Christmas Party Printables: Bar Signs, Tables and Games
Christmas party printables are the part of hosting you can get done early, in a single afternoon at the kitchen table. This is the checklist I'd use for one December evening, working from the front door to the last mince pie. You can print and trim everything on it the same day you download it.
The short version: most parties need a welcome sign, a sign for each food or drinks station, a few games for the table and a small set of prints for the wall behind the food. Print table signs at 5x7. Anything people read from across the room should be 8x10 or A4, on matte card of around 250 to 300gsm.
Christmas party printables, from the front door in
The welcome sign
A sign by the door tells guests they've found the right house and where to leave their coats. Stand it at eye height on a small easel, or tape it to the inside of the glass in the front door. A4 or 8x10 is big enough. Anything smaller gets missed in the dark.
A hot cocoa bar sign
If I could only do one station, it would be hot chocolate, because it keeps people happily busy while you finish in the kitchen. Set out a slow cooker or a big jug, a bowl of marshmallows, a jar of candy canes for stirring and a stack of mugs. The sign answers the questions for you, so nobody asks you the same thing twenty times. Ours is $4.99 as a download, and a 5x7 in a frame beside the mugs is plenty.
A Christmas bar cart sign
A drinks trolley, or a corner of the sideboard set aside for cocktails, should have its own sign. Keep it to two drinks at most, one with alcohol and one without, so nobody has to ask what's in the jug. Prop the card against a bottle or tuck it into the frame of a mirror behind the cart.
Dessert table signs
On the dessert table, Christmas table signs are mostly there to stop people hovering. A small card naming each plate, and saying which ones have nuts in, saves you a lot of answering. I prefer folded place cards about 9cm wide to framed signs here. They take up less room between the plates.
Printable Christmas games for the table
Most parties hit a lull, often about ninety minutes in, when the conversation runs dry. Leave a few printable Christmas games face down at each place and people have something to do with their hands. A picture quiz or a Christmas film quiz works for a mixed crowd of ages. It's the same trick as these printable bridal shower games, where a sheet and a pen get a room talking better than any speech.
A print set for the wall behind the food
Whatever hangs behind the buffet ends up in every photo. Three prints in matching frames, hung in a level row at about shoulder height, look calm and deliberate. If you'd like one piece that means something, a personalised line drawing of the family or the dog from OpenHeartLines can sit in the middle and stay up long after the decorations come down.
All of the signs above are instant downloads from EverAfterDesignRoom's printable Christmas party signs, so you can have the whole set printed and cut in an afternoon. If you want a name or a date added, the personalised versions are ready within 1-2 days.
Sizes, card stock and printing
Which size for which sign
- Welcome sign: A4 or 8x10, read from a few steps away.
- Hot chocolate sign: 5x7 in a frame, or 8x10 if the station is against a wall.
- Bar cart sign: 5x7, propped against a bottle.
- Dessert labels: folded cards about 9cm by 5cm.
- Games: A5, or half a sheet of A4, one per guest.
- Wall prints: 8x10 or A4, which fit standard shop frames.
Card stock
I buy matte card between 250 and 300gsm. It feeds through most home printers and stands up without bending. Gloss picks up fingerprints and glares under fairy lights. A pale cream card makes a white background look warmer, though that's a matter of taste.
Home printer or print shop
A home inkjet is fine for signs and games. Set it to its best quality and choose the heavy matte paper type, otherwise the ink can smudge on card. Wall prints are worth taking to a local print shop, where large dark areas come out even. Our guide to printing digital art at home goes through the settings in more detail.
Trimming and standing signs
Use a guillotine if you have one. Otherwise, a steel ruler and a sharp craft knife on a cutting mat give a cleaner edge than scissors. Make two or three light passes rather than one hard one, and the blade is less likely to wander.
A plain frame from a supermarket or charity shop is enough to stand a sign up. Take the glass out if it catches the lights. On a bar cart, lean a 5x7 card against a bottle of wine with a pea-sized bit of Blu-Tack at the bottom edge so it stays put.
A two week hosting timeline
Two weeks out, send the invitations. Give a start time and a rough finish, so people know whether to eat beforehand.
Ten days out, order any food you aren't making yourself. Butchers and bakeries book up in December, and the good mince pies go early.
One week out, buy and print the signs and games. Run a test page on plain paper to check the size first. Then print on card and trim the same evening.
Two or three days out, set the table. Lay the empty dessert plates out with their labels so you can see the gaps, and put the frames on the bar cart.
The day before, sort the music. A playlist about four hours long means nobody has to touch it, and it should sit low enough to talk over.
Holiday party decor that makes it feel considered
Guests notice a cleared space for coats and a jug of water on the bar cart. They rarely notice what the napkins cost. A low lamp in the corner does more for a room than the big ceiling light, and candles help as long as they're somewhere sleeves can't reach.
Leave a pen beside the games. I'd also put a second bin somewhere obvious, because a single kitchen bin is full within the hour.
What to skip
I'd leave out themed paper plates and table confetti, which ends up in everyone's drinks. Nobody needs a printed card telling them the crisps are crisps. For anything under twelve people I wouldn't bother with a seating plan either, since it makes a relaxed evening feel formal.
If you're planning yours now, the full range of printable Christmas signs and party sets is in the shop and ready to print this afternoon. Personalised pieces take 1-2 days, so leave a little room before the party.
Frequently asked questions
What size should Christmas party printables be?
Most table signs look right at 5x7, which fits a standard frame and stands up on a bar cart or beside a jug of hot chocolate. Anything guests read from further away, such as a welcome sign by the door or the prints on the wall behind the food, works better at 8x10 or A4. Games are easiest at A5, one sheet per guest.
Can I print the signs at home?
Yes, for almost everything. A home inkjet handles 5x7 and A4 signs well on matte card of 250 to 300gsm. Choose the best quality setting and the heavy paper type so the ink does not smudge. For large wall prints with dark areas, a local print shop usually gives more even colour across the page.
How quickly can I get the files?
The signs and games are instant downloads, so the files arrive as soon as the order goes through on Etsy. You can have a full set printed and framed in one afternoon. If you want a name or a date changed, the personalised versions take 1-2 days, so order those a little before the rest.
How do I stand a sign up without a frame?
Lean it against a bottle or a heavy mug, with a small piece of Blu-Tack along the bottom edge so it does not slide. A card folded in half makes a tent that stands on its own, which is what I use for dessert labels. If the card is thinner than 250gsm, glue it to a piece of mount board first.
