One word: CRAFTS!

For the over-3 kids: I'd comb the local crafts store. Get the usual drawing and coloring items, construction paper, scissors, and pipe cleaners, glue, foam balls, etc. Add stuff from home like toilet paper and paper towel rolls, and buttons. Beads and cording are a huge hit for girls, since they love to make jewelry. Craft stores will have all sorts of neat things like foam visors and tiaras with foam shapes to glue on... there'll be lots of Christmas stuff out by then, too. You can also buy a large roll of paper (like butcher paper) and roll it out on the floor and let them go at it with the crayons and markers. If things can get messy you can add paints and glitter. Don't forget bags for them to take their creations home.

The 3-and-under crowd have to be constantly supervised anyway, but you can give them edible crafts. One idea is to put out pointy ice cream cones, green tinted frosting, and small candies... the kids can coat the cones with the frosting and stick candies on them and they look just like Christmas trees. (Have enough for older kids, too, because they will want to do this also.) You can give the little ones the crayons, paper, and coloring books, too, of course. If there aren't too many kids, they can decorate a gingerbread house that you've already put together.

A craft area attracts kids like a magnet and I've never met a kid who didn't like to be creative. My daughter and her friends made beautiful flowers from a bag of assorted "petals" and pipe cleaners. When we added beads they used those as heads and made beautiful fairies with petal skirts!

If the weather's good, all the kids can be led on a nature hunt and gather leaves, sticks, and pinecones to go in and use for crafts, too.

Cheers, from
SwampWitch

p.s. Recruiting parents for organized games would be good to do after they've had sugar. There are many books with great kids' games ideas and most don't need any extra props.

That's a great idea! I can set up some craft stuff for the kids to make the baby their own birthday card. All of the kids are relatives, or our friends kids who are under 5 years old and they are kids that we will be associated with for a lifetime - so we can keep them and show them to them when they are all older. Since there are so many adults there, they can help out or make a card of their own!