A 007 James Bond Christmas Party: Blackjack, Bond Girls & a Party for a Cause
Every year, on the first Saturday in December, we host our annual Christmas party. It has become one of my favorite traditions—and over the years, I’ve learned that I really love giving each party something that makes it memorable.
For our 7th annual Christmas party, the theme practically named itself:
007.
It was 2016, and we turned our home into our own little James Bond casino night—complete with blackjack, Bond girls, black tie, cocktails, a DIY photo booth, life-size James Bond cutouts and, most importantly, a way to use all the fun to raise money for a cause very close to our hearts.
Looking back ten years later, this is still one of my favorite parties we’ve ever hosted.
The Invitation: The Kiles 007th Annual
I designed the invitation myself and had so much fun working little Bond references into it.
Instead of calling it our seventh annual party, it became:
The Kiles 007th Annual “Season Opener.”
December 3 became Saturday 003 December, and the invitation promised exactly what guests could expect:
Blackjack | Cocktails | Food
For attire, I simply said “007 attire optional.”
That turned out to be one of my favorite decisions of the entire party.
Let Your Guests Have Fun With the Dress Code
I didn't want everyone to feel like they had to show up in the same kind of costume, so we left the interpretation of “007” pretty wide open.
Some guests went full black tie. We had tuxedos, cocktail dresses and plenty of glamorous Bond girls. Others had much more fun with it and came dressed as characters inspired by the movies—including Goldfinger.
That mix made the party better.
Hosting tip: If you're throwing a themed party for adults, give people a theme but don't overprescribe the costume. Some people LOVE dressing up. Others would rather put on a great black dress or tux and call it done. Both should feel like they belong at the party.
The Blackjack Table That Started a Tradition
I knew I wanted some kind of activity at the party. One thing I've learned from hosting over the years is that even at a cocktail party, giving people something to do changes the energy of the night.
Blackjack was perfect for 007.
I rented a blackjack table, chips, stools and the accessories from a local DFW company, Casino Parties Inc. At the time, the rental was around $200 before delivery. We picked everything up ourselves. Keep in mind, that was in 2016—prices today will obviously be different.
Then I needed a dealer.
I started asking around and was connected with a guy named Sam Sayed.
I had no idea at the time how important that introduction would eventually become.
Making the Casino Night About Something Bigger
We wanted people to really play blackjack, but I didn't want to host a gambling night where people were playing for cash.
So we turned the entire thing into a fundraiser.
Our guests purchased their blackjack chips with cash, and 100% of that money became a donation to Cure SURF1, an organization that was especially meaningful to us because the son of a very close friend lives with a SURF1 gene mutation.
Sam kept track of everyone's winnings throughout the night on a notepad. Guests could continue playing with what they won, whether or not they chose to make additional donations.
At the end of the night, the player with the biggest winnings received a handle of Ketel One.
Importantly, the biggest winner wasn't necessarily the biggest donor. The donation got you into the game; after that, you could actually play to win.
By the end of the night, we had raised $2,000 for charity.
And then something happened that I have never forgotten.
I had planned to pay Sam $50 an hour to deal blackjack. Instead, he donated all of his earnings back to the fundraiser.
What I couldn't possibly have known that night was that Sam would eventually become a huge part of another important chapter of my life. Years later, Sam and I would work together through Dayna's Footprints, the nonprofit he co-founded that I became deeply involved with.
And the blackjack tradition never went away.
Every year since, we have included charity blackjack at our Christmas party, with Sam or his brother coming back to deal.
It all started with this party.
My Favorite Party Detail: The DIY James Bond Photo Booth
If you look through almost any party I've hosted, you'll probably find a photo area.
It is one of my favorite things to create.
For this one, I used a little three-walled nook in our house right in front of a bedroom and transformed it into a red-carpet-worthy Bond photo booth.
And it was surprisingly simple.
I hung red curtains using tension rods, so there was no complicated installation. Along the back wall, I attached netted Christmas lights, which gave the entire backdrop that glowing, glamorous look in photographs.
Then I added a life-size cardboard James Bond cutout and some fun photo props—playing cards, martini glasses, “007” signs and other Bond-inspired pieces.
People had SO much fun with it.
The James Bond cutouts were particularly funny because guests kept finding new ways to pose with them throughout the night.
If I were recreating this party today, the photo booth would absolutely stay.
An Easy Casino Backdrop
Behind the blackjack table was another extremely simple DIY.
There were closet doors and shelving in that part of the house that I didn't want showing, so I bought black fabric off a bolt, tacked it up to cover the area and added Christmas lights.
That's it.
It instantly made that section of the house feel darker, moodier and much more like a casino.
This is something I still believe about decorating for parties:
You don't have to transform every inch of your house.
Choose a few areas where you can create an experience and let those areas do the heavy lifting.
The Most Important Party Decoration Isn't Really a Decoration
After years of throwing parties, I have become convinced that ambiance matters more than having decorations everywhere.
My biggest rule?
Turn. The. Lights. Down.
Nothing kills a cocktail-party atmosphere faster than bright overhead lighting.
Use lamps. Use Christmas lights. Use candles where appropriate. Light the areas you want people drawn toward and let other areas stay darker.
And then:
Have a great playlist.
Music is not background filler to me. A playlist is a must.
The lighting and music together tell people, almost immediately, this isn't just another night standing around someone's kitchen.
It feels like a party.
The father of the boy with Surf1 speaking to the party about the organization.
Food, Drinks & Keeping Guests Moving
We had approximately 45 adults at this party, with food catered from Central Market and a bartender named Cory handling drinks.
We also rented two cocktail tables and placed them upstairs near the blackjack table. I love cocktail tables for parties because they naturally create little gathering places without making people feel like they need to sit down for dinner.
At the time, we paid our bartender around $250 for seven hours of work. Again, that was 2016 pricing, so I wouldn't use that as a current cost estimate.
I don't have my original savory menu from that night anymore—and I'm not going to pretend I remember it ten years later!—but I did save my dessert notes.
We served:
Two batches of brownies
A large batch of Costco peppermint bark
Chocolate peppermint bark pretzels from Costco
A box of tartlets
Nothing overly complicated.
That's another thing I've learned: not every single item at a great party needs to be homemade or elaborate.
I'd rather spend my energy on the details guests will remember.
And I can promise you: nobody remembers whether I personally made the peppermint bark.
They remember the blackjack table.
What I Would Do Again
Looking back at this party almost ten years later, what strikes me most is that the best parts weren't necessarily the most expensive ones.
If you're planning your own James Bond or casino-themed party, these are the things I'd absolutely repeat:
Give guests a flexible 007 dress code.
Create one fantastic photo area.
Use life-size Bond cutouts. They're ridiculous in exactly the right way.
Rent a real blackjack table instead of trying to DIY the game.
Give the game a purpose. Playing for charity made it so much more meaningful.
Use inexpensive fabric to disguise everyday parts of your house.
Dim the lights.
Make a great playlist.
Hire a bartender if your budget allows.
Create gathering spots with cocktail tables rather than adding lots of seating.
Don't overcomplicate the food.
Most of all, give people something to do.
Some of my favorite pictures from this night aren't posed photos at all. They're pictures of people crowded around that blackjack table, laughing, playing and spending time together.
That's what you're really creating when you host.
Not decorations.
Moments.
The Party That Became More Than a Party
When I look at these photos now, I see so much more than our seventh annual Christmas party.
I see friends who showed up in tuxedos and Bond girl dresses.
I see people being silly in a homemade photo booth.
I see a blackjack table that helped us raise $2,000 for a family and cause we cared deeply about.
I see the night we started a charitable tradition that we're still carrying on years later.
And I see a blackjack dealer named Sam who generously donated his pay back to our fundraiser—without either of us having any idea how much our paths would cross again in the future.
That's probably my favorite thing about hosting.
You put all this effort into creating one special night, thinking that's what you're making.
And sometimes, without realizing it, you're creating the beginning of a tradition. ♥️
