It's the Most Wonderful Time of the Year

The holidays this year were hectic, as is every year, so I apologize that this post is a few weeks late! Christmas is truly the most wonderful time of the year, well at least in my opinion. It's filled with family, friends, food, parties, more food, gifts, and of course GLITTER! My husband and I hosted Christmas at our house for the first time this year. By the time I was done decorating there was literally glitter in every corner of the house, oops! I wanted to create a special table decor that was elegant and festive for Christmas Eve dinner. Below are some simple ideas and tips that I wanted to share with you. I wish everyone a fabulous, healthy, and prosperous 2012!

Chargers are a great investment. They are very affordable and add elegance to a table setting. I purchased silver satin napkins to match the decor. You can find satin napkins at an affordable price online, I purchased mine from amazon.com. I always love the look of wrapping the folded napkin vertically around the plate.

I wanted to make party favors for my family to remember our first Christmas. I bought a huge box of assorted silver ornaments from TJ Maxx Home Goods. If you haven't been there you have to go, they have beautiful things for the home at affordable prices. I wanted to create a little tag to attach to the ornaments, so I purchased a few different items from Michaels to make them. If you have a printer, cardstock, glue, and some ribbon, you can easily make these yourself. It's a fun memento that my family can now hang on their tree every year.

The centerpiece was quite simple. I had 3 different size candy jars that I filled with different ornaments. I bought 3 bubble votive candle holders to add a little candlelight below.

I also decorated one more table for "the kids". I attached silver sparkly ribbon towards the top of 3 cylinder vases that I had. I filled up the vases with water and added floating candles at the same height as the ribbon. I bought glittery branches from Michaels to put below as a base.

I found this delicious recipe on Martha Stewart's website for Pomegranate Champagne Punch. I wanted to make a cute sign to display by the punch. I attached a key ring to one of the silver ornaments to create a holder for the sign.

Everyone loves a good cheese spread. I displayed a variety of cheese, meats, and crackers on a huge cutting board as one of the appetizers. Super simple to put together. My sister-in-law and husband make a delicious butternut squash soup and they were nice enough to bring some over on Christmas. We put the soup in martini glasses and handed them out as an appetizer. Soup is an easy appetizer because you can pre-make it and then just reheat when you are ready to serve.