How to Throw a Caroling Party

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  • Christmas should be a time of joy and good will towards your fellow man, and what better way is there to celebrate the holiday spirit than by serenading your fellow men and women with the beautiful sounds of your favorite Christmas Carols? Planning a caroling party can be a great way for you and your friends to show off your angelic voices and help get you in the Christmas mood. Check out our page on How to Throw a Caroling Party for tips and advice on throwing a party to remember.

  • Introduction

    • So you've decided to get your friends and family together for a rousing caroling session. But how do you go about starting to plan for the big night? There is so much to do and so much to plan, it can be a little overwhelming. But have no fear. With a little bit of preparation and help, you should have no problem throwing a caroling party that your guests will remember all year (or at least until next year's party).

  • Step 1: Pick A Date

    Creative Commons photo by MoToMo
    • The first thing that you'll want to do is decide on a date for your caroling party. It's always a good idea to pick a date that will work for as many of your potential guests as possible, so you may want to start by seeing which days each person is free. While it's often preferable to go as close to the holidays as possible, there's no rule that says you can't start caroling on December 1st. If you still can't pick a date, try planning your party for December 20th, which is National Go Caroling Day.

  • Step 2: Make A Guest List

    • Make a list of all of the people in your area that you would like to invite. Your list doesn't have to only include your family. You can invite your friends, neighbors, teachers, or even your local Boy Scout or Church group. And while you might be tempted to only invite people who are stellar singers, you may end up with a pretty short guest list. With enough guests, people who can't carry a tune will usually blend into the background.

  • Step 3: Send Out Invitations

    • Now that you have your guest list together, it's time to let everyone know about your caroling party. And although you don't need to go overboard with a fancy gift-wrapped and bejeweled invitation, you should at least send out a simple letter with the date, time and address of the event.

  • Step 4: Prepare The Music

    Make sure everyone knows the words (Creative Commons photo by Herry Lawford)
    • The most important part of any caroling party is, of course, the music. And while you may know the lyrics and melody to every Christmas Carol by heart, your guests may not. There are a couple of different ways that you can go about providing your guests with the help they need:
    1. Buy some Christmas carol songbooks for your guests. Songbooks usually have the words and sheet music to all of the most popular Christmas carols and are probably the easiest way to make sure that everyone knows how each song goes. They are usually relatively inexpensive and can be purchased either online or at your local music store. See our resources below for buying songbooks online.
    2. Make your own Christmas songbook. If you have a lot of people coming to your caroling party, it can quickly become expensive to buy a separate songbook for each one of them. Luckily, the lyrics and sheet music to most Christmas Carols are available online and can be downloaded and printed out as many times as necessary. See the section below on How to Make Your Own Caroling Songbook.

  • Step 5: Plan Your Route

    • Before you rush merrily out into the night, it's always a good idea to plan out a route of where your caroling party will go. If you're going to be sticking around your neighborhood, decide on which streets you want to hit. Try to pick a route that will eventually lead you back to your house. That way you won't have to backtrack too much. Also, try to figure out how long it will take for you to complete your route. Too much time and energy spent out in the cold can dampen even the most dedicated carolers' spirits.
      • WARNING: If you're going to need to drive to your caroling destination (such as a nursing home, hospital or school), make sure that you organize enough drivers to carry all of your carolers to the destination, or at least directions for them to meet you there.

  • Step 6: Refreshments & Decorations

    • Since your home will most likely be the place where your caroling party starts off and ends, it is usually good to spend some time making it as festive and inviting as possible. Here are some suggestions for turning your home into a welcoming bastion of holiday cheer:
    1. Christmas Decorations are the most obvious way to add some seasonal flavor to your home. Items such as Christmas Wreaths, Candles, Christmas Lights, Flower displays and a sprig of Mistletoe or two can help your home become holiday central.
    2. Tasty Holiday Treats and Drinks are a sure-fire way to warm your guests' holiday spirits. While you don't need to prepare an entire holiday feast, a simple display with a few different snacks and some hot drinks will give your guests the energy they need to sing their hearts out. For some food and drink ideas, check out some of Mahalo's Christmas themed pages:
    Tasty holiday treats (Creative Commons photo by Nordelch)

  • Step 7: Proper Attire

    • No matter where you live (in the Northern Hemisphere at least), nighttime in December can be a cold and windy affair. While it may seem like common sense for your guests to bring their warmest clothes (just in case), you're likely to have one or two guests who show up unprepared. In order to make sure that everyone is happy and comfortable when they go caroling, you may want to find a few extra jackets, scarves, and gloves that your guests can borrow. Make sure to get them back at the end of the night though!

  • Resources for How to Throw a Caroling Party


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