{"id":118969,"date":"2025-11-13T16:49:00","date_gmt":"2025-11-14T00:49:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.peerspace.com\/resources\/?p=118969"},"modified":"2025-11-17T15:07:49","modified_gmt":"2025-11-17T23:07:49","slug":"friendsmas-guide","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.peerspace.com\/resources\/friendsmas-guide\/","title":{"rendered":"How to Host a Modern Friendsmas Party"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

The holidays are here \u2014 and as important as it is to celebrate with family, younger generations also want to prioritize festive memory-making with friends. In fact, interest in holiday party bookings on the Peerspace platform has risen 58% year-over-year.<\/strong> <\/p>\n\n\n\n

For many Millennials and Gen Z hosts, gathering around the table with chosen family is just as significant as feasting with blood relatives. As event planner Shayna Love Harlan puts it, \u201cI mean, friends <\/strong>are<\/em><\/strong> family.\u201d <\/strong>This guide will inspire you with the latest trending themes, menus, d\u00e9cor, games and more \u2014 using expert guidance to cover all the hosting essentials that will help you create a repeat-worthy Friendsmas tradition. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Whether you\u2019re a first-time party planner or the go-to hostess with the mostess, and whether you\u2019re hosting at home or bringing the party to a unique Peerspace, read on for the tips and tricks that\u2019ll make your holiday party unforgettable.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Meet the experts & planners<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

To bring the real-deal scoop to this piece, we interviewed folks who\u2019ve planned holiday parties their friends still talk about, including:<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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Kate Pauley,<\/strong> founder of Create Dinners<\/a>, an event production company that hosts community and brand events in New York City and beyond.<\/p>\n<\/div><\/div>\n\n\n\n

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Marina Santarossa<\/strong>, a Toronto-based content creator<\/a> who threw an intimate Friendsmas last year<\/p>\n<\/div><\/div>\n\n\n\n

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Shayna Love Harlan<\/strong>, the event planner and curator behind With Love vintage home goods<\/a>, who hosted a stunning Friendsgiving in a Brooklyn Peerspace<\/a> last year<\/p>\n<\/div><\/div>\n\n\n\n

What is Friendsmas?<\/h2>\n\n\n\n
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Source: Made in Peerspace<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n\n
\n\n \n Answered<\/span>\n\n \n \n

\n Friendsmas is Christmas with friends \u2014 or frankly, any holiday-themed party. All religious belief systems and denominations are welcome! <\/p>\n\n \n \n<\/div>\n\n\n

Although more than half of Americans<\/a> still live within an hour of extended family, the rest find themselves scattered, often thanks to urbanization and remote work. These trends \u2014 along with the rise of social media, thinks Santarossa \u2014 have made holiday gatherings with local friends increasingly popular. Not to mention it\u2019s just a plain old good time.<\/p>\n\n\n\n\n

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\u201cIt\u2019s fun to widen the scope of holiday celebrations or bigger celebrations that are typically thought of as for family.\u201d<\/p>— Marina Santarossa | Content Creator<\/cite>\"headshot\" <\/picture>\n \n <\/blockquote>\n<\/figure>\n\n\n\n

Trending Friendsmas themes for 2026<\/h2>\n\n\n\n
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Source: Kate Pauley \/ Create Dinners<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

For some, the idea of hosting a holiday party may sound somewhat old school. After all, most of the holiday parties we grew up celebrating were thrown by our parents or grandparents.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

But Millennial and Gen-Z celebrants are bringing a modern host mindset to this time-honored tradition. And, of course, staying on-trend helps keep your gathering feeling fresh. A few themes and elements that are gaining popularity for this winter (and even next):<\/p>\n\n\n\n