If you fancy doing something a little different this festive season, why not throw a Hawaiian fancy dress Christmas party?

You can start by swapping the Christmas tree for an inflatable or cardboard cut-out palm tree, unless your budget stretches to the real thing. There’s no need to desert the norm entirely though – Hawaiian fancy dress can be combined with more traditional Xmas costumes, such as Santa Clause and his elves wearing aloha shirts and flower garlands, or a grass-skirted angel wearing a coconut bra.

Get in the island mood by breaking out some tropically festive cocktails and keep some tinnies cold in a palm tree table top cooler. And what would a Hawaiian themed party be without a few Hawaiian party supplies, including some novelty inflatables scattered around the room, such as a shark, a parrot, or an oversized banana?

The piece de resistance of any Christmas party though, Hawaiian themed or otherwise, is of course the food. Tantalise your guests’ tastebuds by laying on a fabulous luau of tropically themed festive foods. A succulent joint of ham or gammon garnished with mouth-watering pineapple makes a splendid alternative to the traditional Christmas turkey, and instead of mince pies, consider serving a tropical fruit salad.

If you or your guests are musically minded, you could try to add a little extra ambience to your Hawaiian themed fancy dress Christmas party by banging out a few festive tunes on a steel strung guitar or a ukulele. Whatever you do, make sure you have a very merry aloha Christmas!