Swimming Pool Games to Keep You Active This Summer
May 22, 2023
You know the year has flown by when you realise it’s just over a month until Christmas! This year has been intense and unusual, so naturally we all want to catch up and celebrate with loved ones over the festive season.
Of course, many of us are still deciding how and where we will entertain our family and friends for our Christmas gathering.
The logistics of Christmas entertaining can be complicated – guests are running on their schedules and will arrive and leave at different times, so seating arrangements and how and when to prepare food all need to be considered.
While a Christmas lunch inside is the typical choice, you might find things get a bit cramped with everyone over, so it’s worth thinking about having your meal outside, where your pool area can be the main attraction of your get-together.
There are many reasons why you should think about hosting your Christmas gathering in your backyard. To begin with, you often have more room outside to work with. There’s nothing worse than being cramped inside a living or dining room, with many other guests.
Backyard entertaining allows you to cater to larger party numbers, and you can seat your guests without much difficulty. Hire or buy some cheap plastic chairs if you’ll need some extra seating for your guests.
Another upside to Christmas in your yard is that you can get cozy with friends and family around a fire pit. These outdoor heaters will not only keep you warm – they’ll also add some Christmas cheer to your outdoor space. It always feels like Christmas when you can warm your hands and feet by the fireplace – a fire pit takes that same delightful feeling outside!
Less people in your house also helps to prevent muddy footprints being strewn throughout the house. If you have a side gate, get your guests to use it rather than walking through the thoroughfares of your house.
Christmas by the pool allows you to keep your entertaining casual. Use your barbeque so you can still be present with your guests while cooking a delicious meal. Recyclable paper plates will make clean-up super easy and will mean there’s less to wash up. While you won’t be swimming, your pool will be the perfect backdrop to your entertaining.
We have some great tips on how to make your pool area more Christmas-friendly. Your pool area can easily be the focal point of your decorating: wrap tinsel around poolside plants to transform them into miniature Christmas trees, and if possible, hang some Christmas lights in your garden to shine a warm glow on your pool.
There are several ways to style your outdoor table for Christmas. Our advice is to select a theme and decorations that will align with it. For a traditional green, red and gold theme, some artificial holly in a jar, surrounded by some battery-operated candles will create a delightful display. If you’d like a beachy, coastal Christmas for a completely different feel, there are decorations available that will work well throughout your pool space. Santa’s wearing sunglasses are a quirky option to stand near your pool, and you could add a small towel to their arms so they look like they’re ready for a swim! For your table, some sparkly starfish decorations are the perfect accessory.
For some Christmas music to play while your guests are over, set up a portable speaker.
Preparing your party food can be and should be easy. Forget slaving over an oven to prepare a typical Christmas roast, and opt for smaller bites that will make poolside entertaining a breeze.
Here are some delicious, easy meal ideas that will satisfy all your guests:
What’s great about these meal ideas is that they can be adjusted to your personal taste, and they can be eaten with just your hands – so you won’t have to end up washing utensils!
Christmas entertaining doesn’t need to be complicated. By using your pool area to create your Christmas-themed get-together, you’ll have a beautiful place to reconnect with family and friends, and to enjoy the festivities with them.
