How to Plan a Magical Harry Potter Christmas Party ⋆ Follow the Butterflies

Here we are, approaching the end of the year and the festive season! I don’t know about you, but as the days get shorter and colder, all I want to do is curl up by the fire in the Gryffindor common room in one of those squashy armchairs. (And that’s me saying as a Slytherin, which you’ll see from the photos in this post!) Christmas and the other winter holidays are a time to cozy up and get close with the people you love – both family and Hogwarts housemates.

If you’re planning a Christmas party this year, the time is now to start getting ready. With proper planning and plenty of cheer, you can put together a Harry Potter Christmas party that will delight your guests and make them thing you had House Elf help.

In this post I’m detailing and rounding up my favorite tips to put together a perfect party inspired by the Wizarding World. Read on to learn what to wear, what to cook, how to decorate, and what to gift to make your Harry Potter Chirstmas party memorable – and possibly a new tradition!

This post is brand new for the 2021 holiday season, so all links should work. If you find any broken links or sold-out items, please let me know in the comments!

Table of Contents

Don Your Magically Festive Attire

When it comes to what to wear to your Harry Potter Christmas Party, you have a few options. Traditionalists will opt for a hand-knitted sweater like the ones made by Mrs. Weasley to help everyone remember their names; there are two different creators (TheWitchCabin and WeigelCraftCorner) on Etsy who make personalized ones for the rest of us. Be prepared that these cost more than a few galleons since they’re hand-made!

If it’s a fancy party, you could also opt for dress robes – though I’m not sure Madam Malkin’s Robes for All Occasions has a Muggle website yet.

I prefer to blend the Magical and No-Maj with one of these printed tops: this Happy Christmas tee one is subtle to No-Majs but obvious to the rest of us; this tee reads ‘I’m Dreaming of a Hogwarts Christmas’ which pretty much sums it all up; and this jumper blends the best of both worlds, reading ‘Merry Christmas Ya Filthy Muggle.’ (I literally bought myself one when I found it before even writing this post!)

Make Magical Holiday Foods & Drinks

Once you’re dressed up with no place to go, it’s time to head into the kitchen, wave your wand, and watch the food prepare itself… That’s how it works, right? Only for Mrs. Weasley? Where are my House Elves??

In the books, Harry’s various Christmas feasts include roast turkeys, mashed potatoes and other starches, and even chipolatas one year. You should certainly whip these up as a basic meal, or pop into the The Unofficial Hogwarts for the Holidays Cookbook for more ideas. (I actually just read this cookbook cover to cover because it has so many great ideas!)

If that seems like a lot of work or you’re having a less formal party, there are luckily some holiday foods and drinks that aren’t too tricky for Muggles to make.

While they’re more of a fall food, pumpkin pasties are still delicious for the winter holidays.
Sticky Toffee Pudding is one of my favorite British desserts. You could cook these up in small ramekins for individual portiosn.
Similarly, tiny treacle tarts are a nice way to bring Harry’s favorite dessert to life at your Harry Potter Christmas party.
If you want to spoil the sweet tooth for your guests even more, make a set of magical cookies using this Harry Potter cookie cutter set; you can leave out any extras for Santa!
Last but certainly not least, consider making mince pies. These are a quintessentially British holiday food and are sweet (not savory) despite having “mincemeat” in them. (Recipe coming soon!)

For drinks, you have a few options:

Butterbeer is a classic option; make the hot butterbeer variation to keep away the winter chill.
If you’re reading this early enough before the holidays, take a crack at making Ogden’s Old Firewhiskey. This takes a few weeks to age but makes for the perfect spirit to end the night or mix in Muggle cocktail recipes (like an Old Fashioned!)
Mulled wine is another classic British winter drink, but only for adult witches and wizards. It takes a few hours to make, so I recommend starting it before you work on other food. (This link takes you to my London blog!)

Trim Your Tree with Magic

Harry Potter Christmas Party - Tree — Daily Prophet Ornaments by LaReesCollection

Whether you put up your tree before guests arrive or decide to have that as one of the fun activities at your party, you’re going to need the propert decorations to make that special spruce (or pine or fir) look perfect this holiday season.

There are a number of great Harry Potter ornaments available; some of my favorites this year include a glow-in-the-dark pensieve, a set of Daily Prophets, and two Horcruxes (the locket and the diadem). You could also top your tree with the Sorting Hat. Finally, you can finish out the tree with garlands that read Happy Christmas in the traditional Harry Potter Font.

Some people go all-in on decorating their Harry Potter Christmas tree; I like to mix in my magical and Muggle ornaments. It’s entirely up to you!

Finish Decorating the Rest of Your House

There are a few other items you might use to decorate and bring your home and Harry Potter Christmas party to life:

This Mantle Banner adds a pop of color and sparkle to your decor, if you’re fortunate enough to have a mantle. (Who are you, the Malfoys living in a manor?? Kidding – we have a mantle!)
Christmas Candle Carousels are a less common decoration but I love how they look as a centerpiece or table decoration; this one features Hagrid on his motorbike and can be powered by any candle.
Finally, you should definitely buy a femw sets of these fill-your-own* Harry Potter Christmas crackers. If you’ve only ever heard of Christmas crackers in the Harry Potter books, you’ll be delighted to experience this British holiday merrymaker at your own party.

*While most Christmas crackers come pre-filled, they’re usually full of lame Muggle things like shoe horns and nail clippers. By filling your own, you can choose cool goodies like chess sets and live mice!

Delight with Harry Potter Christmas Gifts

Will your Harry Potter Christmas party include any gift giving? If so, these last two sections will help.

First up are the ‘stocking stuffers,’ which are smaller, lower cost gifts that may be perfect for the guests at your holiday party. My list of this year’s best Harry Potter stocking stuffers includes goodies like soaps, candles, and a cute coffee koozy – as well as some inspiration if you need to purchase Harry Potter stockings to hang on your mantle. (Fancy you!)

For larger gifts, you’ll need to do a bit of reserach on each of your guests: which Hogwarts house are they in? I have a gift guide for each of the Hogwarts houses:

As well as a more generic list of Hogwarts gifts if you aren’t sure which house they’re in. (Link coming soon!)

And once you’ve got the decor, the food and drink, and the gifts all ready, your guests can begin arriving. Raise them a glass of hot butterbeer in toast to this magical time of year!

Have any questions in planning your Harry Potter Christmas party? Let me know in the comments!