HOW TO HOST A COCOA AND COOKIES KIDS PJ PARTY

By Jessica Wilcox of Modern Moments Designs and Oriental Trading

COCOA AND COOKIES• Christmas really is the most

wonderful time of the year! With the holidays right around the corner, now is the perfect time to start planning all your holiday parties!

• Plan a Cocoa and Cookies Pajama Party and let Oriental Trading help!

WHAT YOU’LL NEED• Color Your Own 2016 Christmas Snow Globes

• DIY Winter Mugs

• DIY Unfinished Wood Christmas Tree Stand-Ups

• Red Swirl Pops

• Emerald Green Swirl Pops

• Iridescent Glitter Jar

• Craft Snow

• Pink Striped Paper Straws

• Red Striped Paper Straws

• Mint Green Favor Shadow Boxes

• Red Mini Candy Sticks

• Clear Cupcake Holders

• Kelly Green Spoons

• Mini Canvas Drawstring Santa Bags

• Light Pink Dessert Plates

• Red Dessert Plates

• Paper Candy Pink Dessert Plates

• Mini Hot Pink Gumdrops

• Mini Red Gumdrops

• Paint Palettes

• Mini Peppermint Candy Canes

• Free Snow Globe Place Setting Printable

THE DECOR• Setting up a tablescape can be

so much fun. For this party, I wanted to create a bright and festive sweet tablescape.

• Down the center of the table, I scattered wooden trees, craft snow and oversized faux gumdrops.

• In the center of the table, simply add a cake plate and stack with decorated Christmas cookies.

THE DECOR• There’s nothing cuter than a table

that is set for a party!

• Add some red or candy pink dessert plates to your table. For a more polished look, add a smaller clear dessert plate on top with a festive label.

• Make sure you pick a color palette that works for you and carry it throughout your party. For this party, I selected shades of pink, reds, green and pops of mint.

THE DECOR• Including light up signs is

another fun Christmas tradition!

• I always try to make my parties fun and uplifting.

• With this party, spreading cheer was my main objective.

• Adding in fun sayings like Cheer Served Here or Warm and Cozy are fun, happy sentiments that make your guests smile.

SHIMMERY TREE CENTERPIECES

• These little DIY Painted Tree Centerpieces were the perfect addition to my tablescape.

• They were super early to make too.

• You can even have the kids decorate some for a fun activity.

DARLING SNOW GLOBE PLACE CARDS

• Snow globes are synonymous with Christmas. They come in all shapes and sizes.

• It’s really easy to create these Keepsake DIY Snow Globe Place Cards. The kids were so excited to see their names in these miniature snow globes.

• Make sure you check out how to recreate these for your next party. I’m also offering a FREE Snow Globe Printable just for you!

MIX IT UP WITH FROZEN HOT CHOCOLATE

• Who says you have to just serve Hot Chocolate at your party?

• For a fun twist, serve Frozen Hot Chocolate too. This is just as good as the classic original, but with a frosty finish.

• I also created a custom sprinkle mix that the kids could add to the top of their Hot Chocolate or Frozen Hot Chocolate.

FAVORS AND TASTY TREATS• Your party wouldn’t be

complete without cookies. We just used cookies we purchased from a local bakery and I even used store-bought frosting.

• The kids didn’t even notice that I didn’t make it myself!

• Have a variety of sweet toppings on hand and let the kids decorate their own cookies.

THE SWEETS• We served Hot Chocolate

cupcakes and these darling decorated cookies from Kyra’s Bake Shop.

• You can pick up cookies from your local bakery or make them from scratch.

• Either way, cookies are the perfect addition to cocoa.

THE FAVORS• Send your little one home with all

their treats in these Mini Canvas Drawstring Santa Bags.

• They are perfect for holding all of their goodies and treats.

• Plus, they are the perfect size for little hands.

• Check out more fun ideas for your Cocoa and Cookies PJ Party like my DIY Tree Centerpieces, DIY Snow Globe Place Card and Frozen Hot Chocolate Recipe.

ABOUT ORIENTAL TRADING• Oriental Trading Company is the nation’s largest direct retailer of

value-priced party supplies, arts and crafts, school supplies, toys and novelties. The company has been recognized as one of the Top 20 Internet Retailers based on customer satisfaction.

• To see our wide selection of products, please visit www.orientaltrading.com.

• For parties, crafts, DIY, weddings and education ideas, visit our blog at http://www.orientaltrading.com/blog or connect with us on social media.

ABOUT JESSICA WILCOX• Jessica is a graphic designer + party stylist focused on

creating simple, on trend designs for Modern Moments Designs. Her love for design and pretty things propelled her into designing stylish parties for adults and kids alike. Her work has been featured on several blogs, including Style Me Pretty, Pottery Barn, Hostess with the Mostess and Very Rosenberry, just to name a few.

• She is a wife, mother of 3 boys and a little girl and an entrepreneur at heart. Cupcakes and donuts are her jam!

• Visit her site at http://modernmomentsdesigns.com/blog