As you get into holiday party planning mode, surely you will be thinking of "goodwill toward men". Of course, this is the hallmark of a good party any time... And is especially easy to achieve at Christmastime, when most people are consciously turning their thoughts to joyfulness, concord, and cooperation.

I can’t think of anything more unifying than singing together!... if everyone likes to sing (and/or accompany on an instrument; or just hold the flashlight as the caroling group trudges through the snow!). And somehow holiday songs allow even the tuneless to blend harmoniously.

Caroling around the neighborhood, or just at home, is a ubiquitously favorite Christmas memory. (If you can do it outdoors, in the snow, so much the better! - well, if it isn’t too deep.) A director is useful - but everyone should get to choose a favorite carol. (And too many directors is, as elsewhere, counter to enjoyment.)

Try singing rounds of three different Christmas carols! - of three different tempos, but in melding keys. ...Unity is possible despite a multiplicity of voices, even of tunes (even in different languages) - it’s a good reminder.

Another activity that seems to be almost universally enjoyed is Charades. ...No, I don’t mean forcing everyone to act them out! - but almost everyone loves to guess at them; and the majority usually like to devise them. There are enough hams to keep everyone in stitches for a good long time without worrying the shy folks. (Kids and adults can play this together quite companionably, if the charades aren’t too esoteric - after all, most of the fun is in the silliness, not in the intellectualizing.) ...Christmas carol titles, perhaps? (Other favorite party games can be given a holiday bias as well.)

Speaking of which... What about reading Dickens’ A Christmas Carol, or watching the great old Alastair Sim movie together?

Thinking, then, of the problem of holiday curmudgeonliness... I don’t know whether A Christmas Carol actually has the power to dispel "bah-humbugness" in people - but I suspect that the movie "It’s a Wonderful Life" does! Then there’s "Miracle on 34^th Street"... Any other old favorites that warm the cockles of your heart? (Make the popcorn - eat some, string some more, while you watch.)