Most college students work hard for their degree and graduate in the summer, either on time or a year late. Summer graduations are fun, exciting, and celebrated with family and friends. But there are some students who are a semester off and end up graduating in December. While these graduations are still exciting and important, they can often go uncelebrated and many times this is because of the holidays.
Your student has worked harder than ever before for the past few years and they finally have something to prove it and to be proud of. Celebrating their winter graduation should be a priority and is just as important as a summer graduation party.
In a past blog, we discussed the importance of celebrating a college graduation. And in this blog, we will talk specifically about winter graduations. At ROUGE Fine Catering, we know the importance of celebrating the special moments in life, that is why we offer catering for all events, big and small. Your child’s college graduation, whether it is in the summer or winter, should be a celebrated event. Planning a winter graduation, much like a winter wedding, can include a ton of fun winter themed decorations, activities, and catering, making it special and unique.
Catering
Let’s start with the menu. ROUGE Fine Catering offers gourmet options for any of your events, from weddings to Sunday night games, we can help you find the perfect choices. And that includes your child’s college graduation party. Creating the perfect winter graduation menu is easy because we offer so many different options. Make your student’s grad party memorable and special with a unique menu from ROUGE. Be sure to check out our full menu for more options, and keep reading for some great ideas!
Catering can change drastically depending on whether the event is in the summer or winter. Since you are planning a winter graduation party, you will want to think about what food and drink options to go with that will keep your guests warm and cozy but that are also easy to munch on. Graduation parties generally have buffet style entrees with a ton of different snacks. Finger food is a go to for grad parties and it is important to remember most people walk around and mingle as they eat, so finger foods are one of the better choices.
A few of our favorite options are a perfect fix of gourmet flavors and finger food, making them a choice that is unique and easy to eat. Don’t stick with the boring chips and salsa mix, while that is always an easy choice that everyone loves, ROUGE makes it easy to spice it up.
Our charcuterie board is a great option with a ton of choices. Get an assortment of sausages, cheeses, dried fruit, flatbreads, olives, and more all on one board with a beautiful display. Your guests are sure to find something they enjoy off of this board. Our crudité mosaic is another great options. This hors d’oeuvre option offers raw seasonal vegetables with different hummus dips and a french onion dip.
While soup is not finger food, they are a great choice for a winter event. And some of our soup choices are perfect for your December graduation party. Our pumpkin and apple bisque offers seasonal tastes, perfect for a winter event. Or try the french onion and the house-made chicken vegetable soup. Their options are classics that everyone loves and will enjoy during a cold winter day. Our house-made chili bar offers vegetarian and classic beef chili with a ton of different toppings your guest will love. Add our mini house-made rolls for a perfect combination!
As for desserts, there are many great choices that ROUGE offers, which are great for winter events. Our cinnamon sugar pretzel bites are an easy dessert that your guests can simply snack on. Some other easy and delicious choices are our candy cane marshmallow pops, s’mores pops, chocolate covered pretzels, and chocolate truffles. These desserts are easy to eat and small, allowing your guests to try one of each! As for great winter drinks to serve at your grad party, hot chocolate, apple cider, and Irish coffee make some warm and delicious choices.
ROUGE Fine Catering offers many great options to choose from, allowing you to find the perfect menu for your student’s graduation party. Be sure to check out our menu to find the perfect selections! Now, let’s move on to the rest of the party.
Decorations
Decorating for a graduation party generally includes a ton of the school colors and the graduate’s photos. While this is always a great and easy option, there are ways to incorporate holiday and winter decoration in as well. If you have a Christmas tree up, replace your usual ornaments with some bulb ornaments that are the school’s colors. You can also hang your student’s old school ornaments up, the ones that they made throughout elementary school. Many of these probably have old pictures of them, others may be old crafts they created. These are fun because it can show the transformation from child to adult—the beginning of their school career and the end.
If it is snowing outside, and not melting, build a snowman and dress him in your student’s school apparel. Put a hat, scarf, and sweatshirt on the snowman to help represent the school. You could even add the graduation cap to the snowman for an extra touch. This could also help people know exactly where the party is and is a fun activity to do with your family, even though your child is graduating college doesn’t mean they won’t enjoy building a snowman.
Hanging streamers and balloons using the school colors are an easy option for grad party decoration, but take it a step further and add some holiday spirit in the mix with lights. Find string lights that are the school colors and hang them around the home. The mix of lights and streamers is simple and will create a beautiful decoration combination.
Decorations for graduation don’t have to extravagant. Streamers, balloons, tablecloths, and some confetti will get the job done, and with these tips, you can incorporate winter and holiday-themed decor as well!
Activities
While summer graduations are great for yard games like ladder ball, cornhole, volleyball, and other fun games, it is a little harder to do these things during a winter grad party. But that doesn’t mean you can’t have fun activities at your grad party. A fire pit outside can help people enjoy some time in the outdoors without getting too cold, this is also a great time to make some s’mores. Have a snowman building contest, many of the adults will enjoy feeling like a kid again. Or if everyone is up for it, play dodgeball with snowballs! While these may be better ideas for your child’s birthday party, it could be fun for your student and their college friends.
Other indoor activities that can keep people entertained could include ping pong, billiards, karaoke, games, and even photo booths. If your basement is unfinished or has a lot of free space, you could even set up yard games down there, allowing guests to still enjoy party favorites without having to face the cold weather.
Setting up multiple activities and games will allow people to stay busy, enjoy some friendly competition, and enjoy the graduation party even more. Different activities that allow guest to do their own thing at the party are the best options, so find a few things that will keep them entertained and set them up around the house.
Planning a December graduation party for your student can be fun and unique. A winter graduation is just as important as a summer one, so make sure you plan a party that is fun and festive. A winter grad party can be different, with catering, decorating, and activity options that are unique for the winter season. If your grad is having a winter celebration, make sure you have the perfect catering choices. At ROUGE Fine Catering, we offer many different options, allowing you to find the perfect food and drink selection for your winter grad party. Learn more about us and see our menu now!