Sounds like a great party! Well done OP! Thanks for coming back and letting us know how it turned out.

This party was likely a hit with all the kids.

This sounds like such a sweet party!

Anonymous wrote:Oh I meant to say one other activity they loved doing at the party was making taylor swift type friendship bracelets. I can't believe I forgot to mention that haha

Great idea! Happy it turned out well and thanks for sharing. Hope you get a chance to relax now!

Oh I meant to say one other activity they loved doing at the party was making taylor swift type friendship bracelets. I can't believe I forgot to mention that haha

I meant to say my daughter doesn't like pizza

Hi everyone! I wanted to report back here - you all helped me a lot. Based on the comments here, I increased the budget to $250, and I only went slightly over that. I had 9 guests + bday girl. I ended up making it a "sleep under" theme for 3 hours. For the first 1.5 hours we did a few activities my daughter wanted to do - she wanted them all to paint their nails, so we did that. I asked a babysitter to come for an hour because she has previously done fairy hair - and she helped with nails and fairy hair - obviously it would have been cheaper if I hadn't had her come - but I was happy to stay in budget even with her! Then we also ate dinner - my daughter doesn't like pasta and she picked to have spaghetti. I didn't end up counting much of the food towards the budget if I had it in the house already. So, we served spaghetti plain - and then with sauce / meatballs to those who wanted it. I cut up cucumbers and gave them applesauce, and also garlic bread. It went as well as any other meal I have ever served at a bday party! My daughter wanted a cookie cake and I ordered one from the safeway bakery for $12! And, I had a gallon of unopened ice cream that I served with it. Then, we showed a movie (and I was glad when we turned it on hahaha), and I had some popcorn and M&Ms for the girls during the movie. I was so glad to be off my old $h!t of blowing so much money on bday parties. Thank you! Oh and for a favor - I did milk boxes and cookies (supposed to be like a bedtime snack), a framed photo of the girls at the party, and a "fancy" lollipop. My daughter was fine with using the cloth tablecloths we have at home, and I spent little money on plates / napkins and one Happy Birthday banner she picked out at Walmart.

Anonymous wrote:I wouldn’t worry about the number so much- there are always a few that can’t come. Chances are you’d have 10 or less. The ideas sound fun!

Not in our experiences. Most of all have come when it’s been local and we have thought some would say no.

You will need a lot of space for cookie decoration or ginger bread houses. My daughter always wanted these ideas and I said we don’t have the room unless it’s only a couple of friends.

I would keep the guest list to 5 for any of that, skip the hot choc and s'mores. Let them gorge on cookies and decorations and get cheap pizza. It will be more filling and more cost effective. Always get pizza.

Please serve food. Pizza, hotdogs, pasta, sandwiches, whatever.

I've had so many gingerbread failures. Just buy one or 2 of those giant pre-assembled houses and let the girls go to town together. You will have decor and I'm sure their moms want no more crafts.

The mugs and hot chocolate sound good. Smores is also a good idea. Pick a Christmas movie and have it playing in the background.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:If you are going until 5pm, I would expect dinner to be served. Can you do 2-4 or 1:30-4?

You could make it into a winter pajama party and have them bring squish mallows, blanket or sleeping bag, do snacks and movie, plus cookie decorating. Or maybe have cookie decorating first and then do hot chocolate and movie? Would be cute if they could each take a small box or a few cookies home.

This was my thought. Do cookie decorating instead of messing with gingerbread houses. I like the idea of PJs (or sweats/something cozy) and do a popcorn bar and hot cocoa. Just put a candle in a cookie because cake will be overkill with the cookies and hot chocolate.

If you want, you can have some other easy crafts like decorating a paper wreath, pine cone ornament, or the like. Honestly the kids will probably have fun just free play/hanging out.

Just chiming in to say a few posters have mentioned very Christmas-oriented ideas. If all of the invited guests celebrate Christmas then no worries. If any of them do not, I’d steer you away from things like ornaments or whatnot for a birthday party. I reeeealy do not want to start a giant debate about whether certain Christmas things are religious or secular or whatnot. I’m just saying gingerbread house and snowflake and mittens are wintery and will not inadvertently upset or make any non Christmas celebrating guests uncomfortable.

I am the OP- and I am Jewish fwiw - so nothing will be too christmassy. We are raising the kids Jewish - but I was raised with a Jewish mom and Christian dad and grew up doing both myself so some old habits die hard - and I take a strong stance that gingerbread houses are not related to Jesus Christ's birthday

Though I guess on reading the history of gingerbread houses just now - I am actually totally wrong! OH well - you learn something new every day. I feel like the trees don't have to be Xmas - can't they be evergreen trees too?! And gingerbread people ok?! Ha - I don't have to do that though.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:If you are going until 5pm, I would expect dinner to be served. Can you do 2-4 or 1:30-4?

You could make it into a winter pajama party and have them bring squish mallows, blanket or sleeping bag, do snacks and movie, plus cookie decorating. Or maybe have cookie decorating first and then do hot chocolate and movie? Would be cute if they could each take a small box or a few cookies home.

This was my thought. Do cookie decorating instead of messing with gingerbread houses. I like the idea of PJs (or sweats/something cozy) and do a popcorn bar and hot cocoa. Just put a candle in a cookie because cake will be overkill with the cookies and hot chocolate.

If you want, you can have some other easy crafts like decorating a paper wreath, pine cone ornament, or the like. Honestly the kids will probably have fun just free play/hanging out.

Just chiming in to say a few posters have mentioned very Christmas-oriented ideas. If all of the invited guests celebrate Christmas then no worries. If any of them do not, I’d steer you away from things like ornaments or whatnot for a birthday party. I reeeealy do not want to start a giant debate about whether certain Christmas things are religious or secular or whatnot. I’m just saying gingerbread house and snowflake and mittens are wintery and will not inadvertently upset or make any non Christmas celebrating guests uncomfortable.

I am the OP- and I am Jewish fwiw - so nothing will be too christmassy. We are raising the kids Jewish - but I was raised with a Jewish mom and Christian dad and grew up doing both myself so some old habits die hard - and I take a strong stance that gingerbread houses are not related to Jesus Christ's birthday

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:A good budget friendly party dinner is hot dogs!

Kids can roast them over the fire and it’s super easy to have a hot dog bar with all sorts of toppings. (Honestly, s’mores are more work.) It would be a good way to make use of the fire pit!

What would be the alternative for vegetarians and people who don't eat pork?

I'm the OP and we don't eat pork but we eat beef hebrew national hotdogs, fwiw.

Biggest tip is to reduce the party time to 1.5-2 hours at MOST. Less time to fill = less you need to buy.

First .5 = people arrive, kids hang out, maybe set out art supplies you already have in the home for people to entertain themselves for a bit

Middle hour = the planned activity - cookie baking, gingerbread decorating, s'mores

Final .5 = cake/happy birthday/cleanup/goodbye