How To Host A Holiday Gift Wrapping Brunch

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I absolutely love hosting holiday parties but for the past few years, I have focused on our boys’ parties. This year, it is all about the ladies and helping to cross one thing off their very long Christmas to-do list.  A Holiday Gift Wrapping Brunch is the perfect excuse to get your friends together for a ‘purposeful’ party.

I love brunch because the holidays are such a busy time of year and pinning people down for evening events is so hard. This overlooked party time is a great way to catch up during the season without conflicting with other events and create a relaxing break from holiday stress.

Let’s talk about some tips and tricks for hosting your own holiday gift wrapping brunch!

Create The Bar Area

Your first step, after inviting guests to come over with a few small gifts to wrap, of course, is to head to Walmart! You will find everything you need to create a wonderful coffee bar to accompany your brunch. Starbucks® Coffee has new holiday products that are designed to make your entertaining job easy!  I picked up Holiday Blend and Peppermint Mocha Caffè Latte K-Cups® and other fixings for our coffee bar, from cinnamon sticks and creamer, to sugar cubes and shakers filled with ground cinnamon and sprinkles.

Whether you are using a bar cart, side table or even an oversized tray, be sure and have everything your guests need to create the perfect cup of coffee, from pretty mugs, spoons, stirrers and of course, great coffee options.  My bad sweet tooth loves the Peppermint Mocha Caffè Latte K-Cup®, it just screams holiday!

What To Serve

Of course, it can’t be brunch without food!  I kept our menu simple so I could spend less time putting it all together and stressing about keeping everything warm before everyone’s arrival. Mixing ready-made and homemade fare is my number one party trick. You don’t need to make everything from scratch.

I picked up French toast sticks to serve in small juice glasses with syrup.  Mini quiches, fresh fruit, bacon, a variety of bagels and cream cheeses, cold beverages, and of course, Christmas cookies and candy, round out our menu.  With quick cook times, those items used were fresh from the oven when guests began to arrive.

 

You can’t have coffee without doughnuts! I dressed up cake doughnuts by dipping them in a tasty homemade chocolate coffee glaze and sprinkled with crushed peppermint candy.

Chocolate Coffee Glaze Recipe – covers about 12 regular cake doughnuts

What You’ll Need:

¼ cup mini semi-sweet chocolate chips

2 tablespoons butter

2 cups powdered sugar

1/8 teaspoon salt

3 to 4 tablespoons black Starbucks® Holiday Blend coffee

crushed peppermint candy

1. Use a double boiler to melt the chocolate and butter.  If you don’t have one (like me!) there are lots of different ways to make one using an oven proof bowl and a pot of water.  
2. In a separate bowl, stir the powdered sugar and salt together.  Add about a third of the powdered sugar mixture to the chocolate mixture and beat in with a stove-safe whisk.  Add a tablespoon of coffee and stir until smooth.  Repeat this process until all the powdered sugar mixture is all added and the mixture is smooth and pourable.  
3. Dip the doughnuts, one at a time, into the frosting and sprinkle with crushed candy, then place on a cooling rack. Doughnuts will keep fresh for about 3 days if kept in an airtight container.

Create Your Gift Wrapping Area

Once everyone has had the chance to eat, drink and mingle, move over to your gift wrapping area! Invite your guests to let their creativity shine when wrapping their gifts.  Offer a selection of  plain and simple print wrapping paper, paint markers, stamps, twine, holiday picks, mini bells and ornaments and other supplies to create homemade wrapping paper and personalize their gifts.

Take as much as you can out of containers and display in bowls, jars, and platters.  Much like replating containers of food from your favorite takeout place, housing all of your decorating supplies keeps them organized and visible.

Don’t forget tape and scissors!

Ready to host your own holiday gift wrapping brunch? Be sure and check out more gift wrapping tips here and we’ve got a great deal for you: Purchase three (3) qualifying Starbucks® packaged coffee (10-20oz.), Starbucks® K-Cup® packs (9-32ct.), VIA® Instant (5-8ct.), Starbucks® Syrups (12.17oz.), or Starbucks® Cookie Straw packs (9.17oz.) products in a single transaction at Walmart stores from 11/1/17 through 12/26/17 and receive 75 bonus stars when you upload your receipt at Starbucks-stars.com.

That’s right, you can earn Starbucks® Rewards on your purchases, so feel free to start shopping through my shoppable image below.  Just hover over what you want and click to start shopping for your brunch.

I hope to turn our holiday gift wrapping brunch into a new annual tradition! The ladies were thrilled to go home with prettily wrapped gifts and memories of a lovely afternoon together.  It is always a good day to spending time with great friends.  What traditions do you look forward to sharing this year?