We all know how stressful and overwhelming hosting dinner parties can be during the busy holiday season. With all that work you’re trying to cram in before Christmas arrives, those last minute gifts you’re trying to get under the tree and everything else that comes with this exciting yet hectic season, you may not have had much time to think about that Christmas dinner or holiday party that you’ve committed to hosting this year…
Luckily, I’ve teamed up again with my great friends and the amazing cooking bloggers of The Pure Plate to bring you some fabulously festive tips and ideas for throwing the ultimate holiday dinner party this season. Last weekend, we took the opportunity to put our skills together once again in an attempt to host a stylish and drool-worthy Christmas dinner party for a group of close friends in my newly decorated, holiday-ready home, and it was a success!
Delicious food, festive drinks and stylish holiday décor – it had everything you need to get everyone in a merry mood! Hopefully, our spirited celebration can give you some inspiration and ideas to make planning your holiday dinner parties and gatherings a little easier this year!
I’ll begin with a few steps and tips for styling and hosting your next holiday gathering along with all the details for recreating our festive holiday tablescape. Then, I’ll turn it over to The Pure Plate for the inside scoop on cooking up a fantastically festive and mouthwatering feast for your holiday celebrations.
[[Note: A list of sources for my décor and tableware will be provided at the end of the post if you’re interested in shopping this look!]]
Step 1: Create Your Holiday Tablescape
To ensure everyone gets in a merry mood at your dinner party, make sure you create a tablescape that brings in all of that festive holiday spirit as well.
Tip: Choose the style and color scheme that you want to include in your holiday tablescape, then pick out the dinnerware, serveware and décor that best compliments your chosen style + color palette.
I wanted our tablescape to be warm and inviting with a Christmas-inspired style that strayed away from the super traditional, so I aimed to create a tablescape that had more of modern, organic and nature-inspired Christmas vibe that would complement the holiday décor that was incorporated throughout the rest of our house. To achieve this look, I used a blend of natural, modern and rustic elements along with a few vintage details that would give some additional texture, interest and character to the table.
For the color palette, I created a beautiful scheme full of nature-inspired holiday hues as well as more contemporary colored accents. I used ample amounts of Christmas greenery, lush white flowers and shades of berry tones to create that organic and natural Christmas palette alongside more contemporary colors like grays and blacks mixed with metallic accents like brass and silver.
Emerald green has been a predominant color throughout my Christmas décor this year, so when my mom showed me these beautiful emerald green vintage glasses that she had been collecting, I knew that they would be the perfect addition to our holiday tablescape. Their grooved edges complimented the sharp, grooved edges of the centerpiece vase and gave the table some additional interest, texture and style.
To add a little cozy farmhouse feel to the table, I used a runner from the Hearth & Hand line at Target. The neutral and earthy cream tone of the runner and pale green stripes made it the perfect warm and cozy complement to the nature-inspired décor. I placed a mixture of brass and natural wood candle holders with gray tapered candles down the table runner then added greenery to create a stylish and chic yet warm and inviting holiday vibe.
I tossed some cream faux Mongolian fur throw pillows and faux sheepskin rugs on a few of the farmhouse style chairs to add an extra cozy and stylish element to the modern and organic holiday vibe that was being created.
Tip: Use holiday greenery and pops of colorful natural accents like berries or other fruit to create an easy, fresh and festive organic-inspired centerpiece.
Creating a beautiful floral centerpiece doesn’t have to be a super expensive endeavor. For this celebration, I mainly used greenery that I was able to gather from the cypress and fir trees in the backyard. I also grabbed some eucalyptus, white carnations and some pale red and orange toned berries from the grocery store to add some of those natural pops of holiday color to the table decoration.
I placed sprigs and branches of cypress around the centerpiece and across the length of the runner along with a few magnolia leaf accents to create a pretty and natural Christmas garland. To give it an additional pop of color, I added in some of the berry sprigs around the centerpiece and cut up a few pomegranates to incorporate into the garland as well. These were the perfect natural elements to give the table a fresh and festive pop of color and to bring in more of that organic holiday vibe that I was striving to create through the tablescape.
Step 2: Use Creatively Themed Place Cards
Tip: Try to make some creative place cards that fit the theme or tone of the occasion to add a little personalization and an extra festive touch to the table.
I like to incorporate creative place cards into all of my holiday and celebratory tablescapes. For instance, for our Friendsgiving tablescape, I hand lettered fall leaves that I had gathered from the backyard to create the table’s place cards (see them here). Including small personalized elements like this can have a big impact on your tablescape and can make your event much more memorable.For this holiday tablescape, I used mini matte black round ornaments and a white Sharpie paint pen to hand letter them with each guest’s name. Using a touch of Christmas greenery and twine I tied these personalized hand-lettered ornaments around the napkins to create festive alternative place cards and napkin rings.
Tip: Using personalized ornaments as place cards can serve as a sweet little gift for your friends and/or family members to take home and add to their Christmas trees as well! Double win! 😉
Step 3: Plan a Few Christmas Themed Cocktails
Tip: Have a few great Christmas themed cocktails lined up along with the appropriate glasses and serveware to add the ultimate dose of holiday cheer to your dinner party.
When you think of Christmas time, cozying up with some warm eggnog or apple cider by the Christmas tree comes to mind; am I right? Luckily, The Pure Plate came up with some warm and delicious spiked beverages to help you serve up some of that holiday spirit for your Christmas dinner party cocktails. As friends start arriving, try welcoming them in from the cold with a warm beverage to set the festive tone of your celebration and to start immediately instilling those warm and fuzzy holiday feelings within them!
A hit at our holiday party was the deliciously spiked, warm apple cider that we made right at home. We used these clear glasses from Target to serve up the cider and garnished them with a candy cane to add a little extra holiday cheer.
There is no better way to celebrate and cheers to the holidays than with a little champagne! If you’re looking for a quick and easy festive cocktail, you can’t go wrong with a traditional Poinsetta (champagne + cranberry juice). We served these cocktails in elegant goblet glasses from Pottery Barn and spruced them up with a few fresh cranberries and a sprig of rosemary to give them a pretty holiday touch.
Tip: Garnish these festive cocktails with chocolate dipped spoons for not only a pretty display but for the perfect sweet compliment to your holiday bubbly.
The Pure Plate came up with a wonderful recipe for Semi Sweet, Super Spiked Eggnog for when the focus of the evening turned from the table to the tree. We served these delicious drinks in pretty classic copper glasses. They were the perfect treat to serve up by the tree after dinner while playing games and enjoying each other’s company.
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With all your style and décor decided, plates in place and holiday mood set with a thoughtfully designed tablescape and festive menu of cocktails, it’s time to start thinking about that merry holiday menu to serve your guests at dinner.
I’ll now pass the torch to my friends at The Pure Plate for all the delicious details and recipes for creating a perfectly festive and absolutely delicious holiday feast!
[[Reminder: Sources to shop my décor, tableware and serve ware are included in a list at the end of the post!]]
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From The Pure Plate…
With so many people in the house for the holidays we always try to choose something a little salty and a little sweet for the table by the tree. It’s a perfect and purposeful placement for our Sleigh Mix. It also tends to save you some dishes at the end of the day since most guests will forgo the plate, just dropping a spoonful into their hand instead (and then another, and again, and some more :). Really, it was that good.
Rudolph’s Reindeer Sleigh Mix
We turned the tables on our traditional trail mix and swapped the oven for a crockpot, the spices for some cinnamon and added some chocolate and banana chips to create a tasty texture we think will drive the reindeer crazy. (Find the full recipe here)
Tip: The crockpot is a Godsend during the holidays when you’re running around in circles trying to time twenty dishes at a time. It gives the nuts a chance to slow-roast, which allows your attention to turn to something else…
Tip: Drop what’s left after the house clears out into a cute little bowl and set them out with Santa’s cookies for his favorite flying friends. The kids will love the idea of feeding the reindeer, and it’ll give your designated cookie monster an excuse to dive back in later that evening.
Venison Pepper Poppers
Switching taste bud gears from sweet to spicy, these Venison Pepper Poppers were the perfect naughty complement to the nice and tasty trailmix treat. Down in the South we love to hunt, so you know when our designer’s hubby came home with a 10-point buck all hands shot up for dibs.
We LOVE cooking with venison. Not only is it incredibly diverse, but it’s a super lean substitute for beef. In fact, comparing equal portions, venison has around ½ the calories, ⅓ the fat, and 3 grams more protein than does a serving of lean beef.
We mixed it with some creamy greek yogurt, added some of our favorite Daiya shreds, scooped that into some healthy sized jalapeno halves and popped them in the oven. The verdict is out, and we’ll definitely be bringing those back, and very SOON!
*Get the full recipe here
We cooked about a pound of venison, and we had quite a bit left once all the jalapenos were stuffed. There’s not a chance we were gonna waste that delicious deer meat, so we looked around the kitchen at available ingredients. We simply added some almond milk, lots of cheese, and sliced grape tomatoes to create a pretty tasty Venison Queso Dip.
Hearty Holiday Hens
We almost always choose a lean, white meat for feasts feeding more than six people. However, we loved the idea of each person having their own plated serving. We think it adds a little bit more intimacy to the meal, you know a subtle, “I made this just for you” kind of touch.
This recipe is super easy too. If you know how to stuff and cook a Thanksgiving turkey, you’ll nail these Cornish hens. Just think smaller, which actually helps because it decreases oven time from four hours to just 90 minutes. Don’t forget to pour those juicy hen drippins’ into a saucepan to whip up that mouthwatering gravy right before the blessing!
We glazed each hen with a mixture of melted ghee, minced garlic & our favorite local honey. Those birds came out of the oven looking like they were made of gold. The skins were still succulent, but also crispy, golden brown that looked absolutely drool-worthy atop a bed of fresh arugula, sliced almonds and dried cranberries.
*Get recipe here
As intended, the main dish was the center of attention, the ‘tree of the table’ if you will. But what good is a tree with no presents underneath? In food language, the presents are the sides, sweets and of course the after dinner drink. And man, did we do a great job gift giving this year.
*Get the full recipe here
Creamy Zucchini Mac-n-Cheesey
This year’s Star of the Recipe Tree winner! Who says substitutes can’t make a dish even better than the OG version? And let us tell you! Our entire crew went heart eyed over this vegan version of traditional Mac-n-Cheese. We made the original version too, because it’s Christmas and sometimes you still have to include the oldies, but this new version went twice as fast in our house, unexpectedly at that!
*Recipe here
In addition to our two choices of mac-n-cheese we added a nice large dish of the Grinch’s favorite glazed balsamic green beans & of course, Comet’s Not-so-Corny Bread.
Cinnamon Spiced Pears
…for Christmas dessert we threw the plain ole’ apple pie to the wind, and sticking with the fruit theme, decided on these beautifully baked Cinnamon Spiced Pears instead. These pears are a labor of love, so be sure to give them the attention they need. We made hollowed the pears and made the filling the night before, then just refrigerated until they were ready to bake. Using the two day process also took a lot of pressure off the cooking load the next day.
*Full recipe here
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From here at the Herr house, I hope you enjoyed this glimpse into our Christmas celebration and were able to come away with some decor ideas and recipes for your own festive gatherings. Be sure to check out the links below to find some of the items used for this event and have a very Merry Christmas!
<3 Kelsey
Shop the Look:
- Table Runner: Target
- Napkins: World Market
- Center Vase: Crate & Barrel
- Wood Candle Holders: Amazon (small) and Amazon (medium)
- Gray Candles: Target
- Clear Mugs: Target
- Bark Edge Charger: Pottery Barn
- Goblet Glasses: Pottery Barn
- Dinner and Salad Plates: Pottery Barn
- Classic Copper Glasses (for Eggnog): Macy’s
- Flatware: Crate and Barrel
- Faux Mongolian Throw Pillows: Target
- Faux Fur Rugs: Amazon
- Decorative Gold Hammered Metal Bowls with Tray: Target
- Green Footed Glasses: Etsy
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