Ugly sweater party ideas and how to host one

Most ugly sweater parties follow the same simple plan. Settle these seven things first, in this order.

1. Pick a date and a three-hour window, such as Saturday 7 to 10 p.m. or a Sunday afternoon.
2. Put the house rules in the invitation: sweaters are optional, anything festive counts, and nothing mean or crude.
3. Choose four to six contest categories and how guests will vote.
4. Set up a DIY table so guests without a sweater can make one.
5. Plan snacks and a cocoa bar instead of a full dinner.
6. Pick two or three sweater games for the middle of the party.
7. Announce the winners at a set time, then hand out small prizes.

There are no official rules, so the host sets them. Keep them short, put them in the invitation, and repeat them when the contest starts.

At a work party, add two more rules. Keep slogans clean and nonpolitical, and make the sweater and the contest optional.

A good contest has a few categories, a clear way to vote and a set time for the results. Pick four to six categories from the table, fewer for a small group, so most guests have a real shot at one.

1. Secret ballot: give each guest one slip per category. Guests write a name and drop it in a jar, and the host counts them in another room.
2. Judges' panel: three guests who are not competing score every sweater from 1 to 5 on each line of the scorecard below. Highest total wins.
3. Applause round: each entrant walks the runway, and the loudest cheer wins. It is quick, but the person with the most friends often wins.

Start with any sweater, sweatshirt, cardigan or vest, then add one bold idea. These looks work for men, women and kids alike.

• A cardigan with a tie, a tinsel boa and a felt name badge, for the office-party look.
• A sweater vest covered in safety-pinned candy canes, worn over a collared shirt.
• A reindeer: a brown sweater, a red pom-pom nose sewn on the front and felt antlers on a headband.
• A walking gift: wrap ribbon around the front of a solid sweater and pin a big bow at the center.
• A fireplace and stockings: felt bricks across the bottom and mini stockings hanging from the neckline.
• For couples: two halves of one scene, such as a snowman's head on one sweater and his body on the other.
• For families: one theme with a different character each, such as Santa, an elf, a reindeer and a snowman.
• For guests who skip sweaters: a holiday headband, festive socks and a scarf with ornaments clipped on.

Buy a plain sweater or sweatshirt at a thrift store, then glue, pin or sew on felt, pom-poms, tinsel and ribbon. A DIY table at the party lets guests make one together, and most designs take about half an hour.

Ask guests to claim DIY supplies on a bring list, the same way they would claim a dish. One guest brings felt, another brings pom-poms, and the host covers the glue.

Ugly sweater party decorations should look like the sweaters: too much, slightly clashing and fun. Focus on four spots: the door, the photo spot, the runway and the snack table.

• The door: wrap it in clashing paper and hang a wreath with too many bows.
• The photo spot: a tinsel curtain or a plain wall with a big empty frame, plus a basket of props.
• The runway: a strip of red rug or paper across the room, with a chair for each judge.
• A sweater clothesline: paper sweater cutouts that kids decorate, pegged across a wall.
• The snack table: a loud sweater laid flat as a table runner, with mismatched holiday mugs.
• A scoreboard: a poster or whiteboard listing the categories, filled in at the end.

Plan snacks and finger food rather than a sit-down meal, since guests move around for the games and the vote. A party that runs over dinner time needs something hearty, like a pot of chili or soup.

• Sweater cookies: plain sugar cookies cut into sweater shapes, iced with zigzags and dots.
• Sweater pizzas: mini pizzas with peppers and olives laid out in a pattern.
• A cheese board in the shape of a tree, with rosemary sprigs and cherry tomatoes.
• A popcorn bar with red and green candies and pretzels.
• A soup or chili pot with toppings, for an evening party.
• A cocoa bar with marshmallows, crushed candy canes and whipped cream.

Make the nonalcoholic drinks as good as anything else you pour. A spiced cider, a sparkling cranberry spritzer and the cocoa bar give every guest something festive to hold.

Our party food calculator works out how much to make for your guest count, and parties with appetizers only are planned by the hour. For an adult party, the drink calculator covers soft drinks, ice and anything else you plan to serve. Keep any one tray out for two hours at most, the Minnesota Department of Health advises, and swap in a fresh tray rather than topping up the old one.

Play two or three of these sweater games between the arrival hour and the vote. Each comes with player counts and what you need; for classics like charades and trivia, see our Christmas party games guide.

The same party works for very different crowds. Change the time, the categories and the drinks to fit who is coming.

Start about four weeks out, and send the invitation that week so guests have time to find or make a sweater. December weekends fill quickly, so pick your date early.

For a dated version, our party planning checklist tool builds a list from your party date. Choose the Holiday party preset, then print it or download it.

Here is how the plan works for one party.

Say the date, the time, the place and how to reply, plus the sweater rules and the contest. Send it about four weeks ahead, and tell guests about the DIY table so nobody skips the party for lack of a sweater.

Our Christmas party invitation wording guide has more lines, including how to word an optional dress theme.

With InviteBird, start from a holiday design such as the candy Christmas party, the pink Christmas party, the holiday pajama party or the blue winter party. Add a pick-one RSVP question for the contest category and a bring list for snacks and DIY supplies, then send by email, text (US & Canada) or a shareable link. Design free, pay when you send — from $9.99.

A few popular ideas need a second thought before you plan them.

• Drinking games: build the fun around the sweaters, and serve good nonalcoholic drinks.
• Plug-in lights on sweaters: use battery lights only.
• Crude or political slogans: keep them out, especially at work or with kids.
• Required sweaters: some guests can't or won't buy one, so make it optional and offer the DIY table.
• Votes for yourself: they make results feel unfair, so ban them in the rules.
• Expensive prizes: they turn a silly contest into a serious one.
• Food with no labels: put a card with the name and any nuts or other allergens beside every dish.