Decorate for Holiday Parties Like the Pros
The winter holidays are the ones that seem to involve the most decorations, yet they also seem to fall when we have the least amount of free time to decorate. Fortunately, you don’t have to go overboard or stress out to create decorative settings that will make any holiday party special. Plenty of pros use these simple tips and you can use them to make the parties in your homes in Apple Valley MN fabulous and festive.
Rather than pulling out every holiday decoration you have, try scaling back and focusing on a theme this season. That could be a simple color combination, patterns, lighting, or natural decorations. Choose an element to focus on and add simple touches to complement it. For example, plaid is hugely popular these days. Use placemats, napkins and/or decorative ribbons in your favorite plaid or even give a nod to Minnesota’s own Paul Bunyan with some red and black plaid.
Another option is to focus on a color, such as red or blue, paired with white or silver. White tabletop lanterns mixed in with smaller red tealight candle holders are a fun way to add light and atmosphere while keeping the overall color palette simple and elegant. You can always have some fun by adding in tree decorations that are solid colors in your chosen theme. Mix some sparkly white rocking horse decorations and silver ornaments with sparkly red garland for a whimsical tabletop display.
Lights are a great way to give your place a new look without having to go overboard on decorations. Vases full of string lights add a warm glow, or find simple white round string lights to spread along tabletops or bookcases or to drape casually around windows and doorways. By using a mix of string lights, and candle lanterns and smaller tea lights, you’ll add a warm glow that doesn’t need much more than some red berry sprigs or poinsettias.
As for your party table, if you’re having a sit-down meal, break out the place cards and inscribe each guest’s name and attach the card to a small tree decoration they can take home with them. If you can personalize the decoration, that’s truly adds a nice personal touch.
There’s absolutely no reason to kill yourself in the kitchen if you don’t have time. Find a restaurant that does catering or take-out and pick out a few special dishes. Then serve them in your own serving plates and bowls or at least garnish them on your own to make them look more personal. You won’t have to stress and your guests still have a delicious meal.
Another option to take a more casual and fun approach to the meal is to have playful dessert displays. Instead of one big cake, consider making a display of festive cake pops instead, which you can also pick up from a local bakery. A fun way to display them is by placing three or four in tall shot glasses in front of each guest’s seat. Or get crafty and fill a glass vase with ornaments and then top the vase with a holiday plate filled with various mini desserts, chocolates, cookies, and other delicious treats. You could create multiple vases to spread throughout the table.
Finally, don’t forget the drinks. While wine and beer are always safe options, consider greeting your guests with someone a little special. Lightly dust the rim of champagne flutes with cinnamon powder, fill the glasses with your sparkling wine of choice and then add a dash of apple cider, locally sourced if possible. For a warm option, combine apple cider and dark rum and warm it gently on the stove before serving. You could always throw in some whole spices like cinnamon and star anise for a special touch.
Just remember, don’t go overboard decorating unless that’s your thing. Try to pick a simple theme that you can carry over easily, and try to personalize a couple of elements. Take advantage of the many restaurants and stores that offer amazing options this time of year so that you can enjoy your party and most of all enjoy spending time with your friends in your homes in Apple Valley MN.
