Party Ideas
Holiday Party: Open House with Natural Style
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The holidays are a classic time to open your home to friends, family and neighbors. Creating a warm and friendly ambience will make everyone feel welcome. One way to do this is to use natural elements and colors.
It's important to make sure your tablescape and overall party décor blend well with other decorations you might have in your home for the holidays. This palette will provide enough unique drama, but blend easily. And if you order the Potted Lemon Cypress Planters as a take home gift - they alone can function as a festive seasonal decoration.
For ideas on how to make your guests comfortable, check out my Party Activity section. You'll find ideas to keep them talking and enjoying the event. When hosting a larger party, it's tough to get around to everyone, make introductions, small talk, etc., but this is especially important if your guests don't know each other well. So some built in "ice-breakers" will ensure everyone is relaxed and having fun. When you've gone to the effort of throwing a larger party like this - the extra details will make all the difference in creating a memorable event.
I enjoy hand-delivering invitations, especially at the holidays. I know it sounds like a lot of work, but I find that I can deliver 20 - 25 invitations if my guests live nearby. Allow 1 or 2 mornings and/or look for families at school drop off and pick-up, Starbucks or Pilates class! Create your invitation on your home computer using this cream paper. Use red or green colored type for your who/what/when/where/why. Roll your paper up, tie it with this red ribbon and accent with a few of these berries tucked into the ribbon. Simple. . . Classy. . . Unique!
It's important to have time to circulate and enjoy yourself and visit with your guests. Setting up a food buffet, dessert table, and a full service bar allows guests to enjoy food and drinks as wanted. Or, hire a caterer and bartender – always a nice touch and a lot easier on you!
Setting the Holiday Buffet Table
Layer the smaller Green Organza Tablecloth over the Gold Organza Tablecloth (Cloths are an accent and aren't meant to cover table sides). Prepare your Lemon Cypress Planter (See How-To) and accent with roses. Cut the buds short and nestle them in-between the branches.
Next, create small groupings using the moss, dried orange circles, Saffron Flower Ball, Basil Flower Ball, and hand done apple and orange tealights (See How-To). 
Start by placing small clumps of moss on your tablecloth. (Click here for Moss Tip) Then place a few of the accent items on top of moss. Try one Orange Tealight, one Saffron Ball and a few Dried Orange Circles. Then create another grouping using an apple tealight, Saffron Flower Ball, orange tealight and a few Dried Orange Circles.
You will want to vary the items within each grouping - have fun with them - you can't do anything wrong!
For photo purposes, I placed the groupings close together. But for your actual food buffet table, spread out the groupings. Casually place several near the planters, not in a stiff circle, but one close in and another edging out. You can also extend a few near the tops of the food platters, but make sure to avoid placing the candles in areas where the guests could get burned while 
reaching for food.
At a Holiday Open House, I usually recommend that you serve a light meal, so salad sized (7.5") plates work well. For this style of party, I highly recommend investing in a large set of hors d'oeuvres accent plates (1 1/2 - 2 plates per person). This size plate stores easily and you will find yourself pulling them out time and time again. These pretty gold plates are inexpensive and dishwasher safe. Perfect!
Place a stack of the gold hors d'oeuvres plates to one side of your food buffet table and next to it display your napkin bundles (See How-To) nestled in a beautiful gold bowl that works well with all of the warm colors of the table.
To accommodate guests coming and going at an Open House, create food and drink options that are self-serve. I recommend an Open House Food Buffet, Chocolate Fountain Dessert Table and a Holiday Bar.
Open House Food Buffet
A light dinner with a variety of items works well at an Open House. Keep it simple. Here are a few ways to handle the food:
- Hire a caterer - A professional caterer will guide you through their menu options and make suggestions to fit your budget.
- Make all of the food yourself - Prepare ahead! Look for items that can be made in advance and frozen.
- Make some items that you are familiar with and comfortable preparing and then fill in with bought items. I use caterers to buy individual unique items that I don't want to prepare. We have a local caterer that makes a stunning tiered cheese torte. Or try a specialty food market. My city also has an Italian market/restaurant that carries a lot of unique bottled/canned items and also sells homemade items such as stromboli that when sliced into strips makes a yummy hors d'oeuvres.
As a general rule, I serve at least two protein items, such as shrimp and sliced beef with small rolls, or chicken skewers with sliced ham and mini croissants. Fill in with a variety of finger foods. Old standbys such as crudités (cut vegetables and dip), warm artichoke dip with crackers, bite-sized quiche (can often buy frozen), cheese olives, phyllo triangles, stuffed mushrooms, and meatballs are easy to make and are always well received.
If you want, get a bit more creative and try a nice cheese fondue with fruit and bread, asparagus cigars, brie en croute served with grapes and apples (click here for recipe), grilled vegetable platter or warmed goat cheese with tomato sauce (click here for recipe).
Themed finger foods are also popular and easy to prepare. Try a Mediterranean tray with items such as kalamata olives, humus, feta cheese, marinated artichokes, baba ghanoush, stuffed grape leaves and crackers and pita triangles. Or an Italian antipasti platter with marinated olives, marinated artichokes, marinated mushrooms, pepperoncini, roasted red peppers, Parmigiano-Reggiano cheese, rolled salami slices and focaccia bread slices.
Choose items that can sit out for a while or that you can keep warm with a heating tray or crockpot. Also, make sure to keep items such as shrimp cold by putting them on ice or by placing an ice bowl beneath the serving bowl. For items that are served warm like the brie en croute, make several in advance and store them in the refrigerator. Then, just pop them in the oven and serve warm as needed.
Chocolate Fountain Dessert Table
Chocolate Fountains are popular - and with good reason - they are so yummy. If you haven't broken down and bought one yet, here's a good excuse! I would prepare the actual chocolate and get the fountain going about 1 hour into your party - after the first guests have had a drink and some food. After you fill the fountain - move out fast because a crowd will be forming!!!
- Dress your table with a Gold Organza Tablecloth. (This cleans well with a little stain remover and hand washing! But make sure your table below can handle dripped chocolate)
- Center your chocolate fountain on your table - make sure the table backs to a wall with an outlet or you have another way to plug it in and not worry about a hanging cord. The chocolate fountain instructions will provide plenty of recipes. I just use basic Nestle chocolate chips - a mix of semi-sweet and milk chocolate. But if you're a chocolate lover feel free to experiment before hand with your favorite chocolate.
Surround the fountain with trays of goodies! I suggest fruit like strawberries and raspberries, goodies like cubes of angel food cake, cream puffs, marshmallows, maraschino cherries and small donuts. And for salt - pretzels are yummy. A tiered serving tray works well to display the goodies. Make sure you have plenty of pre-cut items ready to refill.- Put out small paper plates, cocktail napkins and plenty of toothpicks or plastic skewers.
- Depending on your guests - you may need to add more chocolate, so buy extra to melt halfway through your party.
- Decorate your table with extra apple and orange tealights, Dried Orange Circles and extra roses leftover from the Lemon Cypress Centerpieces.
Enjoy!
Holiday Bar
For any event, you want to set up a bar that meets the needs of your guests by taking into consideration their known drink preferences. For example, I have friends who only drink wine and champagne. For them, I would order more wine and champagne than usual, but I would still feature a full bar for other guests - and myself! (Checkout wine.com for convenient online ordering)
Here's a general rundown of what you will need:
- Place a Gold Organza Tablecloth that matches the buffet tablecloth over your bar area. It will give the bar added pizzazz and the fabric hand washes easily.
- Glasses - a lot of glasses - 2 to 3 per person. I recommend renting glasses from your local party rental store. I don't like using plastic or paper, and while you can find deals on wine glasses, storing them is a bit of a bear! An added plus to renting - empty the glasses and return them dirty! The rental company does the cleaning!
- Alcohol - wine (red and white), champagne (for the holidays or if you have friends that love it), and standard alcohol such as bourbon, rum, scotch, and vodka. At a large self-serve bar, I wouldn't offer specialty mixed drinks like margaritas unless you have a crowd that only drinks those! You will also have to make the call on whether to include beer and beer mugs based upon your guest's preferences.
- Chilled bottled water or a large pitcher of water with plastic glasses
- An assortment of soda pop both for making mixed drinks and for designated drivers. Make sure and include regular and diet drinks.
- Fruit juice - if desired - for mixed drinks. Standbys like cranberry and orange juice are always appreciated.
- Ice bucket, cocktail napkins, stirrers, highball garnishes such as lemon, lime or orange peel spirals are really popular! Use a citrus stripper. Start at one end of the citrus and cut around and down towards the other end making a long spiral peel.
Wine Opener - although I recommend that the host check the bar often, you can leave out several extra bottles of wine with an opener just in case the wine runs out before you notice.
Another fun option to the full-service bar - either as an alternative or addition - is a Beverage Fountain. The one I have listed with the Holiday Bar package actually lights up! Just fill the fountain with your favorite punch (alcohol or non).
When hosting a party for over 20 or so people, it can be difficult to make sure everyone is comfortable, talking, and introduced to each other. I find spending some extra time setting up the environment to ensure your guests' comfort is well worth the effort!
One example that comes to mind is a party I planned at which the hostess created a video with photos and comments about all of her guests. The night of the party, she played it on her TV, looping it continuously the entire evening. It was a very personal and special touch - and everyone enjoyed hearing the hostess share special stories about each guest. It made everyone very relaxed and opened up opportunities for conversation that would have otherwise been difficult.
Now obviously not all of us have the time or creative skills to tackle that level of icebreaker! Relax, there are simpler tried and true options. Nametags are great when you have a mixed group of guests who may not know each other or who are only occasionally together. Display the tags on a table and let everyone write their own name, or you can prepare ahead and have them already written. Now - there are a million options for attaching a nametag. I think the easiest and least expensive way is to simply use ribbon so that guests can wear the nametag around their necks. (As an alternative, offer double-backed sticky tape.) To prepare the tags, download, print and cut this nametag. Then punch two holes in the top center of the tag. Run ribbon over the top and through the back and tie at the top, leaving enough room to go over someone's head.
Another fun idea for the holidays is a Photograph station. There are a number of ways you can do this to put your own unique spin on it and tailor it for you and your guests. One easy option is to setup a simple, pretty little table near a good background - perhaps by the Christmas tree or in front of the mantel. Place a simple point and shoot digital camera on it and let guests have fun taking pics of each other throughout the evening. After the party just download them to your computer and email them to your guests. Or, for the more ambitious and technologically savvy, have a simple little ink-jet printer on the table and print them out and give them to your guests as they leave.
For really large parties or for those of you who want to make your guests feel like celebrities for a night - hire a professional photographer for the evening. They'll take shots all night and during the next week you can review the pics and then have prints made for mailing or perhaps even upload them for your guests to review (ensure it's on a private viewing site so as not to offend anyone who doesn't want the publicity!)
If you turn this into a Family-oriented Open House, make sure and have some kid activities ready. Not being prepared for little ones can ruin your party! Anxious parents chasing after kids aren't able to engage in conversation and have fun. And why not let the kids have a great time, too! Depending on the age groups you will want to have 2 or 3 designated play areas. Possible staging areas include your childrens' bedrooms, a basement area, etc. Here are some ideas: Pull out extra toys that you might have stored away - blocks, kitchen set, bowling set, games, etc. Put a Holiday video or a game station on an out-of-the-way TV. Set up a craft or activity at a table away from the adults. Important tip: If you anticipate that children will be attending and have kids of your own, hire one or two of your favorite teenaged babysitters to oversee the kids!!!!!
I up the ante a bit with my holiday take home gifts. It's worth it and easier than trying to pick individual gifts for friends and neighbors. This Lemon Cypress Planter makes a wonderful take home gift (See How-To) and your friends will enjoy having it in their house through the holidays. They can even plant it in their yard in the spring. Place the potted greens near your entry and put this sign on the inside of your door as a reminder for all of the guests to take one on their way out. (Click here for door sign.)
