It’s holiday time, and that means it’s a great time to gather your friends and family for a fun holiday gathering. Here are a few tips for making your party enjoyable and memorable.

1. Decorate with color. Nothing says “it’s the holidays” like bright pops of holiday colors. White tablecloths set a classic wintery mood, but you can use napkins, centerpieces, and even candy to add splashes of festive color. Scatter candy canes or colorfully wrapped Hershey’s kisses among the place settings or snacks for edible decorations. Don’t get too tied up in just red and green, though. Gold, blue, and silver are beautiful colors for the holidays as well. You can also get creative about where you use color. Adding cranberries, oranges, lemons, or limes to a pitcher or jug of water adds a zesty flavor as well as a cute color pop.

2. Scent the scene. Scent is tied closely to memory, which is a bonus for making your house smell great during your party. Aromas like cinnamon, pumpkin, and vanilla are perfect for the holidays. Pick up a few candles in your favorite holiday scents, and use a candle warmer to keep your party smelling amazing all night. You can get a candle warmer for about five dollars at most grocery or home goods stores, which will help avoid a fire hazard as well as extend the life of your candles.

3. Get in the spirit. Invite friends to wear crazy or tacky holiday sweaters, or even do their best Santa impression. “I got my holiday sweater for five dollars at Goodwill,” said Cyndi Woodworth, of Auburn. Don’t forget to hang mistletoe. It’s a fun tradition, and you can pick it up for about three dollars at most stores that sell holiday items.

4. Set the mood with music and movies. It’s always a good idea to have some music in the background at a party, and there are a lot of good holiday offerings this year. Zooey Deschanel and M. Ward recently released A Very She & Him Christmas, which puts a sweet vintage-sounding spin on some holiday favorites (and is available on red vinyl), and the smooth voice of Michael Buble is back on his new album Christmas. “He’s singing all your classic favorites like a young Sinatra,” said Joe McShane, of Auburn. “It’s great for everyone.”

Keep music loud enough to hear, but low enough for guests to be able to have conversations without raising their voices. If there’s a TV in the party area, you can also throw on a popular holiday movie. You can keep it muted so it’s not distracting; just the iconic images will make guests laugh and keep them in the holiday spirit. McShane’s favorite holiday film is Holiday Inn. “It’s old and politically incorrect in parts,” he said, “yet classic, full of great songs, and funny.”

Woodworth loves Judy Garland’s performance in Meet Me in St. Louis. “‘Have Yourself a Merry Little Christmas’ is the best,” she says. “I love her voice!” Other perennial favorites include It’s a Wonderful Life, Home Alone, How the Grinch Stole Christmas, A Christmas Carol, and National Lampoon’s Christmas Vacation. Bull Moose in Lewiston has a holiday section fully stocked with your favorite holiday films and music, at low prices (both new and pre-owned).

5. Provide activities. In addition to chatting and eating, invite your guests to build a gingerbread house, make their own ornaments, or contribute to some holiday art. Sometimes it’s fun to feel like a kid again, especially around the holidays.

6. Have a silly swap. Ask each guest to bring the weirdest or funniest gift they can find for less than five or 10 dollars. Then, have guests take turns choosing a gift from the pile and unwrap it in front of everyone. After everyone has a gift, have your guests vote on the funniest or wackiest gift. Everyone gets to leave with a funny trinket and the guest who brought the winning gift gets a prize.

7. Create photo memories. These days almost everyone has a camera, even if it’s just on a cell phone. So why not create the opportunity for funny, holiday-themed photos? You can even create a photo booth effect by hanging a solid-colored curtain as a backdrop where guests can pose for silly photos. Provide some goofy props or costume pieces to have fun with, and snap away.

8. Gift your guests. People love a good party, and they love being able to take something home from it. Don’t let your guests leave empty-handed. If you baked a ton of treats for the party, you can pick up some adorable gifting boxes for six or seven dollars at TJ Maxx in Auburn. The boxes come with inserts to hold cupcakes, but you can remove the inserts and stack cookies, fudge, and candies as well. If you have a good printer and some photo paper at home, print each guest a photo from the party that they can take home.

The most important part of the holidays is spending time with loved ones. So why not spend that time in style, with fun food and activities? Using these tips, you can plan a party your guests won’t soon forget.

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