How to celebrate the holidays in style

The yuletide is upon us, and we’re hauling out the holly, decking the halls and getting ready for some serious entertaining. We’ve got a sleigh load of festive ideas designed to keep the stress level low and your heart light.

Baby, It’s Cold Outside

When you’re prepping for a party, don’t forget your doorstep. Wreaths, trees, garlands and urns brimming with pine deliver cheer to your entryway. When revelers and family pay a visit, they are instantly transformed into holiday mode before even stepping foot into your home. 

Western cedar garland with lights, and urns with red twig dogwood branches, boxwoods and pomegranates designed by a Blade of Grass. Photo courtesy of a Blade of Grass

Photo courtesy of a Blade of Grass

Custom urns packed with winter greens make for a grand entrance during the holidays and will last all winter long. The above arrangement of red twig dogwood, white pine, variegated euonymus, pepper berry, incense cedar and magnolia leaves, created by a Blade of Grass, is downright architectural in its beauty.

Arhaus; Photo courtesy of Arhaus

Even if you have a fir inside, a small-scale conifer on your hardscape can soften approaching Scrooges. Arhaus’ lighted tree, above, is a vision with green pinecones, faux foxglove leaves and a dash of teal glitter.

All the Trimmings…

As the song goes, “There’s no place like home for the holidays.” Make your abode as pleasing as it can be by choosing decorative elements that are in keeping with the style you love. These days, the options for ornamentation and finery are as endless as Santa’s list is long.

Byers Choice Ltd. Carolers, available at www.byerschoice.com and Lux Bond & Green

Traditionalists look forward to revisiting crèches, ornaments and figurines at Christmastime that have stood the test of time. Adding one or two pieces to a collection of heirlooms each season reminds you to enjoy the moment, marking the present as you would the past. 

Seasons Four; photo courtesy of Seasons Four

Seasons Four’s Christmas City, an expansive yuletide destination in Lexington, is a mecca for those with an affinity for the homespun. As the company is also a full-service garden center, brimming with fresh and artificial trees, holly, wreaths, it stands to reason that it’s also a natural for rustic, woodland décor.

Seasons Four; Photo courtesy of Seasons Four

Starlit Trees, Wreath and Garland in bark. Restoration Hardware, Photo courtesy of Restoration Hardware

Remember that festive needn’t mean fussy. This monochromatic living space is spare but striking thanks to the luminous, warm-white light cast from the starlit trees, mantel and wreath. Guest will praise your lovely branches that shimmer fireside by the blaze of the hearth.

Arhaus Furniture. Photo courtesy of Arhaus

Love winter white? Layer on lavish textures in your design scheme. Here, pearl-colored trees, snow-dusted foliage and a parade of alabaster candles flank a sumptuous divan that gives its homeowners plenty of reason to dream by the fire.

A Few of Our Favorite Things…

Choose accents that say something about you or, if gift giving, the recipient. Sudha Pennathur’s Golden Beaded Christmas Stockings delight those with wanderlust and speak to exotic travels. Hang them by the chimney with care; these opulent beauties recreate the colors and designs found in Persian rugs and are beaded by hand using a centuries-old method. 

Golden Beaded Christmas Stocking exclusively for Neiman Marcus; photo courtesy of Neiman Marcus

Simon Pearce’s Vermont Evergreen Collection captivates those who appreciate artful design and enduring technique. The studio’s hand-blown glass pieces have a hushed beauty for an effect that is calm and bright. Crafted in an array of sizes and effects (including clear, crackle, bubble, frosted, engraved and 24K gold), these evergreens are luminous on a candlelit table.

Simon Pearce Evergreen Collection, available at Lekker; photo courtesy of Simon Pearce

Deck the Halls Beaded Placemat, Table Runner, Napkin and Napkin Ring by Kim Seybert, available at Frontgate; photo courtesy of Frontgate

Kim Seybert’s dazzling tabletop offerings outshines tinsel. Dinner guests will feel like royalty when adjourning to a table decked out with Seybert’s glittering jewel-toned beaded table runner and placemats, garnet-red napkins and wreath napkin holders. 

Evergreen Enamelware by Mackenzie-Childs, available at Neiman Marcus; photo courtesy of Neiman Marcus

To us, Mackenzie-Childs’ delightful Evergreen Enamelware smacks of comfort and joy as it combines old-fashioned flair with a healthy dose of fun. Meant to be stacked, each plate rests atop the next, starting with a “courtly checked” charger and finishing in a wide, multilayered wreath tied with a bow.

Mix and Mingle

Now that you’ve set the stage, it’s time to open your doors to family and friends. Greet revelers with a cup of good cheer. Having a signature cocktail, like the frosty peppermint martini below, mixed and at the ready is celebratory and a time saver too, as it cuts down on the number of drink requests. 

Recipe for Peppermint Martini: 5 oz. vanilla-flavored vodka (we suggest Stoli Vanil), 2 ounces white crème de menthe, ½ ounce peppermint schnapps poured over ice, then shaken and strained. To garnish, coat the rim with marshmallow topping (feel free to drizzle a bit inside) and crushed candy cane and place in the freezer to chill.

Set up a cocktail cart in an easy to access area that’s separate from your food spread so guests can feel free to be their own barkeep or top up their drink. Stock it with the usual suspects, plenty of wineglasses and a pitcher of fragrant pomegranate sangria and you are sure to keep spirits bright. 

Recipe for Holiday Pomegranate Sangria: Combine 1 bottle of red wine; 2 cups pomegranate juice; ½ cup brandy; ½ cup Triple Sec; ¼ cup simple syrup; pomegranate seeds; 1 large orange, thinly sliced; 1 green apple, thinly sliced and 1 cinnamon stick and chill overnight.

Don’t forget the kids when planning the libations. Their hearts will grow two sizes when you serve up Grinch punch—a simple but jolly concoction of Sprite and lime sherbet. Pop in a strawberry or maraschino cherry for a touch of red.

Recipe for Grinch Punch: Combine 2 liters Sprite or 7-up, 2 quarts lime sherbet, 46 ounces pineapple juice and mix. Add a little green food coloring to sugar to coat the rim of each glass.

Wish You the Merriest, the Merriest

Whether you’ve planned a sparkling soiree of cocktails and small plates or an elegant and intimate dinner party, a few simple strategies go a long way to ensuring all a good night.

If you’d prefer to concentrate on your role as host or hostess, hire a caterer. Yes, the holidays are a time of tradition, so if you’re worried your fete will come off as impersonal, don't. Many caterers will present dishes in your antique china or serveware if asked, or prepare their take on a favorite family recipe if it's a menu mainstay.

Bakers Best’s chive crepe and smoked salmon pinwheel with caviar; photo courtesy of Bakers Best, www.bakersbest.com

Companies like Bakers Best in Newton will drop off deliveries of delectable cuisine or come to your home to set up, cook, serve and clean up, if desired. Order trays of appetizers, sides and decadent desserts so you can tend to the main course or order a complete meal from their Winter Holiday menu. Parties large and small can savor offerings like beef tenderloin au poivre, short rib ravioli, and roast turkey dinner with all the fixins.’

Bakers Best’s tuna tartare in miso cups with soy pearls; photo courtesy of Baker’s Best

If you’re running the show yourself, thoughtful setup is key. Position an appetizer station brimming with crudité, make-ahead small bites and a lavish cheeseboard where the majority of your guests are mingling. Configure intimate seating clusters so that partygoers don’t have to interrupt conversation in order to get to the edibles.

If you’re serving hot hors d’oeuvres, consider hiring your babysitter (or a teenaged neighbor) and a friend to pass them and stay to clear and clean dishes later. This way, you won’t feel confined to the kitchen while folks are rockin’ around the Christmas tree.

As for visions of sugarplums? Dessert should be diminutive morsels (like tartlets, tassies, brownies, macarons, mini whoopie pies, Italian cookies and chocolate-dipped strawberries) and handled in much the same way as your apps. Present your confections buffet-style on a sideboard so that you don’t feel compelled to tidy the dining room table before indulging. After all, you’ve been very good this year….