A Birthday Party for Two

The twins were born in December, just 9 days before Christmas. They arrived a month earlier than their due date, and while my pregnant self was very excited to have them vacate the premises, it is now after the fact that I realize they will never get full birthday justice! #decemberbirthday #christmasissoclose

Well, that just means that mama needs to go above and beyond for their birthday parties, and make them feel special, even if there are two of them! I will admit, however, that I have cashed on the "Christmas themed" birthday parties the past two years, while they are still too young to tell me any different! Last year, we had a candy cane theme for their first birthday, and this year we went all out and did a Santa's workshop theme.

We kept the party small, primarily family members, and I was able to utilize my already decorated house. Kids took part in a series of stations when they arrived, which helped to prepare them to learn how to be an elf! They made scarves, painted toy cars, decorated Christmas trees, made Christmas cards, drank hot chocolate, and then got a visit from the "Big Man" - who made them official elves for Christmas. One of the older cousins was so into the party activities, that he went to kindergarten two days later claiming he was officially one of Santa's elves!

All of the children got elf hats, jingle bell necklaces, jingle bell bracelets, and a stuffed animal! For the adults, we had a chili bar and various finger foods, and they all got to find out their elf name! What a very merry Christmas, and a happy number "2" to my two most special girls.

Party Type: Children's Birthday Party

Party Theme: Santa's workshop

Guests: 40

Activities: making scarves, decorating Christmas trees, Christmas cards, hot chocolate, Santa Claus, painting toy cars

Food: chili bar, finger foods

Dessert: homemade Christmas cookies (by me), cupcakes from Paullet's Bakery (Jacobus, PA)

#ericaleighevents #christmasbirthday #kidbirthdayparty #eventplanner #santasworkshop #elf #christmascookies #hotchocolate #scarf #partyplanning #yorkpaevent

---

Children arrived and were given their elf training checklist to complete.

Of course there were "Buddy the Elf" quotes on most tables! One of my favorite Christmas movies!

We didn't decorate a real tree. Party-goers got a waffle cone, some green icing, and lots of candy with which to decorate (or in the case of my children, eat...)

I got wooden cars from Oriental Trading and the kids painted them with some tempera paint (important with young ones because it is WASHABLE!).

I found Frosty and Rudolph themed fleece at JoAnn Fabrics on sale! Yay! So, I cut them up into strips and then the kids were able to add their own tassels. Something to use year after year!

So, a not so funny story... I special ordered 1.5 pounds of Christmas colored candy corn, to go on my dessert table, because I am a fanatic of elf. The day before the party, one of my dogs rooted through my bags and found said candy corn, and proceeded to eat all but what you see in this jar! I was so sad! And his belly was SO upset!

The dessert table was so much fun! I baked ten different types of cookies, and then added some cupcakes from our local bakery, some Christmas tree cakes, and some candy!

A & K enjoyed their cupcakes!

No trip to Santa's workshop is complete without SANTA! Most of the youngest kids cried though. But, my son L truly enjoyed getting a chance to tell Santa what he wanted for Christmas!

Happy party planning, from my family to yours!