How to host an ugly holiday sweater party and fundraiser

Have you received a few ugly holiday sweaters as gifts? If those bad boys are still in your closet, put them to good use. Ask your family and friends to join you in looking ridiculous. Host an ugly holiday sweater party to raise money for a charity of your own choosing.

Invitations

Whether you choose online party invitations or paper invitations, send them to your guests well in advance. This will allow your guests to plan ahead. Include details about the ugly sweater party and fundraiser and whether you will provide food or ask guests to contribute to a potluck. Remind guests they must come to the party wearing an ugly holiday sweater. Make sure your own sweater is the most hideous of all!

Decorations

In the spirit of the holiday season, decorate your home both indoors and out with your favorite holiday decorations and crafts made by your own kids.

Sweaters

Encourage your family and friends to dress up in their ugliest holiday sweater or to decorate and create their own holiday sweater. Offer party prizes for the funniest sweater, ugliest sweater, and cutest sweater. Party prizes could include a bottle of wine, holiday mugs filled with candy, or a Christmas blend of coffee.

Treats and libations

Offer your guests fun and tasty holiday treats and drinks. Your party menu doesn’t need to be complicated. You can either prepare these ahead of time (host a gathering of family and friends to help you decorate cookies and cupcakes) or ask your guests to bring a dish for the potluck.

If you’re making your own treats, try these recipes for pumpkin cupcakes, sugar cookies, cheeseball, and guacamole, and tips for wine and cheese pairings.

Charity and donations

As the host, you may wish to select a charity yourself or send a list of charities to your party guests asking them to vote. Your group may choose to donate coats for children in need, food for your neighborhood food bank, care packages for soldiers serving overseas, toys, money, or time volunteering as a group at a local homeless shelter. The possibilities are endless.

Encourage everyone to bring in a tax-deductible donation of at least $5 or $10 or items for the specific charity selected by the group.

Tidings of comfort and joy

We’re not big on selfies, but in order to bring awareness to your fundraising efforts and to encourage others to do the same, have one member of your group take a group photo. Email or text your group photo to all your party guests and ask them to share good tidings of comfort and joy on social media. Ask your party guests to invite other family and friends to contribute to the selected charity or to host their own ugly sweater party and fundraiser.

Enjoy your blessings this Christmas and holiday season and share some of those blessings with others!

Charmin Calamaris

Charmin is a wife, mom of two boys and creator of the Momiverse. The Momiverse is an online magazine for busy moms (is there any other kind?) dedicated to helping moms make time – and take time – for themselves. She traded in her career in land use planning and environmental policy to become Chief Executive Navigator of the Momiverse. You can connect with Charmin in her "online office" on Instagram, Twitter, or Facebook.

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