There are basically two schools of thought on this one: A classy ugly Christmas sweater party and a tacky ugly Christmas sweater party.

Let's start with the classy. In this case, we'll keep things as simple and sophisticated as humanly possible. Popular drinks will be wine, eggnog, and hot apple cider. It wouldn't be a bad idea to throw some Christmas cookies in the oven either; guests tend to get hungrier depending on how ulgy (i.e. wouldn't be caught dead doing the shopping in, going to the casino in... or going anywhere in for that matter!) their sweater is. For the boys and girls dancing around in their Christmas clothing, be sure to have some non-alcoholic beverages, and if they've been good all year round, don't be afraid to throw in some soda pop. In the case of a classy Christmas party, it may be best to play some conservative charismas music like a Kenny G Christmas.

For those of you who just gagged from reading the first paragraph, have no fear. First off, be sure to add some chocolate bits to your holiday cookies selection. And for the drinks, we need to start with the hard bar. Spiced rum is an excellent compliment to eggnog, especially with a little nutmeg sprinkled on top. The Christmas boys and girls will have to get a designated “kids room” that they can frolic about in without seeing all of the adults embarrassing behavior. For this, I suggest a rec-room with a pool table and a tv. It might be best to do everyone a favour and rent a Ninteno Wii for this to occupy the children – the adults have some partying to do. For the Christmas music upstairs, take some time on itunes or any other legitimate music downloading website (Santa’s watching) and get the cheesiest Christmas music you can find. Most sites let you sample so you know what you’re getting yourself into.

Now that you know how to handle guests for your tacky ugly Christmas sweater party, let’s go over the decorations. Garland is in this year, try putting it around lamps (the outside of them dummy) and everyone likes when garland swivels up the stair well. Other classic gimmicks can be easily obtained from the local dollar store. If you don’t have enough glasses, grab some plastic ones and a sharpie to write everyone’s names on. If possible, get a red sharpie and green cups or vice versa… tis the season after all. Aside from your Christmas tree, which I’m sure is just beautiful; consider some reflective accents such as the “noel” decorative wall hanger. If you can get your hands on a cardboard santa cutout or poster, a great game to play is pin the tail on the santa. For more of a challenge, try pin the tail on the reindeer. When it comes to lighting for an ugly tacky Christmas sweater party, remember, the more colours the better. And I’m not talking about these fancy new L.E.D Christmas lights, I’m talking the ones your dreading to dig out of the crawlspace that have been tied in one massive knot for the last year. Don’t forget to check every bulb!