Winter 2011 WINNER - Winter ONEderland

by Robin
(Canada)

I've always found generic first birthday parties, built around such characters as Elmo or Bob the Builder, to be a little boring. And, when a friend of mine was planning her son's first birthday party (in February), I suggested she do a 'Winter ONEderland' theme, as it would be the perfect theme for that time of year.

I figured it would be an extremely easy party to put together, because many of the wintery decorations can be purchased during the Boxing Day sales, when everything is discounted at 50% to 75% off. Stay away from Santas and Christmas trees, focusing instead on picking up snowmen and wintery scene party products--tablecloth, napkins, cupcake rings, everything can be snowy themed. Consider hanging plastic icicles from the ceiling and vinyl snowflake decals in the windows.

Easy homemade decorations could include a family of snowmen greeting guests in the yard. Make paper snowflakes to hang up and a snowflake-shaped ice mold for the punchbowl. Use a galvanized steel bucket filled with real snow to chill sodas and beers. (But, first make certain to sit the bucket in a shallow bowl!)

Naturally, with this frosty theme, the colours would be white, silver and blue. Perfect for both girls and boys. Dress the 'birthday baby' in co-ordinating clothes, maybe even some wintery gear, such as a snowflake sweater or a furry hat.

Keep the meal very simple and hearty, with a 'white' theme. Chili, meatballs, hot chocolate with marshmallows, marshmallow snowmen treats, white chocolate chip cookies, white chocolate and white cheddar popcorn, white tortilla chips, white cheese and veggie trays.

The birthday cake is also easy to make--keep it very snowy, frosting it in white with maybe blue writing or blue candles. Cake decorations could include something as simple as snowflakes and snowmen or something more elaborate like an igloo made out of marshmallows or a silvery pond of skaters (maybe build the cake around one of those animated Christmas village ponds).

For games and entertainment for the older children and adults, suggest sledding and snowshoeing outside. Other activities could include a snowball war, snow sculptures or skating. Consider snowangel- or snowman-making contests. Prepare a few squirt bottles with coloured water with which to decorate the snow--the kids will loved simply turning the yard into a colourful landscape.

Inside, play the usual games with just 'wintery' takes to them: pin-the-carrot-on-the-snowman, pass-the-parcel while dressed in mittens, scarves and hats, 'freeze' dance, etc.

I think this Winter ONEderland party would be easy to do and a lot of fun for young and old!

Good Morning Bed-Head, Come As You-R

by Beverly
(Linkwood, Maryland)

Send out birthday invites to your guests, to arrive, in the morning in their P.J.'s, (use good taste, of course), and don't brush their hair.

There will be a contest for best bed-head. Serve brunch, or breakfast, waffles, pancakes or a 'full English'. This party can be either for a child, or adults. Adults can drink Bucks Fizz or breakfast punch.

Thank you Beverly, I really like this birthday party idea, ideal for winter birthday party ideas, you can turn up the heating and get all snuggly in Pj's.

My daughter and her friends all celebrated a friends birthday by going to the school disco in their PJ's. They had such a good time and still talk about it now and it was years ago!

Ice Golf

by Jason Nickolay
(Elko, MN 55020)

Every Winter for my birthday (January 21st), we go out on the frozen lakes, auger holes half way down the ice, put up flags and go golfing with regular golf clubs and tennis balls. Awesome fun!

Hawaiian theme party

by Marlene V
(Calgary, AB, Canada)

It may be snowy outside but think warm. Dress up in grass skirts and flowers in your hair. Make some great drinks with umbrellas in them. Play indoor beach volleyball. Even take the kids to an indoor pool for a swim. Have summer fun even in the winter!!!

indian winter party

by deepanwita
(new delhi)

A basement is the best for a party in the winter. make the basement clean and decorate it. Make winter food which will keep the body warm and make you active during the party. like peanut cake,hot chocolate milkshake and snackes what ever you like.

Cover the basement with black curtains which will absorb heat and due to this black curtain you can do a birthday bash like a fashion show or a dance show by lighting on that perticular person.

This would be really a birthday bash.

Snowy Fun

by Lisbeth McCarty
(Norman, OK, US)

Use white ornaments with snowflakes on them for place cards.
Have the party guests where all-white to represent snow.
Have a white plaster of paris station where guests can make snow angels with their hands, then take them home as a souvenir.
Have an all-white menu:
Skinless chicken; mashed potatoes, biscuits, and vanilla ice cream. For fun, have a toppings table (gravy for potatoes, butter & jam for biscuits, sprinkles, etc,, for the ice cream).
Have a snowman-making craft area. Buy white styrofoam balls that children and adults can decorate and take home.
Take digital photos of guests in front of a white sheet. Later, add a snowy background to the photo, then send them to the guests.
Make take-home treat bags composed of: white gloves, white socks, and white hats.
Serve snowcaps candy.
Have a snowman or some sort of snow person your guests can have photos made with.

Jack Frost

by Lisa B.
(NJ USA)

The party theme for winter is called Jack Frost.
You have shaved color ice with food coloring as one of the treats, coconut cupcakes, and you want to have fake snow everywhere. You also want plenty of light blue sparkles.
The arts and crafts projects are paper snowflakes and there is pin nose on Frosty the Snowman.
A bubble machine will add the magical icicle effect.
The movies watched are obviously Jack Frost, Frosty the Snowman,etc.
The cake is in the shape of either a snowflake or icicle with light blue frosting and edible sparkes and jewels.
You can use a pre-made pouncake or a store bought one.
Make your own pattern from cardboard or find one online.
Goody bags should have bubbles in it, blue sparkles, and other Winter treats you can imagine.

son's winter birthday

by monica burnett
(portland, OR usa)

we always have to come up with more creative and inventive ideas for my sons January birthday. If only it could be as easy as those born in the warmer months, beach, bbq, park; alas, the winter kids dont get off so easy and neither do their parents.
We have changed it up every year, opting out of your standard pizza parlor fare.
We have done laser tag, indoor black light miniature golf, indoor swimming party, ice skating and roller skating.

Warm Winter Birthday Party

by Judith Rachmani
(Ramat Gan, Israel)

Where I live, it's often sunny and very warm in the afternoons in the winter so we held our son's last birthday party outdoors - on a weekend afternoon (after consulting with the guests' parents to decide which day and which time slot was most favored by them) - in a very nearby national park - close to a large free parking lot, picnic tables, a playground with slides and swings, a pond with lots of ducks and beavers to feed, a large playing field and a concession stand / coffee shop (in case we ran out of snacks or drinks, which we did).

In addition, we hired two enterprising teenaged boys who showed up with a popcorn machine and three large jumping castles.

Of course, some of the children never left the jumping castles but almost all of the boys arrived with soccer balls and spent the entire day ignoring the food and facilities while playing soccer.

Actually, all of the children ignored the free facilities (the playground and duck pond), although one little boy spent the entire afternoon feeding popcorn to the pigeons.

The parents of the guests also ignored the free facilities (the picnic tables) and spent the entire afternoon together at the outdoor tables of the coffee shop, keeping an eye on their kids while sipping coffee.

Since the party was held in the great outdoors, most of the parents also brought the siblings of the children who were invited to the party (which is why we ran out of drinks) but, nonetheless, the three jumping castles weren't at all crowded and we didn't run out of snacks - especially as the kids preferred to snack on the fresh popcorn, which the enterprising teenagers brought an endless supply of.

A great time was had by all and we didn't have a messy house to clean up afterward.

Exercise, Culture, Museums, OH MY.

by Ruth Eisen
(Cherry Hill, NJ 08003)

1) Snowshoeing at a state park, such as High Point, NJ where they have rentals. Throughout the country, there is Winter Trails Day, which are free use of the equipment (as a demo) or the Winterfest or the Breast Cancer Days. Snowshoeing is easy to do and anyone who can walk reasonably well can learn it in a few minutes.

2) Hiking through a historical park and going on a guided tour of the facilities, especially during one of their events/festivals (in NJ for example: Thanksgiving at Kearney House and Pallisades Park hike, gingerbread house exhibit and hiking through the Frelinghuysen Arboretum and Christmas at the Dey Mansion and hiking through Hilltop Reservation.

3) Going to the zoo. In NJ these include: free light show and admission at the Turtleback Zoo in West Orange and free zoo admission at the Van Saun Park Bergen County Zoo/hiking in Saddle River County Park/Hiram Blauvelt Art Museum of Wildlife.

4) Festivals and events at parks. In NJ, this includes: Maple Sugaring Festival and hike at the Great Swamp, Seal Walk/Lighthouse Tour/History House Tour/hiking at Sandy Hook Gateway National Park, Winter Ice Carving Festival and parade/hiking at Lambertville.

5) Outdoor ice skating, in Philadelphia, PA, this would be at the RiverRink.

Photo courtesy of VisitPhilly.com

Holiday Themed Party

by Brandon Liu
(Gardena, CA, USA)

My nephew has the luck to have his birthday on Christmas Eve, so we decided to change it up a bit every now and then.

We had everyone dress up in some sort of Holiday outfit to make him happy and enjoy his tree shaped birthday cake.

It was a lot of work to get everyone involved, but it was all fun.

Winter Wonderland

by Alex
(Florida, United States)

I recently attended a winter birthday party and the theme was "snowflakes." It was really cute!

The party was for my daughter's friend, who was turning 7. It was kicked off with a cookie decorating competition, where the kids decorated snowflake cookies and then got to eat them afterward, of course!

The house had snowflakes hanging from the ceiling, and the plates and napkins all had snowflakes decorating them. It was a great theme choice.

The Jack London Experience

by Aliya Daya
(Calgary, Alberta, CANADA)

My nephew's birthday is in the midst of cold January and that often limits the activities available for the children. Last year, rather than doing the same old, boring Bonkers Indoor Play, or Chuck-E-Cheese, he came up with the "White Fang" theme based on Jack London's book which he had recently read.

We set up a large tent outside on their acreage (by the creek), gold-miner style which was rented from a movie props/party props website (I live in Calgary, so we have a huge film industry for westerns), we also rented the space heaters and various other items to make the tent look a bit like a cabin. The interior was decorated very 1890's-esque with old fashioned streamers, candles, lanterns, etc. My sister made all the food, which included a cake, other sweets and a meal of hearty chili with the fixins.

Eight little boys and three little girls were invited, all dressed in traditional (yet warm) atire and you should have seen their eyes pop when they saw the scene. The acitivities included a scavenger gold hunt set up by his Dad which was a blast because it included exploring the local environment, panning for gold and the person who found the most won a prize (fake gold flakes in the creek), a visit from a real wolf and her pups and an education session from the sanctuary officer (my friend works in a sanctuary) and also having snowball fights and sledding down a massive hill.

This was an all day and night afair. When darkness fell, my brother in law built a fire and marshmallows were roasted, hot dogs were cooked... Everyone brought their sleeping bags and spent the night in the cozy miners tent.

The kids had so much fun! They got to dress up and play and eat great food, but they also learned some history, were educated about wild-life. They got to be kids, using their imagination and played to their heart's content.

A is for...Success!

by barbara
(FL)

One of the best parties held for my 13 year old son, was an Arcade and Pizza Party!

I limited the number of guests to those friends/classmates, my son grew up with and visited on a regular basis. (... for cost and safety concerns) They were directed to meet at the mall and when each arrived they were given an envelope with cash for spending at the Arcade. It was fun watching them manage their money and time, as they repeatedly told my son how "cool" they thought, the idea. Everyone taking time to watch each other at play, as well as branch out independently.

I remained posted at the arcade insuring no-one left the premises or misbehaved. When they were through, they were told we were going for pizza receiving another cheer and the final stop was for cake and ice cream at our home where the gifts were opened and they eventually were picked-up by their parents, each still smiling and thanking us for the great time.

We lived in PA. at the time!

arctic birthday

by kimberly wicks
(akron, ny usa)

This is the party i have planned for my son's birthday in february..we are going to have an arctic themed party.

I found a site on line that shows you how to make snow shoes. So I have ordered the material for my son and 5 friends to make snow shoes. Also I have bought items to make blocks in the snow which we are going to use to have an igloo building contest.

I am making individual snowball cupcakes for everyone (white cake, frosting and coconut shavings).

I got a penguin and polar bear stuffed and plastic animals to put around the yard to make it look even more arctic. We also have a skating rink we made in the side yard for the kids to go on an iceberg. It should be lots of fun.

Ice Princess Birthday Party

by Diane

For January or December girl's birthday parties-how about an ice princess theme?

Our invitations were crowns made out of aluminum foil. We had each guest design her own princess shirt with jewels and glitter. I bought the supplies at Michaels and Jo Anns.

We made ice princess punch with dry ice and 7 up ( the dry ice was for show) after I added princess sherbert to it.

We also had tea sandwhiches and cupcakes. The princess decorated their cupcakes with edible jewels.

Jump Zone

by DanV
(Washington, DC)

We had a winter party in an inflatable arena of lots of big inflatables to jump on. The kids had a lot of fun.

Snow Cake

by Marya Latson
(Ocala, Florida)

If there is snow on the ground where you live, make a snow cake.

Have every guest bundle up, go outside with a spoon and a bowl. Instruct them to scoop up enough snow to create a cake large enough to resemble a birthday cake of any shape.

Decorate this snow birthday cake with items found around the yard, house, or supply them with craft supplies like beads, glitter, or paint.

Place the snow cakes somewhere outside the home to remain as a wonderful winter decoration in your yard or on the patio to remind the birthday person of the special love each guest had for him or her.

Polar bear dip!

by Shannon
(Montreal)

I live in Montreal, however I'm a traveler, and it seems I am always elsewhere, or on the go for my March birthday. However, this year, I know that I will be home, and so I've decided to have a birthday party with a Canadian touch: A polar-bear dip! .... My friends aren't very impressed with the idea, but have agreed to do it!

sledding/harry potter birthday party

by Meme Mihalovic
(Onalaska, WI., USA)

My son has a January birthday. We planned on going sledding and ice skating for his 8th birthday in January. Due to very warm weather in Jan that year the snow and ice had melted away. So instead of canceling the party we had all the kids go on a Harry Potter type of scavanger hunt to find the golden snitch.

The kids loved this idea they had so much fun running up and down the sled hill looking for the clues. That when they got to the end and found the golden snitch in the treasure box with all the candy and treats it was a sugar rush.

Birthday Journey in Narnia

by Erin Mize
(Camarillo, CA United States)

If your Child Loves the Narnia Series you could give them a whole Birthday journey to the land of Narnia! With the snow and cold outside you can incorporate costumes as Princes and Princesses, Swords and mom can get in the action as the evil Ice Queen! Go sledding on a hill nearby and do races with prizes, Ice Skating is a wonderful way to let EVERYBODY have a good time too while the kids are dressed up warmly in Narnia-themed gear!

Any boy or girl would love to feel like the Prince or Princess of their backyard. Have a little fun in the snow this birthday & transform their day into their own Narnia journey.

Winter Beach Party

by Kimberly
(Isanti, Mn)

There was a time where we lived in an apartment in which heat was included in the rent. It made perfect sense then, in the bewildering Minnesota winter, to have my daughter's friends over for a winter beach party.

Did we have a pool? No. But that didn't matter.

Instead the girls enjoyed running around in our apartment in their swim suits, eatting from a buffet of finger food and playing in a sand pit (tarped carpet) of toys. We had a pinata and some fun smoothie products for me to make in the blender.

We also turned on the Beach Boys for sounds in the back ground and then later used it for musical chairs.

I liked it because as a single mom it was cheap and I could not afford much. They loved it and had a good time. It helped to bring some sunshine to a cold and dreary Minnesota day.