Place 2-3 Rooibos teabags in a large jug of boiling water. Allow this to stand for about 20 minutes so the flavours can develop, remove the teabags and then set aside for another 15 minutes to cool.
- Add 2 thinly sliced peaches and ½ a cup of fresh mint and then stir and refrigerate the tea until it’s cold.
- Before serving, top off the tea with 2 cups of sliced strawberries, 3 cups of chilled lemonade and extra mint.
Time To Dress Up
Now for the fun part – dressing up – a great way to instantly add some fun to your virtual party is by dressing up according to the theme that was set.
Since this is a Christmas In July Party, some dress code theme ideas could be the following:
- The Ugly Christmas Sweater
- A Christmas Masquerade Ball
- Winter Wonderland
- Santa’s Little Helpers
- Chocolate Factory Christmas
Be a good sport and come dressed as the theme set out or the desired dress code idea. This easily makes for a good topic of discussion for the first few minutes of your “meeting”.
Set Up Your Virtual Party With ZOOM
If you haven’t heard of ZOOM, the Skype or FaceTime like app, by now, you’ve really been “social” distancing the wrong way. ZOOM is no longer just for video chatting with family or meetings with colleagues.
Now that you’ve sent out your invites and decorated your place, set up your Christmas in July ZOOM Party.
Be sure to use the ZOOM app via a laptop or computer for the best viewing experience. Ensure that you have sufficient light within your surroundings of where you’re setting up your little party.
And if you were too lazy to do some decorations around your home, you could simply just add a background to your screen.
Capture Your Memories
While doing our part to flatten the curve, might be a bit lonely, let’s not forget the bigger picture of keeping those around us safe. And while we may miss our loved ones, we’ve put together a few tips on how to create beautiful memories together, while not technically being in the same room.
Stating the obvious over here but you don’t have to leave the house! Set a date and hop onto a vibrant ZOOM call with your nearest and dearest, take a few screenshots, and capture the moments. It might seem small now, but when you look back at it in a few years, they’ll be the real moments you will live to cherish forever.
Our friends over at Nifty250 have an incredible range on how to organise those incredible moments that you’ve captured and turn them into timeless pieces that you can cherish forever, with prints, posters, and collages, there is something special for the whole family.
Photos in your home will be timeless and extra special!
In the time of social distancing, throwing a ZOOM party can be just as fun as a real party, especially if you’re willing to go into it with the same energy. Read more on how to celebrate Christmas in July
