If you are hosting holiday events this year, there is no need to stress over decorating and preparing fancy food. Learn to apply the “less is more” rule to your holiday preparation, and create a decisively elegant atmosphere for your next gathering.
Whether it’s your turn to do Thanksgiving this year, or you have been chosen to host the traditional gift-giving exchange in December, here are some tips to make your holiday entertaining run as smoothly as possible.
Declutter Your Home
Remember the first time you saw your home, before you moved your stuff in? It was a blank canvas, alive with pure potential. You don’t have to strip your house down to the stark basics, but do take a fresh look at your home. Pack up or get rid of any unnecessary accumulated extras, especially in the rooms where you will be entertaining. Clear, open space makes visitors feel at ease. Besides, your guests and family will be bringing loads with them, including wine, food and gifts. Clear a path, and make some room for the holiday tidings.
Change Your Home’s Color Scheme
Upholstery and fabric are two of the most basic items that can change the mood of your home. Purchase a red or green slipcover for your sofa. Change your curtains. For window treatments, consider lush, velvet materials in royal blue or rich purple. Metallic gold or silver also looks festive. Rugs, pillow covers, blankets and lampshades are also effective and simple ways to change up your home’s color or texture. Modern holidays come in all rich hues, so don’t limit yourself to traditional green and red.
Decorate Minimalist-Style
A few sprigs of rosemary from your backyard in a vase of water, some ribbon and even some well-chosen twigs and pinecones from your backyard can go far. In a clean, uncluttered space, just a few festive accents will speak volumes. Spray-paint the twigs a metallic color and put them in a colorful vase. Tie some red ribbon around the spray-painted pinecones and hang them from doors or drawer knobs. If you choose to decorate a tree for the holidays, choose a simple theme, and clear the space for it, so it is more of a decoration than an obstruction. If you have a smaller space, get a couple of pre-lit, artificial topiary plants in place of a tree.
Delegate the Holiday Meal
When it comes to food, stick to your specialty and leave the rest to the guests. Don’t expect to do everything yourself. Unless you have a staff of people working in your home, your guests will be eager to help you with the food preparation. So, if you are known for your fabulous macaroni and cheese and almond pound cake, just cook those. Let Grandma bring her homemade stuffing and tell your brother-in-law that he is in charge of the sweet potato casserole. Plus, you can actually make out nicely with the leftover bottles of alcohol your guests bring, using them to stock the bar for the next party you host.
Make Your Pets Party-Perfect
Your guests should know if you have any pets. If you have three cats, the last thing you want is someone coming over who is severely allergic them. De-funk your home or apartment with a deodorizer, even if you don’t smell anything. Chances are, you have become desensitized to the smell of your pet. Also, make sure your pets are clean and groomed a day or two before your guests arrive. If you have more than two dogs or cats, you may consider boarding them for the night or keeping them away from all the action during your holiday gathering.
Keep Kids Entertained
Kids will not be impressed with your decluttered home or your spray-painted sticks tied with a ribbon. However, you can minimize their boredom by planning ahead to keep them entertained. For younger children, fill a toy box with crayons, paper, coloring books, building blocks or other things to keep them distracted. Older kids may want to watch a DVD or play a video game. Make sure you have some movies and games on hand so they are content to stay at the kiddie table.
Holiday entertaining can be enjoyable if you keep things simple and remember that the whole point is to share a good time with your guests.
April Lentini writes for apartmentguide.com.
Posted via web from Apartment Living
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