The holiday season seems to arrive sooner each year. This means that you need to be on top of your game when it comes to decorating and planning events for your family and friends to enjoy. Here are a few ideas to consider so that your home is the most festive one in the neighborhood and where everyone wants to gather to stay warm while celebrating during the holiday season.
Sparkling Designs
When you begin decorating for the holidays, try to incorporate glitter and shine from the walls to the tables and chairs. Wow, your guests with your favorite tablecloths and chair covers for unforgettable and special holiday events. The holiday season is often filled with shimmering lights and twinkles in the night. When you bring those features inside your home, your guests can enjoy the beautiful sights while staying cozy throughout the season.
Beverages
While traditional winter beverages are good options to serve for a holiday celebration, consider adding a few creative beverages to your menu as well. Add a small amount of Monin Vanilla Spice Syrup to the hot chocolate you serve or even apple cider so that there are sweet notes in the drinks. You can set up a beverage table so that guests can add their own syrups if you want to offer different flavors instead of only having one or two options. Consider putting items in small bowls that can be put in beverages as well, such as peppermint candies or marshmallows.
Hanging Decorations
One way to make your home a place guests want to visit for the holidays is by decorating in a way that they might not see in their own homes. Gather large ornaments of different sizes to hang from the ceiling to create a magical scene. If you want to create a wonderland of lights and snow, then hang large snowflakes from the ceiling along with blue and white lights around the perimeter of the room. When you hang decorations, it often directs the eye to the entire room and the other decorations that you have on display instead of only focusing on a tree or a few decorations on a table.
Food
The food you serve can sometimes make friends and family members want to stay at your home instead of leaving during the holiday season. There are numerous ideas to consider depending on how detailed you want to make the meal you serve. Instead of feeling overwhelmed, you can ask your guests to bring a dish to share with everyone. A fun idea would be a cookie exchange. Everyone brings their favorite cookies and recipes. You’ll place each platter on a decorated table along with holiday bags. Guests will get a few cookies to put in a bag along with a copy of each recipe so that they can make the cookies at home. Another idea is to host a soup and sandwich night. Guests can bring a small crockpot of the soup that they enjoy. Offer small bowls so that guests can sample the ones that they want.
Games
Keep the fun alive during the holidays by playing a few games with your guests. Try to make the games as festive as possible. A gift exchange is an option to consider and can usually be paired with any game that you play. You can also set up an area where guests can take pictures using holiday props before the games get underway.
Movies
When you gather with your friends and family for the holidays, one activity that you might enjoy doing together is watching movies. You can host movie nights during the holiday season so that everyone can gather to watch a favorite movie and enjoy decorations that coincide with the movie as well. Set up a table with beverages and food that go along with the movie. An example would be a Grinch theme. Red and green decorations can adorn your home as everyone enjoys sweet treats decorated with red and green icing. You could also have a fruit or vegetable tray with red and green fresh foods. If you want to host several guests, then decorate more than one room so that different holiday movies can be shown.
