There’s nothing like hosting a great holiday party to get you in the Christmas spirit – unless you’re just not up for going big. If you just don’t have it in you to throw a big party for adults or an open house for families, consider focusing on some festivity specifically for the kids. It’s a great way to bring some magic into your home without the pressure of a full-blown holiday bash. And since schedules are often packed this time of year, it works out well that you can sneak a kids-only party in on a weekday after school; you’ll save the parents from having to pack one more thing in, and you’ll have fun giving the children a focused afternoon of holiday fun. Here are three simple ideas to make it special without a lot of work. Just build a fire in the hearth, put on some Christmas music, and hit “play!” Watercolors, Crayons & Snow Start by sending Mixbook’s Watercolor Snow invitation. On the day of your party, set up a big table covered with newsprint or Kraft paper. Have several sets of watercolor paints, paintbrushes, watercolor paper and white crayons laid out on the table. Have the kids create winter scenes with white crayons, then paint over the images with watercolors. This watercolor resist technique will create a magical appearance of an icy scene that kids will love to watch emerge. Another great aspect of the project is that it works for a variety of ages. Kids will simply draw more rudimentary or elaborate pictures depending on their skills. Hang the art on a clothesline to dry, then send kids home with their creations. To go with the theme, make snow cones for a snack! Let kids squirt on the sweet syrup so it looks like watercolors spreading across snowballs.

When Being Flaky is Good We’re pretty sure there’s no craft more wholesome and gratifying than making paper snowflakes. So why not create a party around the cutting of these custom beauties? Send out a Mixbook party invitation that features snowflakes like the Polka-Dot Party. For younger kids, work with safety scissors and construction paper of all colors. For older kids, use good sharp scissors made for cutting paper and plain white copy paper. You can also put out X-Acto knives if the kids are old enough to wield them safely. With a group of kids, your snowflakes begin to pile up quickly, so make a plan to tape them to a large window or hang them from the ceiling with fishing line. Just like in nature, there’s something magical about a critical mass of flakes! And…also like nature…no two will be the same. For snacks, make up a batch of snowflake cookies served with hot cocoa, of course!

Cookies. Enough Said. Bound to be a hit, a cookie-making party is like living a dream for kids. Send Mixbook’s Cookie Party invitation to summon children to your home for the making of your favorite family recipes. Choose two to four different types, and – depending on the ages of the kids – consider prepping some or all of the dough in advance. It’s ideal, for example, for your sugar cookie dough to be well chilled before rolling it out. Set up a big table covered with white butcher paper with cookie cutters, cooling racks, spatulas, icing and toppings. Once the creations have cooled, serve up some ice-cold milk for the classic pairing. Have small bakery boxes on hand to pack a small batch of cookies for each child to take home.