Party Ideas for a December Birthday for Teens

• Organize a December birthday party for your teen with some simple planning tips.grunge illustration - party atmosphere, balloons, image by Cristina Cazan from Fotolia.com
  
  With all of the hustle and bustle of the winter holiday season, planning a December birthday party for your teenager can seem an insurmountable task. Organize the planning process with a few simple party ideas to help select a theme, a menu and some teen-friendly activities. Despite the hectic pace of the winter season, you can organize a successful party for your teenager that he will remember long after the last guest leaves.
  
  

Winter Themes

• Carry the elements of the winter season into a winter festival-themed December birthday party. If you live in a cold climate, consider hosting the birthday party at an ice skating rink, ski slope or sledding hill. Keep a steady supply of hot chocolate, warm donuts and pizza for teens. Host physical challenges during the party to keep teens engaged. For example, during an ice skating party, hold a trick contest in which guests try to demonstrate their best skating skills; a sledding party might hold a relay race in which teams compete to have each member run up the hill, slide down and pass the tube to the next player.
  
  Warm climates can also get into the winter spirit with an indoor winter party. Spray windows with fake snow and line bookshelves, tables and counters with fluffy cotton snow. Hang white icicle lights from the ceiling for a chilly effect. Invite teens to make snow cones, and host a winter clothes relay race in which teams compete to put on winter snow gear as quickly as possible. Serve warm, hardy stews along with an igloo-shaped birthday cake.
  
  

Alternative Holiday Party

• Some teens may be concerned about a December birthday because of the close proximity to other December holidays like Christmas and Hanukkah. Instead of tying the birthday into other December holidays, host an ironic birthday party that celebrates other yearly holidays. Decorate in a mix of decorations from Valentine's Day, Independence Day and Thanksgiving. Invite guests to attend in a festive Halloween costume. Fill bowls with conversation hearts as well as candy corn. Serve several cupcakes decorated with frosting colors reminiscent of other holidays throughout the year; a pink and red cupcake is for Valentine's Day while a red and blue cupcake evokes images of the fourth of July. Invite guests to carve birthday pumpkins; if pumpkins aren't available, purchase Styrofoam pumpkins and paint them instead.
  
  

Summer in December Party

• A summer-themed party is a surprising choice for a December birthday. Consider hosting the party at the indoor pool of a local hotel, community center, high school or YMCA. Serve traditional summer barbecue fare like hot dogs, hamburgers and potato salad. Arrange several summer-themed contests like hula hooping, limbo dancing and swim races. Serve a cake that is frosted and decorate to resemble a swimming pool or a tropical island.
  
  If you are hosting in your own home, decorate the indoor space to resemble a luau; offer guests flower leis and grass skirts. Turn up the heat or fire up the pellet stove and have guests change into shorts and tank tops. Serve skewers of pineapple and sausage with sides of watermelon and fresh berries. If you have a large, clear space indoors, play a few rounds of beach ball, volleyball, or paper plate Frisbee.