20 holiday party theme ideas other than Ugly Sweater

An easy but beautiful alternative to an Ugly Sweater party is a Winter Wonderland theme. You can really take this theme anywhere you want, just as long as there’s snow and ice. Bonus points if you have a little bit of the real stuff. 

For a more whimsical theme, opt for Santa’s Workshop. This is especially fun if kids are invited to your party, as you can set up stations for them to build or decorate their own toy or just complete a craft. 

If you don’t want to be quite so specific with your theme, go with the North Pole. It's still very Santa-heavy, but having the entire North Pole allows you to incorporate reindeer and some snow, too. 

If you want an activity for your Christmas party, have a Gingerbread theme. You can decorate with candy and set up a station for people to decorate their own gingerbread cookies. Or you can have an entire gingerbread house decorating competition. 

Have a casual theme with Christmas Pajamas. Everyone gets to come over in their best holiday nighttime clothes, making for a super cozy night in. This is an ideal theme if your guest list is small or if you're inviting children. 

If you want a theme that’s low maintenance and doesn’t require a dress code, go with Christmas carol karaoke (or Christmas Carol-oke if you’re a fan of puns). If your space is already decorated for Christmas, you don’t need to add any decorations. Just invite people over and let them sing their favorite hymns and carols.

The Grinch is a great theme for a holiday party. There are endless options for pre-made decorations, and just as many ideas for themed food circulating on the internet. It’s easy, and it’s a crowd pleaser … as long as your crowd likes green. 

For the holiday party that wants to exchange gifts, go with White Elephant. White Elephant can mean cheap, tacky, or both. It’s lots of fun, and it’s easy to prepare for. 

If your guest list is small and everyone’s willing to pitch in in some way, do a "Favorite Things" party. Have your guests bring over whatever their favorite holiday thing is: a dish, a cocktail, a present, a dessert, or a game. It’s a great way to share traditions and have a meaningful holiday gathering. 

If your group likes to dress up, do a Favorite Christmas Character theme. Everyone dresses up as their favorite Christmas character. It could be from a book, TV show, movie, or oral tradition — you name it. It makes for a fun guessing game. 

Charles Dickens’ Christmas is just a fancy way of saying your Christmas party is going to have an old-timey theme. Decorations will have a more classic vibe, and the food and activities will be a little more elevated. If Charles Dickens hadn’t participated, it wouldn’t be allowed.  

Take an opportunity to learn more about how people across the globe celebrate Christmas with a Christmas Around the World theme. Let the theme inform your decor, food, and even music choices, and consult with experts if you can. 

Blue Christmas does not mean sad; it just means blue. Take this theme very literally. 

Don’t worry, you don’t need real birds for a Twelve Days of Christmas theme. You just need a way to represent them. If you want to involve your guests, assign them one of the days of Christmas and see how they interpret it. 

There’s never a wrong time for a murder mystery party. This year, make the occasion holiday-themed. Decorate for the holidays and have everyone dress up. It adds a fun seasonal spin to a classic party theme. 

If you live somewhere tropical, or you want to pretend like you do, have a Christmas in July theme. Break out the flamingos and palm trees, slap some Santa hats on them, and call it a party. 

An elegant party theme is Silver and Gold. And it’s super easy to put together. Just have a balance of the two metallics, and make sure all your guests know the dress code. This is the perfect theme for a post-Christmas holiday party. 

We should all be taking every opportunity we have to eat cookies around the holidays. If you feel you don’t have enough opportunities to try different Christmas cookies, make your party theme a Cookie Swap. Tell everyone to bring a batch of cookies and come hungry. 

The Polar Express is another great theme if you have kids coming to your party. All you need, aside from regular Christmas decorations, is a train and some hot chocolate. 

Get some nutcrackers and toy ballerinas, and bam, you’ve got a Nutcracker theme. The Nutcracker is a great theme because it can be very elegant or very whimsical, traditional or modern, and suitable for adults or children. There are plenty of ways to interpret it.