If you’re hosting a shower in the last quarter of the year you will run into quite a few holidays! Halloween, Thanksgiving and Christmas kind of monopolize the last 3 months of the year. You can of course still host a shower with any theme of your choosing during these months. But it could also be fun to lean into the festivities and find a theme that matches the holiday spirit! I’m getting you started with some inspiration for themes that will have your guests feeling spooky, thankful and jolly!
A Baby is Brewing
Some people might shy away from a Halloween themed shower. Maybe thinking it doesn’t feel cheerful enough for celebrating a new baby. But if the mama to be is a Halloween fan let’s add a little scary to the special. It doesn’t have to be a costume party (although I would definitely support that), but the decor, snacks and games can all have a spooky touch.
For decor, consider using purple, black, orange and green for your color palette. A balloon arch in these colors will make a big statement. You can add mini jack-o-lanterns to the tables or some adorable DIY mummy candles for centerpieces. And certainly you’ve seen this fun bat trend on instagram? It would work great for your shower as well!
There are also plenty of spooky snacks to drive your theme home. Mummy dogs (think Halloween pigs in a blanket), a cheese ball that looks like a pumpkin, and Mexican dip with a sour cream spider web would all be deliciously thematic. And of course you can’t forget the witches brew (you’re favorite punch served in a cauldron)!
Cutest Pumpkin in the Patch
Maybe the honored mama to be isn’t into Halloween but you still want to keep with a seasonal theme. Solution? Trade the ghosts and witches for all things pumpkin. The decor is easy as (pumpkin) pie, with a quick trip to the local farmers market. You can grab pumpkins of all shapes, sizes and colors! I know orange is the traditional pumpkin color but you can usually also find white and even some pastel reds and green. And of course some fun striped, bumpy gourds too!
For serving, I love the idea of making these adorable pumpkin serving bowls! Perfect for any snacks you want. For drinks, you could do some classic baby shower punch but a great addition could be a fall themed hot chocolate bar. It’s cozy and delicious!
One of my favorite favors, for any themed shower, are specially decorated sugar cookies. They double as a sweet treat for dessert, and make a beautiful display for the guests. You can work with a local baker or if there isn’t a speciality bakery near you, Etsy has some lovely customizable cookies available to be shipped!
Looking for some pumpkin activities to keep guests entertained? You could do some pumpkin trivia with prizes for the winner, guess how many candy pumpkins are in the baby bottle, or if you have a mama to be with a sense of humor an over/under guessing game comparing the size of a pumpkin with the size of mamas belly!
Thankful for Our Little Turkey
A shower all about being thankful for the newest little turkey? Seems like a perfect fit! Plus! Thanksgiving is a holiday that includes a whole lot of eating and find me a pregnant woman that doesn’t want to do that! You could have a low-key Friendsgiving event or could stick with a more traditional shower but with plenty of turkey touches!
Start with some adorable turkey invitations, then plan a menu to match. Even if you’re not wanting to go all out with a full thanksgiving meal, you can do thanksgiving in miniature! Think mini pumpkin pies, individual sweet potato gratins and turkey sandwiches on mini croissants.
In lieu of a guest book you could have guests write something about motherhood or the baby that they are thankful for that the mom-to-be can read later. These would make wonderful keepsakes for a baby book too! How about a baby food guessing game to get your guests laughing? You could have everyone participate or just the mama to be. Have a few samples of thanksgiving themed baby food ready to go (green beans, sweet potatoes, pumpkin, apple, turkey etc). Have the game players sample them blind folded (so the color doesn’t give it away) and try to guess the flavor.
Baby It’s Cold Outside
A classic holiday song that doubles as a perfect baby shower theme! The baby is built right in! Because it’s more winter themed than focused on a particular holiday, it can work for just about any mom to be. For the decor, I would suggest white, silver and an accent color.
For some themed snacks, you could have a snowman cheese ball, white chocolate dipped strawberries, and mini soup cups to keep things cozy.
A popular baby shower game is “The Price is Right”. A game where guests have to make their best guesses on the cost of different baby items. This game could be easily fit a winter theme by choosing winter baby items. Things like a snowsuit, baby hat, mittens socks or winter stroller accessories.
For a favor, a personalized lip balm would be great! We all know our lips get extra chapped during those cold winter months so this take away is both helpful and cute!
Ugly Sweater Couples Shower
If you’re wanting to include the fellas in your shower festivities, I love the idea of an ugly sweater shower! It can sometimes be tricky to convince partners to want to participate in a baby shower. They immediately think of is pastel pink or blue, and cheesy shower games. But getting to wear a silly sweater (with a possible prize for the tackiest of the tacky), and a more low key atmosphere might be just the encouragement they need! You could decorate onesie shaped Christmas cookies, use your favorite holiday children’s story as a guest book and have guests suggest special holiday traditions to start with your new addition.
There are countless way to incorporate the festive atmosphere of the holidays into the shower you’re planning. Whether you’re wanting to host a spooktacular baby bash or a holly jolly holiday shower, hopefully these themes give you some inspiration as you get started!