Ugly Holiday Sweater Fest

By Life enthusiasist with a passion for great foods, wine and celebrations of life Edwards

Warning: You must have a sense of humor to attend this party!

If you've been to one Holiday party, you've probably been to them all. To break up the monotony this holiday season, along with a little comic relief, host an Ugly Holiday Sweater Fest. It's cheap, easy and hilarious.

Send your guests an e-vite using tinyprints instructing them to arrive at your soiree in the most hideous, ridiculous, off-the-wall, offensive holiday sweater they can find. You can mention a prize for ugliest holiday sweater of all. You can also mention a "penalty" for showing up in normal attire.

This is also a great idea for an office holiday party. Your co-workers will thank you and your boss will be too busy dodging the staff photograph to make you do any real work.

Drinks

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Santa’s Sangria

Ingredients

1 Bottle Red Wine (Cabernet Sauvignon, Merlot, Rioja, Zinfandel, Shiraz)
1 Lemon cut into wedges
1 Orange cut into wedges
1 Lime cut into wedges
2 Tbsp Sugar
1 Splash Orange Juice
2 Shots Gin
1 Cup Sliced Strawberries or Raspberries (may use thawed or frozen)
1 Small Can of Diced Pineapples (with juice)
4 Cup(s) Ginger Ale

Steps

Pour wine in the pitcher and squeeze the juice wedges from the lemon, orange and lime into the wine.
Toss in the fruit wedges (leaving out seeds if possible) and pineapple then add sugar, orange juice and gin. Chill overnight.
Add ginger ale, berries and ice just before serving. If you'd like to serve right away, use chilled red wine and serve over lots of ice.
However, remember that the best Sangrias are chilled around 24 hours in the refrigerator- allowing the flavors to really marinate into each other. (www.wine.about.com)

Poinsettia Punch

Ingredients

1 Gallon Sauterne Wine
4 Bottles (qt) Champagne
2 Bottles (qt) Ginger Ale
1/2 Pint Sherbert

Steps

Mix wine, champagne and ginger ale in large punch bowl. Add scoops of sherbet and ice cubes immediately before serving.

Mistletoe Mojito

Ingredients

3 Sprigs of Fresh Mint
2 Tsp Sugar
3 Tbsp Fresh Lime Juice
3 Tbsp Fresh Lime Juice
1 1/2 Oz Light Rum
1 1/2 Oz Light Rum
1 Cup Club Soda

Steps

In a tall thin glass, crush part of the mint with a fork to coat the inside.
Add the sugar and lime juice and stir thoroughly.
Top with ice. Add rum and mix. Top off with chilled club soda (or seltzer).
Add a lime slice and the remaining mint, and serve. (www.drinksmixer.com)

Tips

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Ugly Holiday Sweater Fest: Favors/Prizes:

Any Dollar Store will have excellent favors for your guests. Give your guests a choice of Santa hats or antler headbands. You can also purchase pins, earrings, necklaces and funky socks (all holiday themed of course).

Have a small table with scraps of paper, pens and a box with a slit for guests to anonymously vote for the ugliest sweater, funniest sweater, most boring sweater, etc. at the party. Draw the names after dinner and have an "awards ceremony." Hand-made buttons with slogans such as "I bet my sweater is uglier than yours" and "What are you lookin' at?" make great prizes for the winners.

Decorations

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Ugly Holiday Sweater Fest: Decorations

Make your home as ugly as your sweater.

Plastic holiday lawn ornaments, especially those that light up, make for excellent in-door festive touches.

Colored Christmas lights strung around doorways is also "good tacky." And don't forget the mistletoe!

Purchase a giant Mr. and Mrs. Claus and dress them in heinous sweaters. Your guests will be jealous.

Games and Activities

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Games: Pin the Nose on Rudolph

It's Pin the Tail on the Donkey with a holiday twist.

Preparation

- Either draw or buy a poster-sized picture of Rudolph and tack it to your wall.
- Spray paint cotton balls red, stick a ball of tape on the bottom and allow each guest to take one.
- Take masking tape and tape a line approximately five feet from the poster on the floor.
Blindfold guests (old bandanas work best) and laugh as they attempt to make dear old Rudolph red-nosed.

Top Five Lists

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Top 5 places to find a truly ugly sweater

Grandma's closet
Goodwill/Salvation Army
Any discount chain (Marshall's, T.J. Maxx, Value City)
Holiday bazaars/craft shows
Make your own (most craft stores have cheesy iron-on holiday decorations and nothing screams "ugly" like puffy paint)

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