Need a fun holiday get-together idea for your friends? Host a Wine and Essential Oils party! This simple happy hour idea will bring everyone together and create fun Christmas blends to enjoy all season.
Thank you Cameron Hughes for sponsoring this post. Capture the celebratory spirit of the holidays, and toast to the season with Cameron Hughes wine!
This post was originally published on November 28, 2017 and has now been updated with more information so you can host your own holiday happy hour with ease.
“Mom’s don’t enjoy, they give joy.” That was my favorite line from the Bad Moms Christmas movie. And sometimes that sentiment feels SO true!
Especially at the holidays! As moms, our focus is on making sure the house is decked out with holiday decorations, that we get the perfect tree, and cooking elaborate meals for 25 family members.
It’s easy to get stressed out and forget to enjoy it all. I decided to host a fun little get-together for my girlfriends to help them prep for the holiday stress with wine and essential oils.
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Use A Simple Holiday Party Idea
Skip the elaborate holiday party in favor of a happy hour with your closest gals! As we ease back into normal, we crave interaction but don’t want stress.
Keeping this party on the shorter side lets everyone spend time together without feeling too guilty. (You can always host an Open House Style Wine Tasting if you want to keep the party outside).
This wine and essential oils party, in particular, encourages our mom friends to take a minute for themselves. All while sipping wine. It’s genius, really.
It’s even easier than my Super Lazy Cookie Exchange party idea. And a step up from a Mom Friend Coffee Date.
And, of course, while I hosted this essential oil home party for the holidays, you can host this party any time of year!
How to Plan an Essential Oils and Wine Party
Make it Early in the Season
I hosted the party early in November to make sure that our schedules were not already full with holiday parties and obligations.
I also wanted to make sure that everyone left with blends of essential oils that would help them to re-find their holiday spirit or help lower their stress levels.
Keep it Intimate
I kept the party small so it would be manageable and easy for everyone to share the oils. I set us up on my dining table and turned on some music.
A smaller guest list makes conversation easier. It also means you don’t have to go crazy with the food.
It’s easier to manage, especially at this time of year.
Set Expectations
Let your friends know what to expect. Decide on the level of casual that you want this to be and make sure they all know. If pajamas are an option, I would be devastated to know that I missed that memo.
Also, let them know that the party will be just a few hours so they can plan on their end. They may need to organize child care or they may just feel better about saying yes because they know they’ll be home early.
Look, those Hallmark holiday movies aren’t going to watch themselves.
Let them know they can make gifts if they want to which might help your friends feel productive. At this time of year, we are multi-tasking monsters.
And while I know that hosting a party can be stressful, hosting a happy hour is so much easier.
Make sure to let them know if you will have dinner or just snacks so they can plan accordingly.
What to Serve
Any good party starts with good wine. So I made sure to serve several from Cameron Hughes. I loved the Chardonnay, even though I typically prefer other white varietals.
It was deliciously not over oak-y (in my opinion) and the perfect thing to sip on while hosting my girlfriends.
I also had the Cameron Hughes Pinot Noir and Cabernet Sauvignon. The Pinot Noir totally surprised me. I usually gravitate towards a Cab but I loved the Pinot!
I love learning about wine and finding new things to enjoy so we all did a quick little tasting of all of them to find what we liked best.
Although the party wasn’t meant to be a wine tasting, necessarily, it happened organically and several of us found new favorites.
What mom doesn’t love to relax with good friends and a great glass of wine?
I also set out my favorite cheese, peppered turkey, crackers and pretzel bread to pair with the wine. Wine and cheese is always a perfect pairing.
I like to serve things that aren’t fussy and are just as good at room temperature as they are cold.
That’s my trick for being a relaxed hostess and not feeling like I have to be on top of every single aspect at every moment.
You can see more of my tips for stress-free holiday entertaining here. Keeping some favorite snacks on hand helps to make hosting any gathering super simple.
I also put a few snacks (including candy) on the table so that it was easy to nibble while working on our rollerball blends or holiday room sprays.
Set Up an Essential Oils Station
I set out all of my essential oils, and oil supplies and also some easy recipes for blends to make. It was a fun activity to do with the girls and fun to be able to share my love of oils with them.
Remember how oils were a huge trend a few years ago? Well, maybe I overdid it a bit. I’d rather them go to good use! But there are easy sets to find if you need to buy some.
You could also ask guests to bring their oils if they don’t mind.
Everyone ended up making amazing smelling holiday blends with variations of cinnamon, vanilla, clove, sweet orange and white fir.
These “stress away” rollerball blends are small enough to fit in your purse to be used during your Black Friday shopping or the Christmas program at the elementary school…
I provided labels and small muslin bags for them to take home their custom blends.
Because I make blends all the time, I got to sit with my girls, enjoy my wine and help guide them if they needed direction.
A few hours of essential oils and wine was relaxing and I plan on making a habit of this.
A Fun Holiday Party Favor Idea
I sent each friend home with a bottle of their favorite Cameron Hughes wine. Not only is the wine delicious, but I hope they will drink it and remember how much fun we had together and make sure to take time for themselves as the holidays get into full swing.
Great wine doesn’t have to be expensive! That’s one of the things I love about Cameron Hughes wines. They are such a great value and a total crowd-pleaser.
I attached a roll of tape to each bottle because don’t you always run out of tape when you’re in the middle of wrapping presents, or is that just me?
I don’t always send favors home with my friends when we hang out but I knew the wine and tape would be such a useful thing for them to have on hand.
Of course, the tape can help with wrapping the gifts, but the wine can be gifted as a hostess gift, or kept on hand for a last-minute gift idea or serve to your drop in guests.
Also, let them know I have a list of the Netflix Holiday ShowsNetflix Christmas Movies (and Shows) for 2021 to watch while they wrap their presents and sip their wine.
If you’ve never hosted a wine and oils party, you totally should. It’s a fun holiday party idea and a perfect excuse to share a glass of wine with your best girls and create wonderful scents together!
I was selected for this opportunity as a member of CLEVER and the content and opinions expressed here are all my own.
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