Jingle and Mingle Christmas Party

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The holidays are a busy time of year for most people, but it’s also the time of year where family and friends gather together to celebrate friendships, love, and laughter while making memories that will last a lifetime. This year our busy schedules made it difficult to find a date and time that worked for everyone so I decided to host an open house Jingle and Mingle Christmas Party.

I love entertaining, especially during this time of year but it can be challenging. Rather than only having a party on Saturday night for a set time we opened up our home for a come and go party that would allow friends and family to pop in as their schedule allowed. This causal party allowed us to mingle with our favorite people and truly focus on what matters most during this time of year. This is one of the easiest and most fun parties I’ve thrown in a while.

Since our guest would be coming and going throughout the day I decided simple appetizers and bite sized treats would ideal. Sam’s Club is my go to destination when it comes to entertaining a crowd. I picked up everything I needed for this party, including the Keebler® Entertainment Crackers Collection. I always have these crackers in my pantry during the holiday season, because you can always whip up a dip, appetizer or treat if you have these on hand. And right now you can save $1 on select Keebler® products at Sam’s Club, and take advantage of the FREE Keebler® Party Planner Live App with the purchase of any one of these qualifying products. Your purchase will give you access to recipes, party tips and a live party planner that will help you plan the perfect party. To unlock your free session with a live party planner, buy any participating Cheez-It®, Keebler®, Kellogg’s or Pringles® product between 10/15/16 and 1/1/17, scan your receipt and upload to KelloggsFamilyRewards.com.

After browsing through the app I found so many yummy ideas, but I decided to try the Apple, Honey and Goat Cheese Crostini. This was perfect for our party because I could make it ahead of time and just replenish or quickly make more as we ran out. I love that all the ingredients and details are right on my phone so I can have it accessible while I’m shopping and making the recipe.

Along with this tasty new appetizer I served a few crowd favorites like spinach & artichoke dip, sausage balls, tomato artichoke appetizers and of course a signature drink to wash it all down.

This year I used lots of neutrals and metallics to decorate my house and Christmas tree for the holidays. But, I wanted our Jingle and Mingle party to be bright and merry just like the friends in our lives help us feel when they are around. I set up a table for the food and added my DIY Metallic Bar Cart beside it.

I used my bright tassel garland from our Sweet Shop birthday party to create an instant backdrop and added lots of bright colored geometric honeycomb balls on the table and floor to create a festive setting. When it comes to entertaining I believe in keeping things simple and using items that I have. I took a shadow box from my office and made a quick and easy DIY Jingle and Mingle sign with my Cricut that I just love. I used my Heidi Swapp Lightbox and made a fun reminder for our friends to ‘shine bright today.’

Growing up my mom always hosted parties and I loved seeing our house full of friends and family. Now, I get to carry on that tradition and open our home to our friends and share the joy of the season. We had so much fun at this bright and cheerful Jingle and Mingle party and loved kicking off the holiday season with our friends.

This holiday season bring your loved ones together with a fun and festive open house Jingle and Mingle party. Take the stress out of party planning and use simple decorations and the Keebler® Party Planning App to make your holiday parties a success!

Mariah

Mariah Leeson is the creative mind behind www.gigglesgalore.net. With a passion for celebrating, Mariah created Giggles Galore to inspire families to celebrate life’s little moments with creative, budget friendly ideas. She loves cooking, reading, crafting, hosting parties and most of all spending time giggling with her family.