Entertaining Made Easy with a Few Simple Tips
The holidays are all about spending quality time with those we love. This year, surprise family and friends by switching things up and hosting a fabulous holiday brunch instead of the traditional turkey dinner.
For the perfect entertaining space that will leave guests in awe, follow my few simple tips below to elevate your brunch from the expected to the unexpected:
Establish a colour scheme
The secret to fabulous décor is to keep the colour palatte simple and focus on two complementary colours. On trend for this holiday season is pairing opposite colours together. Once the basic palette is set, add in a third accent colour, such as silver or gold. This will help complete the look and bring it to life.
Try opting for slight variations on the uber traditional red and green. Some colour pairings that you can try this year include:
• Mint and blush for a feminine and vintage look
• Plum and teal for a sophisticated and elegant feel
• Navy (or turquoise) and red, which gives your typical nautical decor a festive holiday flair
• Green and fuchsia to create something preppy and fun
• Red and grey for a chalet-chic look
Keep these colour schemes in mind when purchasing accent pillow covers, table linens, napkins and runners.
PRO TIP: If you’re hosting multiple parties, you can keep the festive colours looking new and radiant throughout the holiday season by using OxiClean™ Colour Shield Laundry Stain Remover. It helps to fight tough stains (think red wine and gravy) while safeguarding colours.
Set the mood… and table
The dinner table is the focal point of any holiday gathering! To make it more memorable, every tablescape needs the following:
• Flow: Don’t overpack your table with too many decorations. Keep it simple so there’s plenty of elbow room between guests and enough space for dessert on the table!
• Greenery and flowers: No décor is complete without succulents or fresh cut flowers, especially during the holidays. This year, try creating your own unique centrepieces by layering pine branches, Christmas ornaments and fresh flowers overtop a festive table runner.
• Table linens: Take a more casual approach to your brunch table linens this year. Mixing and matching colours and patterns keeps the meal light-hearted and bright. Notice a spill or stain once your guests have gone? Use OxiClean™ Max Force™ Foam Laundry Pre-Treater to help tackle even the greasiest spills and stains left behind.
• Rethink your serving plates: For a casual and natural feeling buffet style brunch, set aside the traditional serving platters and opt for more rustic materials such as slate, wood or marble. You can also try mixing vintage dishes with new items for classic yet modern feel.
• PRO TIP: To make cleaning up even easier, start with a clean dishwasher when your guests arrive and load it throughout the meal. Using OxiClean™ Extreme Power Crystals™ Dishwasher Detergent and Triple Action Dishwasher Booster is also a must during the holidays as it removes tough, stuck on stains and keeps your precious dishes looking sparkling.
Think beyond the tree
During the holiday season, people often focus on the tree and forget about the rest of their house. Try placing small wreaths or pretty bowls filled with ornaments in different rooms. Using strings of lights indoors is also a fun way to decorate. You can also bundle up small white lights and place them in glass jars to add a little sparkle to any room.
To help you get ready for your holiday entertaining we have put together a fun giveaway, including:
· OxiClean™ MaxForce™ Foam Laundry Pre-Treater – To help blast away even the greasiest of stains with its foaming action.
· OxiClean™ Extreme Power Crystals 26 PAK (468 g) Pouch – To remove stuck on stains and help your dishes sparkle!
· OxiClean™ Versitle Stain Remover – To to get rid of tough stains and ensure your home is ready for guests!
· Arm & Hammer™ Truly Radiant™ Clean & Fresh Toothpaste and Spinbrush Battery Toothbrush – To ensure your smile is bright and white for any holiday parties! (I always give these away as stocking stuffers – it’s a tradition!)
We like to use ornaments to create place settings which can be taken home to remember the occasion. 🙂
I like to decorate the entryway and the table where everyone will be sitting!!
I don’t really decorate for company, I just decorate for me. So we put up our Christmas decorations and people visiting can like it or not, lol.
I like to decorate by putting Christmas lights up in my living room.
I like to use fresh flowers and greenery to decorate.
I love putting hints of Christmas through out the house.
I like to add white lights around picture frames on wall.
I like to decorate by putting lights up in our kitchen window and by using festive candles.
I usually use flowers and ornaments
I like to decorate the table, the good china, nice napkins/holders, a centre piece
I wrap the stair railings with vibrant greenery, and I hang a wreath from my front door.
I like to use bright jewel-tones in non-traditional colours. I like banners, pompoms and felted decorations.
I put out holiday candles and a pointsetta on the tables.
I love color. and greenry
I like to decorate my living room the most, by the fire place with lights and ornaments.
We like to decorate for with edible items, like a clear vase of oranges or chocolate/cookies as place cards.
I love making my own flower arrangements from dtore bouquest and adding in flesh greener!
I look for unique, different objects to match place settings and place mats
I love to use fresh flowers. Red and white roses are unexpected and beautiful.
I would love to get some LED candles – I don’t have any and I think they are a great decoration!
i like to decorate everything, the cupboard doors with ribbon and ornaments, the fridge with cling ons and the bathroom as well
I love making the table settings festive.
I use a Christmas tablecloth, candles, napkins and centerpiece.
I like picking up a floral Christmas-themed centrepiece for the table.
Between 5 kids, Basement Renos and having everyone over for Christmas, we will need a little help cleaning up! LOL
WE use leftover baubles in a large glass jar to decorate the centre piece. This year we will also have a Gingerbread house that was done by the kids!
Minimal decorations. lol
We like to decorate the entire houses, yes even the bathroom. Even just subtle things like red and green
I love decorating the trays that I put out the treats and food – all in a Christmas theme – helps people stay in the Christmas mood. For the dinner table – I have silverware holders that are in the shape of stockings..
I love to decorate with lights and candles.
I like to use fancy placecard holders and a nice centerpiece.
My mom had painted these ceramic Christmas trees year ago. They plug in and light up/play music. Growing up all my Grandmas and mom had one set up for Christmas. This year I asked my mom if there was any kicking around, as I only have one Grandmother left, so my mom tracked one and it was actually my great grandmothers 🙂
When entertaining around Christmas time, I like to have the lights on around the windows and on the tree
I love adding candles. They add such a nice touch.
I love decorating my dining room for our Christmas Dinner.
I like to make little goodie bags to place on everyone’s plate at the table to help decorate and it is a little something they can take home.
I like using guirlands, i feel they instantly give the room an holiday vibe
I like adding a few small festive decorations to the table with the food spread.
I like to put up big red bows.
I fill ice cream pails with water and freeze them. I put in an empty tealight container when it starts to freeze.
When the water is almost frozen to ice, then I set in a tealight candle and light it. I place these on the steps up to our house in the evening when we are hosting a get together. The tealights flickering on the front steps welcome our guests to our home in the evening!
I rarely decorate when entertaining over the holidays.
I like to use candles and nice linens
I like to decorate using greenery and candles.
with Christmas lights and wreaths
I`m not a big decorator..I try my best to make it look festive with ornaments and decorations!
We have some ornaments with photos of them of my sons when they were babies and ones when they were little so those must always be on the tree
I like to decorate while entertaining with fancy plates and bowls that match the holidays 🙂
I decorate for my family,others can enjoy it when they visit.I love to keep things simple,because it.s about people not material things !
I like to put little touches in the hallways and on the table. I try to keep the same theme (snow, outdoorsy etc).
I like to decorate by bringing the outdoors in; lots of boughs, pinecones and flowers
I like to decorate with lots of twinkle lights….not the bright LED ones, but the older yellow-ish ones….they add a nice atmosphere!
I love christmas lights – the multicoloured ones always make me smile 🙂
I like to keep thing simple with having puppies around so they can’t get at anything.
I like to put green garland and lights around my archways.
I like to decorate the entire house.
always have to have lights on teh house outside
Christmas is my favourite time of year so decorating our home is done, whether we have guests or not! We always have Santa figurines, decals on our windows and mirrors, nativity scenes, and, of course, our tree, so perhaps the only addition would be a festive tablecloth and plates and napkins.
We didn’t even decorate this year due to being away most of the month – it looks so bare.
I love decorating the table with candles and little table Christmas Trees and a Christmas Table Cloth
I love to decorate a pine tree in our front yard. I decorate with large ornaments and lights.
I love using Christmas lights for decorating. They are so festive and pretty.
I had homemade boxes made that look like Santa’s belt. I put chocolate in them and put the money on each place setting which was all beautifully decorated
I love to decorate with candles and outstanding centerpieces!
lights outside and inside
Simple decorating with garlands and lights!
We decorate our front entrance and dining table.