Get a unique tree
Christmas is incomplete without the perfect tree to brighten up a party. But what will really make a difference is adding a unique touch to your usual tree. Instead of the usual baubles, try an artistic idea to decorate – like a Photo Tag Christmas Tree, where you can celebrate fond memories with DIY photo ornaments. You could print out regular, black-white or sepia photographs and glue them on paper shipping tags. Keep it simple and let the focus be on the photos. Another idea is the Retro-White theme – it’s back with a bang! Go in for a white artificial tree and keep the ornaments just white, off-white and silver. Now, you have a Christmas tree that’s a conversation starter.
Make it look Christmassy
Decorate your home with some fun picks. Light pretty candles with woody, smokey scents and add in loads of different coloured lights all over. And of course, you need a festive wreath to complete the Christmas décor. And you cannot have a Christmas party without carols right? So, get your guitar ready and make sure your guests sing with gusto! To really add some fun to your décor, simply turn pillows into presents – Tie a bow around some pillows with coloured ribbons and they’ll look just like Christmas gifts!
You can’t go wrong with a seasonal cocktail
Eggnog, fun cocktails and hot chocolate – give your guests a fun range to pick from. But make sure you have some traditional mulled wine on the menu. Here’s our recipe to make the perfect welcoming drink:
You need
4 cups apple cider
750-ml Bottle red wine
1/4 cup honey
2 cinnamon sticks
1 orange, zested and juiced
4 whole cloves
4 oranges, peeled, for garnish
Method
Merge the cider, wine, cinnamon sticks, cloves, orange and let it stew for 10 minutes. Pour into glasses and garnish it with orange peels.
A special tip to make non-alcoholic drinkers happy – add some basil leaves to homemade lemonade with caster sugar, freshly squeezed lemon and sparkling water.
Delish sweets
Again, make sure that your dessert menu includes some traditional, mouth-watering options like some Christmas cake, stolen, marzipan, milk cream, Gingerbread cookies and so on. And don’t forget our local options like nankhatais and neureos!
Pretty flowers
Nothing makes a house more lively and vibrant than flowers – fresh or artificial. So decorate with pretty mistletoes and poinsettias and if you prefer fresh flowers, then stick to red and white blossoms to really get the feel of the season. In fact, a white vase and red blossoms always looks attractive as a centrepiece!
Don’t forget the gifts
Ok so most of your guests will be over the age of five! So what! Everyone loves gifts. So go ahead and make sure you have a little something for all your guests under your tree. There’s no better way to end your party!
Written by Shraddha Mehta on Dec 24, 2014