The holiday season is a perfect time for Savvy Aunties to share time with their nieces and nephews - and get to know their friends too - by throwing a festive holiday party. Here are my top tips for planning a holiday party that's loads of fun, simple, and that won’t break the bank!

1.    Send your invitations out early. It’s a busy time of year and getting on people’s calendars early is key. Use email or call your guests instead of buying and mailing out invitations this year.

2.    If you do want to mail out invitations, make your own with candy canes!  Attach a small card with the party details to a festive candy cane for an easy invite.

3.    Have your nieces and nephews make paper ornaments and hold an ornament swap at the party. There are ornament kits you can purchase or, using heavy card stock, glitter glue, markers, and other craft materials, the kids can create homemade ornaments and exchange them. Crafty and fun!

4.     If you're planning a kids-only party, limit the number of guests you invite. Perhaps just your niece or nephew’s best friends.
 
5.    Double dip! Let your holiday decorations serves as your party decorations.

6.    Look around your home for fun stuff to create easy activities.  Ideas include: a holiday taste test (bring out the spices of the season and let the kids taste and guess away); make shaving cream snowmen; hold a cookie bake-off; use marshmallows to create snowmen; or write letters to Santa. The activities are endless when you look around your own home for inspiration.

7.    This is a busy time of year for holiday parties. Hosting an Open House for the entire family may cut down on costs and time. If both adults and children are attending your holiday party, make sure to have a few of those easy activities prepared for the little kids and assign the older kids to be your helpers.

8.    Host a Tree Trimming party for your nieces and nephews. The main activity will be decorating the tree and your home with your decorations. Ideally, a small tree is the perfect size for this kind of party, but any size tree will help bring out the festive mood. And ask the kids to bring their crafted decorations they've made at school and help them find the perfect place on the tree to hang it.

9.    Want to save money on refreshments? Don't call the party during mealtime hours and serve cocoa and cookies instead!

10.    Say no to the goody bags at your holiday party. Let a craft or a decorated cookie that the children bake and decorate serve as a take home favor. Gifts are for Christmas morning.