Light Up Christmas: A Festive Lantern Craft Party for Kids!

in Christmas, December 21, 2025

Get ready to sleigh ride into the holidays with a Glow-rious lantern craft for kids that turns a simple activity into pure Christmas magic!

With flickering fairy lights, whimsical silhouettes, and glittering embellishments, kids will create lanterns that twinkle from the inside out. As the lights glow and shadows dance, each jar becomes its own tiny, luminous holiday story. 

Whether Santa is soaring across a starlit sky or reindeer are prancing through snowy nights, Christmas cheer sparkles in every creation. Perfect for parties, playdates, or a cosy holiday afternoon at home, each lantern becomes a sweet take-home keepsake.

So cue the carols, dim the lights, and let the lantern-making begin!

What You’ll Find in This Post

Magical Christmas Invitations

Kick off your Christmas party with invitations that sparkle with festive charm!

Design custom invites featuring glowing jars, twinkling lights, Santa silhouettes, and snowy night skies, or explore pre-made options at Inspired Party Design to set the magical tone.

💡 Tip: Include a ‘What’s Your Elf Name?’ card in the envelope to get kids excited for the fun to come!

Gingerbread house themed Christmas party invitation on a red envelope and displayed on a smartphone, promoting Inspired Party Design shop.
Gingerbread house themed Christmas party invitation with a green envelope, promoting Inspired Party Design shop.

How to Set Up a Christmas Lantern Craft Party 

Sprinkle some North Pole magic and set up a cosy, glow-filled crafting nook that invites creativity and Christmas cheer.

Party Setup Essentials:

  • 6-foot folding table
  • 10-foot adjustable backdrop stand
  • 90 x 132-inch sequin tablecloth
  • 6-foot fabric backdrop

💡 Tip: Check out Inspired Party Backdrops for reusable, photo-ready designs that make every party picture-perfect!

Christmas-Themed Decorations:

  • A winter wonderland backdrop
  • Silver sequin tablecloth
  • White cake stands to display mason jars
  • Silver tinsel layered under jars for extra sparkle
  • Mason jars

💡 Tip: Place lid decorations inside the mason jars to keep the table clutter-free, or store supplies neatly in Santa’s Secret Stash Bags.

Create Your Christmas Lanterns 

Time for the twinkly main event — creating glowing Christmas fairy jar lanterns. 

What You’ll Need:

  • Mason jars (pre-wrapped in tissue paper)
  • Christmas silhouettes (Santa, reindeer, trees, sleighs)
  • Battery-operated LED tea lights or fairy lights
  • Festive embellishments (mini baubles, foliage, ribbons, bells etc)
  • Glue, glue dots, or low-heat hot glue guns

💡 Tip: Prep jars ahead of time with tissue paper and Mod Podge to reduce mess and keep the focus on decorating and creativity.

Instructions:

Choose Your Scene
Each child selects a Christmas silhouette that sparks their imagination. Santa flying through the sky? Reindeer dancing in the snow? Let the story begin!

Stick the Magic
Carefully glue the silhouette to the inside of the jar using Mod Podge or craft glue, positioning it so it’s clearly visible once the light is inside.

Light It Up
Place LED tea lights or fairy lights inside the jar, arranging them around the silhouette so the scene glows beautifully from within.

Decorate the Lid
Kids can decorate the jar lids with festive embellishments like mini baubles, greenery, ribbons, or bells to add extra Christmas charm.

Glow & Show
Once complete, dim the lights and admire the magical glow! Provide bags so kids can safely transport their lanterns home.

Holly Jolly Christmas Games

Keep the festive fun going with Christmas games everyone will love!

  • Pass the Christmas Tree: Sit in a circle and pass a soft Christmas tree pillow while the music plays. When the music stops, the player holding the tree is out! The last person left is the winner!
  • Santa’s Scavenger Hunt: Hide clue-filled Christmas ornaments for kids to find one by one, each leading to the next hiding place, until the final clue reveals Santa’s sack of goodies!
  • Santa’s Delivery Race – Divide guests into teams to deliver small presents to designated ‘houses’ in a relay-style race.

💡 Tip: Create a fun ‘North Pole Photo Booth’ with props like wreath necklaces or candy cane arches for adorable pictures.

LED light-up Christmas tree pillow with a soft fabric design, used as a fun prop for kids’ Christmas party games.
Christmas-themed photo booth props with festive images and holiday sentiments for kids’ party photos.

Santa-Approved Christmas Treats

After all that decorating, it’s time to treat your little elves to some holly-jolly snacks!

  • Christmas Cocoa Bar: Warm up their hands and hearts with a cosy Christmas Cocoa Bar! Serve hot chocolate from a festive dispenser in candy-cane–striped mugs or cups. To make it easy (and less messy), hand out cocoa bombs so kids can drop, watch, and stir up the magic.
  • Polar Express Popcorn: All aboard the Polar Express Popcorn Station! Serve popcorn in mini sleigh crates or festive boxes with themed mix-ins like Gingerbread Crunch, Jingle Bell Jumble, or Coconut Snowball. Add “All Aboard!” ticket labels for each flavour to keep the fun rolling.
  • Christmas Tree Cones: Transform simple ice cream cones into edible evergreens! Dip each cone in green melted chocolate, then decorate with candy stars, sugar pearls, and Christmas sprinkles to look like sparkling mini trees.

💡 Tip: Create a ‘Tinsel Toppings Bar’ where kids can mix and match goodies like mini marshmallows, crushed candy canes, chocolate chips, and festive sprinkles!

Kids’ Christmas hot cocoa setup with a milk dispenser, chocolate hot cocoa bombs in a glass, and festive holiday decorations.
Close-up of a glass mug with a candy cane handle containing two red-foil chocolate hot cocoa bombs for a kids’ Christmas drink.
Close-up of Christmas Jingle Bell Jumble popcorn in a Santa sleigh crate with a train ticket-style label for a kids’ Polar Express popcorn bar.
Kids’ Christmas party popcorn bar featuring a Polar Express train backdrop, red sequin-covered table, and sleigh-style crates holding assorted popcorn with train ticket labels.

Elf-Approved Party Favours

Send your little elves home with gifts as sweet and magical as the season itself! Each favour adds a sprinkle of North Pole charm and is the perfect ending to a day of Christmas creativity.

  • Portable North Pole Reindeer: Pop a plush reindeer into a mini North Pole mailbox for a fun surprise straight from Santa’s stables! Add a postage-style name tag and slip in a ‘special delivery’ note from the North Pole for a keepsake that feels truly magical.
  • Portable North Pole Elves: Hang elf-themed stockings from a stocking holder or garland, each one labelled with a child’s name tag. Tucked inside, a cheeky elf awaits, ready to keep an eye on things until Christmas Eve!
  • DIY Christmas Wands: Every elf needs a little sparkle! In a Santa’s Secret Stash bag, tuck a wooden craft star wand along with glitter pots, Posca paint pens, ribbons, and trims. Encourage kids to decorate their wands at home and cast a little Christmas cheer wherever they go!
  • DIY Christmas Jewelry Kits: Let kids create and wear their own holiday bling! Fill Santa-themed bags with colourful beads and elastic, and add a festive name tag for a fun, personal touch.

💡 Tip: Add a touch of magic to every favour with printable ‘From Santa’s Workshop’ or ‘Elf-Inspected’ tags. Because Santa knows better than anyone that the magic’s in the details!

Red North Pole post box party favours with plush reindeer peeking out, displayed for a kids’ Christmas party.
Elf-themed Christmas stockings hanging from a “Believe” stocking holder, each containing one portable North Pole elf as a kids’ party favour.
Sparkly Christmas wand in red, green, and gold with ribbon accents, used as a children’s party favour.
Santa face fabric bags filled with DIY jewelry kits as Christmas party favours for kids.

More Christmas Party Ideas to Explore

A Christmas Lantern Craft Party is a glowing blend of creativity, imagination, and holiday magic, making it one of our favourite party ideas for the festive season! Kids will love creating lanterns that light up their rooms, their homes, and their Christmas memories. It’s hands-on, heartwarming, and filled with twinkly, memory-making moments.

Looking for more Christmas inspiration? Try these party ideas next:

Kids' Christmas reindeer adoption party activity table with snowy backdrop, silver sequin tablecloth, and plush North Pole reindeer in crates.
Christmas house decorating party table set up with red sequin tablecloth, snowy reindeer backdrop, undecorated wooden houses on cake stands with silver tinsel, red Santa’s Secret Stash supply bags, and paint pots.
Completed Christmas slime in clear jar with gingerbread men and Christmas-themed resin charms, displayed on red sequin tablecloth.
Decorated Crafty Christmas Tree from a kids’ party with bright colourful gems on a red charger plate.

Christmas Lantern Craft Party FAQs

What age group is this activity best for?
Ages 5–12. Younger kids will love choosing silhouettes and lights, while older kids can get creative with detailed scenes and lid decorations.

How long does this Christmas lantern craft for kids take?
Around 30 – 60 minutes, depending on how detailed your little elves get!

Are the supplies safe for kids?
Yes! Always use battery-operated LED lights and choose styles with secure screw-close battery compartments. For younger children, skip hot glue and stick to glue dots or child-safe craft glue. If hot glue is used, provide silicone finger covers and close adult supervision.

Do kids need help with this activity?
Younger children may need assistance with gluing silhouettes or lid decorations, but most kids can decorate independently with some supervision.

Can I get matching party items?
Absolutely! We’ve got everything you need to make your setup sparkle:

Snowy Christmas tree party backdrop displayed on a backdrop stand, promoting Inspired Party Backdrops shop.
Snowy Christmas tree party backdrop displayed on a wall, promoting Inspired Party Backdrops shop.

Let The Jingle Bells Ring!

We can’t wait to see the magical lanterns your little elves create.

Tag us @InspiredPartyCo and use #ChristmasLanternParty to share the festive fun!

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