With Christmas approaching, many of us will begin thinking about getting together with friends and family for festive gatherings. Christmas is the ultimate party season with research suggesting a 7% rise in Americans attending Christmas parties back in 2011. Perhaps this year you’ll be the one to host a party in your home, whether that be a small, intimate soiree or a full blown event on a much larger scale. Whichever you decide, here are some tips to ensure that your big bash is stylish, sophisticated and full of holiday spirit.
Decorating your home for a Christmas party doesn’t always mean dragging out ancient, garish baubles and strings of green tinsel. Over the last few years, Christmas décor trends have veered on the creative, eccentric side with Gothic and fantasy themes prevalent. This year, however, Christmasworld suggests that décor is getting back to basics with white, classic, natural and self made decorations coming back.
With this in mind, why not opt for a classy, sophisticated ‘white Christmas’ theme with white decorations, crystal tableware and clear, twinkling fairy lights. Jazz it up with some silver tinsel, hanging snowflakes and white, floral table decorations – poinsettias and mistletoe are ideal, traditional Christmas flowers.
Minimalism is always a great way to secure a contemporary, crisp look with defined shapes and patterns. Bear this in mind when decorating your tree; sparse decorations and elegant LED lighting can make your tree a classy centre piece to your party.
Ambience
Any party needs a good ambience and in order to set a relaxed, festive mood for your guests you need to consider a sensory itinerary including subtle lighting, appropriate music and even inviting smells.
An open fire is a great way to provide a cosy, warming atmosphere but you may find that it could over heat a small room full of guests, so opt for candles instead. Despite minimalism being a great cornerstone for décor, Christmas is all about abundance and so stacking candles or tee lights together in vast numbers as a means of creating low lighting can really give a voluminous, luxurious effect.
Creating a suitable playlist is also essential for any party. If you’re trying to opt for a stylish, elegant mood then choosing 1940s greats such as Bing Crosby, Nat King Cole and Sinatra are both classy and Christmassy. Instrumental music is also a nice way to provide relaxing, background noise.
Mulled wine, gingerbread, cinnamon, pine – these are all smells that we associate with Christmas and these days can often be found all year round in the form of extravagant, scented candles. These are a great way to light the room as well as providing those memorable Christmas smells. If you don’t want to spend a lot of money on these then use the real items themselves – a fresh tree or a pan of mulled wine left heating on the stove will fill the house with lovely fragrances.
The Dress
As host, all eyes will be on you so making sure that you look as fabulous as your home does is imperative. This year some of the ultimate fashion trends include sequinned dresses which have inspired a collection by desginer Anna Sui. What better way to sparkle this Christmas than to be covered in sequins? Other popular fashion trends this year include metallics, velvet and lace dresses. Teamed with bright coloured tights and chunky wedge heels you can combine chic and fun at the same time in order to be the belle of the ball.
Food and Drinks
Elegant finger foods that can be handed around on a platter are a must have for your Christmas party. There are several types of hors d’oeuvres, canapés and miniature versions of classic dishes that you can offer out casually to your guests so why not try and adapt some Christmas favourites in your scrumptious selection? Open, miniature mincemeat tarts could be an alternative to regular mince pies whilst Welsh rarebit, smoked salmon and even turkey/cranberry wrapped in puff pastry are all delicious savoury options.
When it comes to drinks, mulled wine is always a Christmas favourite and easy to make in large quantities. However for a more glamorous edge then why not try making your own cocktails. Cosmopolitans and mojitos are popular all year round but for that extra festive decadence, indulge in some Irish Cream liqueur based cocktails or infuse rich, liqueurs such as Borbourn and cognac with Christmassy spices and cloves. A sure way to warm your guest’s cockles and ensure that nobody wants to be left in trust of the designated driver position.
0 komentar:
Posting Komentar