Hosting a children's Christmas party for your child or class? Aah, the fun, the games and the noise, noise, noise! Hosting a Christmas party for a gaggle of kids can be a stressful affair. Children eagerly awaiting Santa's visit and caught up in the excitement of the holiday season can be a handful but a well thought-out party plan will save the day and your sanity.

Help! Be sure to have help on hand. Other parents or teachers can help keep the kids contained and the party events moving along in orderly fashion. If this is a school party, solicit parent volunteers to bring the refreshments. No need for anything fancy, cookies or cupcakes and punch will please any kid. Keep the decorations simple too. Remember that what goes up must come down. Keeping it simple makes for easy clean-up. String a little tinsel here and there; some red & green balloons and you've got instant kid party atmosphere!

Plan the fun! Children love playing games, so give them what they want. Christmas party games are a great way to keep them entertained and the party under control. There are a number of games that your group will love from the wee little ones to the older kids. Keep the game selection easy by using previously designed games printable from any computer. Here's a sampling that you might find appropriate for your party:

Pin the Star on the Christmas Tree The Christmas version of the all time favorite kids' game! You print the tree and the star, tack tree to a wall and the kids try to pin the star on the tree blindfolded. Kids love playing this game over and over.

Christmas Lost and Found Children match a picture only game card to the matching picture on the "lost" items sheet. The perfect game for kids who can't read & those who can! A Christmas game for kids of all ages!

Christmas Trivia for Kids Just for the kids! Players will have fun trying to answer questions about Santa's reindeer, Frosty the Snowman, the Grinch and other children's favorite holiday interests. A fun kids Christmas game sure to produce giggles!

Santa's Nose & Toes Given these fun little word clues, see who can figure out the names of these common parts of Santa Clause! Great for the wee little ones. Kids love this Christmas game!

Reindeer Mix Up! Santa has his reindeer's names all mixed up! Who can un-mix this jumble of letters to come up with all the reindeer names and then figure out who's missing? A certain reindeer song will help the kids with this Christmas game!

Holiday Word Finds Great for the older children. How many Christmas words can be found in a jumble of letters? Choose from traditional Christmas words or holiday terms that are nonreligious (great for the school Christmas party).

Holiday Crosswords Christmas crosswords are fun for young and old! Family members can solve this together. Great for classroom parties or any holiday get together!

For quieter sit-down activities creating crafts or food items is a great choice. Pre-baked cookies in Christmas shapes are great fun to decorate with a variety of colored icings and sprinkles. How about a gingerbread house party that all the kids participate in decorating? Making Christmas ornaments or cards is also a lot of fun. With glitter, fun shapes, colored makers and Christmas style stickers, the kids are sure to enjoy themselves.

In true Peanuts fashion, why not host a decorate-the-tree party? Inexpensive lights, tinsel and homemade ornaments make a memorial event to mark the season for the kids. Perhaps they can decorate their own classroom tree or a tree to be donated to a local nursing home or hospital.

Is it early in the Christmas season? Perhaps a letter-to-Santa party would fit the bill. Children become very prolific when writing to his holiday holiness which is great fun to read. Copying the letters would be a wonderful parting gift for the parents too. Perhaps a collection of the funniest ones for a future book? Have a big red Santa bag or mail bag and envelops marked with the North Pole address. When complete, the letters are collect for special delivery.When complete, the letters are collect for special delivery.

Don't forget a visit from Santa. Maybe a jolly volunteer will don the famous red suit to bring the little ones a little Christmas magic. A visit from his jolliness is sure to be an event not soon forgotten.

There you have it, a fun and stress-free Christmas party for your children or class. No matter what party theme or Christmas party games you choose, be sure to enjoy yourself too. Children have a way of making the magic of the holiday season come alive. Make sure you take the time to catch it!