10 Cozy Winter Dinner Party Ideas
4. Curate the perfect playlist
Set the tone for the party with some dinner music. Think jazz, holiday songs, secular winter songs, piano music, and coffeehouse acoustic songs. To get you started, Spotify already has a 100 Greatest Dinner Party Songs playlist. Don’t let it be a silent night (pun intended). No matter what you are planning for your meal, don’t skip this winter dinner party idea.
5. Don’t forget the appetizers
Pre-game for the main meal with light bites. Use limited edition snowflake Ritz crackers for festive bruschetta, serve a warm brie dish, offer plenty of cheese and crackers, and get creative with puff pastry to create bite-sized snacks. A veggie tray and fruit salad are also perfect complements for an assortment of appetizers.
Make it easy (and more fun!) for yourself by renting a winery through Peerspace for this suggestion. Most wineries not only offer you a delectable selection of their house wines, but they also provide some of the tastiest small plates anywhere. This is one of those winter dinner party ideas your guests will adore!
6. Let the games begin
Keep the party alive with games and conversation starters! Headbandz and Cards Against Humanity are always crowd favorites. If you have access to a projector or TV that hooks up to the internet, Quiplash is a hilarious online party game that allows you to show off your comedy chops.
To keep conversations flowing, toss some conversation starters on the table. Ice-breaking questions can be printed onto napkins, coasters, or table cards, or you can use Table Topics cards. If you’re feeling extra creative, try typing up and printing your own.
7. Design a festive tablescape
The dining table will be the focus of your dinner party, so the most important dinner party ideas on this list are for table decorations. At each place setting, set up place cards with your guests’ names on them, and consider including a small gift or chocolate. Use a cloth tablecloth or placemats, and consider adding a table runner (it could even be a strip of fake snow made of cotton).
You can top the table with snowy trees to create a winter wonderland look or pine cones and holly from a craft store. Pier 1 Imports is a treasure trove of tabletop decor, especially if your theme is winter dinner party ideas. Don’t forget candles! You can use real or battery-operated votives to set the mood. Go for pine or cinnamon scents, or use unscented. Whatever you choose, just make sure the scent isn’t so overpowering that your guests lose their appetites.
If you book a pre-decorated Peerspace venue for your dinner party, it may already come with a festive tablescape. That saves you time and money right there!
8. Munch on mini desserts
Forget about cutting up cakes or pies. Set up a self-serve dessert bar featuring mini pies, sugar cookies, whoopie pies, cake pops, snowy brownies (brownies dusted with powdered sugar), mini bundt cakes, red velvet everything, cupcakes, peppermint bark, peanut brittle, and toffee. Buy a stack of festive paper plates and use cake stands, colorful platters, and trays to display everything.
A chocolate fondue fountain with fruit and angel-food cake bites or a s’mores bar could be another perfect winter dessert station option as well. You can find inexpensive fondue or indoor s’mores makers online or at Bed, Bath, and Beyond. For fancy s’mores, buy an assortment of different graham cracker flavors (including cinnamon and chocolate-covered crackers), colorful marshmallows, and different kinds of chocolate bars.
We’re all dreaming of spring at this point! Give your spring dinner party a fun theme by using our “May the Fourth” dinner ideas!
