Tween Holiday Party

This fun and special holiday party for my tween daughter and her friends had lots of holiday elements to make it memorable.

My 7th grader wanted to host a gift exchange party/sleepover with her friends. I shopped throughout the year to save money and make the party really special. Here’s what we planned to make it a special night for everyone.

Tween Gift Exchange

The girls each chose someone to do a secret Santa gift exchange at the party. They set the spending amount at $25-$30.

As soon as the girls arrived, they exchanged gifts. Gifts they bought one another included skin care, jewelry and accessories. (For gift ideas for tweens, check out my tween gift guide.)

Party Dinner & Breakfast

For dinner, we had spaghetti with meat sauce, garlic bread and salad. It was easy and universally appealing. I made one pot of Santa pasta (bought at TJ Maxx) and one pot of bow tie pasta, so that we could have buttered pasta and pasta with sauce.

For breakfast, we have bacon and pancakes, with whipped cream and Christmas sprinkles. (I made Joanna Gaines’ fluffy pancakes recipe – they really are the best.)

Party Treats & Cocoa Bar

I bought holiday treats at Trader Joe’s and made a dessert treat board. This was super easy to assemble, but had big impact. The girls oohed and ahhed over it! It was decadent and special, plus easy for the girls to snack on during the night.

I also bought mugs on clearance last year, so the girls each got a mug to take home. I also had cocoa bombs to make hot cocoa + all the fixings: marshmallows, candy canes, and whipped cream.

Christmas Gnomes Craft

I bought large wood gnomes on clearance this summer with the intent that the girls could paint them as Christmas gnomes at the party. They retailed for $15 and I got them for $1.50. A huge way I am able to “go big” at these parties is by shopping clearance and planning far ahead.

We had a bunch of acrylic paint on hand and the girls made their gnomes very Christmasy. They painted for over an hour and had so much fun listening to Christmas music while they crafted together.

Party Gifts

Every fall, Carter’s sells Christmas pajamas for $6-$10, so I decided to surprise the girls with matching pajamas. It felt like an affordable way to add to the fun and festivity of the night.

I also had some other little stocking stuffers that we put together for the girls as “party favors” including scruncis, pencils, bath bombs and little eyeshadow sets. All of these were sets I broke apart and that I had bought 75-90% off.

I think the pjs + gifts only cost $15 a girl. With the spending done over the course of the year, it didn’t impact my holiday budget negatively and it was so fun to do for the girls. They were so excited.

It was a fun party that the girls looked forward to for weeks and made great memories. A little planning saved a lot of money and made the party extra special. Hope it helps you plan a party for your kids (or friends!).