How to Plan a Christmas in Carolina Party

There’s no better way to kick off the holiday season than with a festive gathering. Over the past few years, we've brought you a few different ideas for Christmas parties: Vintage 1950's Theme and National Lampoon's Christmas Vacation Theme.

The idea we landed on this year is a "Made in North Carolina" themed Christmas party. You can easily duplicate this idea with the details below if you live in NC or you can tweak the same idea for your own area. Here are the details you'll need to get started:

Christmas in Carolina

Start with an invitation that matches your NC theme. Because people's calendars tend to fill up around the holidays, make sure to send your invitations well in advance of your party date. If you'd like for guests to come dressed a certain way, add that to the invitations. (That will add to the fun of the party!) We chose to all dress in red - the color of North Carolina's state bird, the cardinal. Where can you find NC-themed invitations? Check out Etsy or Amazon for your best options.

Made in NC Christmas Party Menu

You'll have lots of fun planning a menu for this party. We opted to serve foods and drinks that are made in North Carolina, and after a bit of research, we were surprised to find so many items to share at our party table! With just a little research, I bet you can find a lot of menu items that are made in your area too! Some of the items we used as-is, and some of them we used as ingredients to make party foods. If you have guests coming from different areas, ask them to sign up for a food item to build your menu.

Here's the menu we used for our Made in NC Christmas Party:

• Our Pride Pimento Cheese and crackers - Roxboro, NC (The Harris Sisters hometown)
• Hoppers Poppers Popcorn - Roxboro, NC
• Sausage Balls (made with Neese's Sausage) - Greensboro, NC
• The Carolina Nut Co. Peanuts - Henderson, NC
• Texas Pete Salsa and chips - Winston-Salem, NC
• Buffalo Chicken Dip (made with Texas Pete Buffalo Wing Sauce) - Winston-Salem, NC
• Mt. Olive Pickles & Roasted Red Peppers - Mount Olive, NC
• Dewey's Bakery Meyer Lemon Cookies - Winston-Salem, NC
• Mrs. Hanes Moravian Cookies - Clemmons, NC
• Krispy Kreme Doughnuts - Winston-Salem, NC
• Cheerwine Pound Cake - Salisbury, NC
• Cheerwine - Salisbury, NC
• Pepsi - New Bern, NC
• Mimosas (made with Biltmore Estate Champagne) - Asheville, NC
• Muscadine Wine (from Duplin Winery) - Duplin County, NC
• Scuppernong Wine (from Duplin Winery) - Duplin County, NC

How to Decorate for a North Carolina Christmas Party

Since the NC-based food items were the star of this Christmas party, we chose very simple decorations. 

We used The Harris Sisters' old Flexible Flyer sled as the centerpiece for the table to add height. We felt like this was the perfect addition to the table because it, too, has seen many a Carolina Christmas (and would even be considered vintage at this point)!

We used a North Carolina shaped cutting board to display other foods on the table. We served small items (nuts, dips, etc.) in vintage Santa mugs. And we chose paper plates and napkins with cardinals on them.

What Music to Play at My North Carolina Christmas Themed Party

Before your North Carolina themed party, make a playlist that includes Christmas songs that are sung by NC natives, Christmas songs about North Carolina, and Christmas songs about the South. Here's a list to get you started:

Christmas Songs by NC Natives

1. Away in a Manger – Emmylou Harris
2. Chilly Winds Don’t Blow – Nina Simone
3. Christmas Lullaby – Doc Watson
4. Go Tell It on the Mountain – Andy Griffith
5. Grown Up Christmas List – Rissi Palmer
6. Jingle Bells – Earl Scruggs
7. Little Drummer Boy – Tori Amos
8. Mary’s Little Boy Child – John D. Loudermilk
9. O Holy Night – Shirley Caesar
10. Santa Baby – Kellie Pickler
11. Silver Bells – Ronnie Milsap
12. The Christmas Song – Fantasia
13. The First Noel – Scotty McCreery
14. The Strangest Christmas Yet – Steve Martin and The Steep Canyon Rangers
15. Winter Wonderland – Randy Travis

Christmas Songs About NC

1. A Carolina Christmas Carol – Charlie Daniels*
2. Carolina Christmas – Squirrel Nut Zippers*
3. Christmas Time – Far Too Jones* (blink and you’ll miss it, but they specifically mention Crabtree Mall, in Raleigh, NC) 

Southern Christmas Songs (these mention various Southern states)

1. Christmas in Dixie - Alabama
2. Merry Christmas, Alabama (Never Far from Home) – Jimmy Buffet
3. Tennessee Christmas – Amy Grant
4. (There's No Place Like) Home for the Holidays – Randy Travis*

*also NC natives

What Gifts Can I Give at My Carolina Christmas Party?

Daddy was the proud recipient of our special Carolina Christmas present this year, and we thought we'd pass along the idea to you too. It's a GIFT CARD-inal TREE!

Harris Sister Deanna put together this tree with three craft supplies, and it would be easy for you to duplicate. All you need is a small Christmas tree from the craft store (ours had cardinals in it to keep with the NC theme), small clothespins, and gift cards from the recipients favorite haunts. Clip the gift cards to the branches and you've got the perfect personalized gift!

I hope we've inspired you to plan your own party to honor what makes your place in the world special.

The Harris Sisters send you warmest holiday wishes and hopes for a very Merry Christmas from our family to yours!

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