I love a nice holiday dinner! Bringing people together for connection, and creating new memories is something I look forward to doing. I invited my closest girlfriends over for dinner, games and a Secret Santa gift exchange. We had a great time! I love to make the people around me feel special, and it really is the simple things. The holidays can be overwhelming for some people, for a numerous of reasons. I am here to share that planning a dinner can be festive, elevated and not overwhelming. Plan ahead, invest in a few pieces and delegate where you can.
A Seat at The Table
Planning ahead will help to make your holiday dinner party a success. For the tablescape, holiday vibes were a must, but I didn’t want typical Christmas decor. I wanted an intimate, moody vibe with all the feels. It started off with black tapered candles and the vision went from there. I love a neutral base for a tablescape. It gives you the option to switch it up later and have fun with accents. Use stationary like a menu to help tie things together. I made a floral arrangement that brought in the holiday reds and greens.
To make your arrangement cost efficient, use more greenery and filler flowers. My main flowers were roses. I used seeded eucalyptus, silver dollar eucalyptus, stock flowers, achillea wildflowers to bulk it up for half the cost.
Hosting Tips
- Do as much as you can the night before such as food prepping, setting the table, and rearranging furniture.
- For lighting, light unscented candles to set the mood. I also like to keep one candle burning throughout the day that reminds me of the holidays
- Keep it simple, and know it doesn’t have to be perfect. It’s okay to mismatch chairs, dinner plates, silverware etc
- Make time for small details, like printing a menu and creating a signature drink
- Choosing flowers as centerpieces are beautiful, however can be costly. Another alternative is to add fresh herbs to each place setting for a nice seasonal touch.
Create a Festive Menu and Signature Cocktail
When it comes to hosting a holiday dinner, my advice is to make it a potluck. As the host, make the main dish, the drinks, and then have the guests bring a side dish or dessert. It’s helpful to know in advance what everyone is bringing, to make sure it all flows together.
As the host, this is not the time to try any new recipes. I like to make my tried and true. On the menu, I had Roasted herb and garlic chicken, my favorite Brussel sprouts recipe, and a Holiday Apple Salad. A trick is to share some of the ingredients, with other dishes that you’re cooking. The rest of the menu was completed by my guest, and everything was so good!
Cocktails are a must, and I had lots of fun making them! I made ice cubes with rosemary and cranberries, and it complimented the drink nicely.
A bomb 3-ingredient cocktail, um yes! Make this drink at your next holiday party, it tastes so good, and it’s festive!
- 750ml bottle of whipped vodka
- 750ml bottle of pink Champagne or sparkling Rose
- 1, 2-liter bottle of Cherry 7-up
Play Games
Is it a holiday party if there isn’t some form of Secret Santa? For this game, stealing gifts should definitely be included. If you are not into that type of thing, create a game that will get the conversation started. We wrote a list of prompts/ questions and each person picked one. This created great conversation and reflection on this past year.
Have Fun and Take Lots of Pictures
Relax and enjoy the moment. It doesn’t have to be perfect, only you know the vision anyways. Take lots of pictures and live in the moment.
HAPPY HOLIDAYS! And as always, thank you for reading! I hope this inspired your next holiday event. Remember all you really need is good company and good food!
Holiday look: turtleneck, sequins skirt, boots, headband is Zara similar
Florals and decor- Sheila, dinner plates, salad plates , linen napkins, linen runner, gold candlesticks, glass votive candle holder, gold flatware, gold cocktail glasses , gold cocktail glasses 2 , Etsy store for menu
*affiliate links, all thoughts and opinions are my own.
Check out my other entertaining posts:
How to Throw a Bohemian Backyard Dinner Party
Love Love Love. Im definitely going to make this holiday drink and the ice cubes to go with it lol.
As usual, I enjoyed reading your blog post 🙂
Thank you!! You will love the cocktail
xo