girls night

One of my favorite things about this time of year is that everyone's in the mood for a party! I mean, come on. Thanksgiving has got to be the most celebrated dinner party of all time. And that rolls straight into all the holiday cookie and cocktail parties, topped off with a big, year-end New Year's Eve bash!

And, look, 2020's probably cramping your party style. But that doesn't mean you have to totally skip celebrating the season with your people. If you've been staying safe with a small group of girlfriends, it's really the perfect time to celebrate together! Or if you're looking for a way to plan an awesome Zoom event for your babes, a holiday girls night could be just the thing, too!

Let's make it festive and fun!

Girls' night theme ideas

Video call: Ugly sweater party

This one totally works in person, but it's seriously just as fun virtually. Really, the goal here is to find the absolute UGLIEST Christmas sweater you can find. And trust me, there are some real stinkers out there!

The ugly sweaters give you plenty to talk about to get the party rolling, but we bet you'll stay on the video call a whole lot longer. You can even pick one person to DJ and have them play some holiday tunes throughout the hangout.

Text-based: Holiday movie marathon

For the easiest socially distanced party ever, pick a classic holiday movie and set a start time with your girls. Then, tee up a group chat. At the start time, you all press play on the movie. Then, you can group text throughout it, making fun of the cheesy holiday clichés, drooling over any hunky actors, or calling out the great song playing in the background! It's a fun way to stay connected with your girls without breaking any quarantining you've been doing in case you're seeing older relatives this holiday season.

Bonus: as the host, you can ship or drop off a little care kit to each girl. Include popcorn, holiday sweets, and a can of something delicious to drink, whether that's La Croix or canned rosé.

In-person: It's a wrap party

Wrapping holiday gifts can be a drag. But it's way more fun with friends! Have everyone bring their own wrapping paper, scissors, and tape. As the hostess, you can help out by providing gift tags and ribbon.

Then, get together and get those presents wrapped! You could even do this in a park and have everyone bring their own blanket to sit on so you can socially distance.

Swap around the different wrapping papers everyone brought. By the time you're done hanging out, you'll have your gift wrapping done, you'll look like you splurged big on that wrapping, and you'll have had quality time with your ladies at girls night!

In-person: healthy cookie exchange

Put an LSF spin on the traditional cookie exchange. Decide how big your group will be (remember, smaller is safer!). Then, have everyone make six cookies per person, including yourself. So if you're getting together with three other girls, make 24 cookies.

Challenge everybody to make healthy versions of their favorite holiday goodies. This is an awesome time to try vegan, gluten-free, or naturally sweetened baking!

Everyone brings their cookies and you can have a little sampling party. Then, send everyone home with a mix of the leftovers. That way, you only have to make one batch of cookies, but you get to try a handful of different types! Need some ideas for healthy desserts? Check out the delish healthy holiday sweets we have in the Holiday Survival Guide or all of the yummy treats we have on the LSF Blog!

Planning the perfect girls' night

Coodinating a holiday girls' night all comes down to getting everyone on the same page. And that was a whole lot easier when you just had to tell people to show up at a certain place at a certain time.

If you're doing things virtually, it can be a little tricky. We recommend putting reminders on your calendar to check in with everyone the day before and day-of to make sure everyone's still in —and to make sure their tech is ready if you're doing a video call.

A great girls night can be something you make into a tradition. Loved your movie/group chat night? Put one on the calendar every month! Your girls nights DEF don't need to end with the holidays!

To help you put together the perfect girls' night now and in 2021, we've got our new #GOALS Planner ready for you!

Holiday movie suggestions for your girls' night

Whether the holiday movie will be the main event of your girls' night or you might put one on at the end as things wind down, it's good to have some options in your back pocket. Here are a few of our faves!

A Christmas Prince (Netflix): Equal parts cheesy and sweet, this one's a fun watch. And it has plenty of sequels, too!

Miracle on 34th Street (Disney+): If you haven't watched this holiday classic yet, what are you waiting for??

White Christmas (Netflix): Another throwback, this movie has incredible songs, amazing clothes, and lots of seasonal cheer.

Elf (Hulu): Need I say more?

The Princess Switch: Switched Again (Netflix): If you watched Vanessa Hudgens in The Princess Switch last year, you'll be glad to know that she's BACK for another round.

Bad Moms Christmas (Netflix): Mila Kunis. Kristen Bell. SUSAN SARANDON. And it's on Netflix? That's a win.

Happy holidays to all my LSF babes!