Create a Winter Wonderland. If you strive to be culturally diverse in all things, there are only two options for celebrating the winter holidays: combine all four traditions (Hanukkah, Christmas, Kwanzaa, and Yule) or simply celebrate winter! After all, once the snow starts, we're all in it together, whatever our spiritual bent. Create a winter wonderland using lots of silver, white, and ice. Decorate with white gossamer and silver ribbons, white lights, white and silver candles, silver confetti, and foil-wrapped candies. Serve "frostinis" (equal parts vodka, Bailey's Irish Cream, Godiva liqueur, and a dash of cream) and classic desserts that evoke snow, like white chocolate, marzipan, perhaps even baked Alaska?

Celebrate Twelfth Night. Maybe winter is such a long, dreary slog because all the season's holidays occur at its start. Ancient Romans and Olde Europeans broke winter's monotony with Twelfth Night. Observed on January 6, Twelfth Night held significance for both pagans and Christians, marking the end of the fall harvest festival and the reign of Saturn; the final mystical night of Christmas; Epiphany, or the adoration of the Magi; and the lead-up to Mardi Gras. However you look at it, Twelfth Night is pure carnival, a magical time when anything goes. Celebrate with costumes, masks, and a "king cake"—twisted bread covered with sugar and containing a trinket whose recipient becomes party king or queen. Think upside-down world. Shakespeare didn't call his play "Twelfth Night (Or, What You Will)" for nothing.

Forget Fruitcake. That doorstopper cake traditionally made with candied fruit, suet, and booze might seem edible to the English, but for Americans, it's the only present worse than getting no present at all. But just because you might receive one doesn't mean you have to eat it. Instead, place it on a bed of holly and evergreen, scatter it with pinecones, insert candles, and voila, you've got yourself a charming holiday centerpiece that nobody needs to taste. Instead, bake a walnut cake, top it with liquor glaze, and serve it with Irish Coffee and cream. Mmmm. Now that's more like it.

Make It, Literally, a House Party. Even if Christmas isn't your thing, doubtless you can't resist the scent of gingerbread—it's pure nostalgia. Assembling and decorating gingerbread houses makes for a project that's fun, relaxing, and potentially altruistic. So find an organization willing to accept your wares, bake up several sheets of gingerbread, assemble a supply of candies, icing, cake decorations, and cardboard bases, invite your friends over for an afternoon, and get building. Many organizations—from homeless shelters to Habitat for Humanity—annually raffle off gingerbread houses at fundraisers.

Satisfy a Yearn to Learn. Always wanted to know how to make classic holiday foods from scratch? Invite your favorite folks around for a session of preparing eggnog, latkes, tamales, chocolate candy, Yule log cake, or one of hundreds of traditional holiday specialties. Print out recipe cards and tie them with ribbons onto attractive containers and wrapped foods to send samples home with your guests.

Shift into Reverse. Heard of "Christmas in July" parties? Experience Christmas the way they do Down Under with a "July in December" shindig! For decorations, the tackier the combo of summer bash and winter holiday themes, the better: beach balls decorated with snowflake patterns, poinsettias, checkered tablecloths, Christmas lights, tropical flowers, and candy canes. Seat guests on beach chairs, hand out Santa hats and sunglasses as party favors, serve margaritas and picnic food, and hey, why not do the limbo?

Make the Party Your Gift. Inviting the crowd over to create simple, beautiful gifts for them to keep or give away—like luminaries, candles, beaded jewelry, soaps, or window ornaments—proves the old adage that, come holiday time, togetherness and thoughtfulness count more than price tags. For ideas, and reasonably priced holiday gift-making kits, visit www.hearthsong.com.

Turn Your Gifts into a Party. Maybe you've received a few unwanted gifts, or there's so much unusable stuff hanging around that you can't wait for springtime and yard sale season. Throwing a "gift exchange" party before New Year's is a great way to get rid of junk and blow off steam. Ask each guest to bring an unwanted, wrapped item and enjoy the swap.

Be Progressive. Like having friends and family over, but hate the thought of doing all the cooking and cleanup yourself? Organize a progressive dinner and spread the party around. Meeting with your joint hosts and hostesses to organize the event is half the fun! Feature five courses as stops along the way: appetizers and cocktails; soup and salad; main course; dessert and coffee; fruit, cheese, and liqueurs. Create a menu and map to send to guests.

Viva la Fiesta! Maybe it's not the holidays themselves that have come to be no fun, but the way in which they're celebrated. Try jazzing things up by injecting a little cultural diversity. Celebrate Latin-style with Latino Christmas tunes and salsa lessons. Go bright with the decorations—neon-colored margarita glasses, black tablecloths topped with colored confetti, piñatas, chili pepper lights tossed around cactus plants—and serve lots of hot, chili-based foods (try chocolate-dipped chili peppers) will more than spice things up.

Give 'Em Candy. Candy is a time-honored Hanukkah and Christmas tradition. A candy party is an easy party alternative that both kids and adults enjoy. Use candy to decorate and hide some of it throughout the house (like Hanukkah gelt) and hold a contest—whomever finds the most wins a prize!

It's About the Light. If you've got access to a fireplace, bonfire, or chimenea, you've got everything you need. Reach out to a few folks you don't know well, and spread the light.