Make Your Holiday Parties Fantastic With These Tips
Use these fantastic tips to create beautiful ambiance and décor for your Christmas and New Year's Eve party. With these simple additions, you'll definitely throw a holiday party to remember.
Floating Candles
Light up the night with floating candles. They're an inexpensive and convenient way to add instant ambience to any space. You need a white votive candle, a mason jar, cranberries, mistletoe, and water. First, pour the water into the jar along with the cranberries and mistletoe. Light the votive and carefully place in the jar. Make sure the wick doesn't get wet!
It's Beginning to Smell a Lot Like Christmas
Scent your space with the smell of Christmas. You need 3 clementines, 3 whole cinnamon sticks, 1 ½ tbsp. of whole cloves, 1 vanilla pod, some fresh pine, fresh cranberries, and 1 ½ cups of pomegranate juice. Pour all of the ingredients into a sauce pan and add a splash or two of water. Let the mix simmer over low heat until it begins to boil. Reduce heat further and add more water. Let it simmer for roughly 3 hours. The incredible aroma will permeate your home.
Jell-O Shots
Break the ice with Champagne Jell-O shots to get your guests in the holiday spirit. Ingredients include 1 unflavored gelatin packet, 2 glasses of Champagne, and 1 cup of peach juice. Empty the gelatin powder into a bowl and add the peach juice. Whisk the juice until it begins to solidify. Add the Champagne and then pour into the Jell-O shot molds. Place in the fridge for a few hours until it has completely jellified.
New Year's Eve Cocktail
If shots aren't your thing, opt for a more grown up drink option like my favorite New Year's Eve cocktail. It's one of my specialties, but warn your guests that it has a bit of absinthe in it, so it isn't for the faint of heart! You need the following: 10 ml of absinthe, 15 ml of lemon juice, 5 ml of sugar syrup, and Champagne. Shake the first 3 ingredients and pour into a flute. Top off with Champagne and garnish with lemon zest. Cheers!
Pomanders
Pomander Balls can be the perfect centerpiece or the perfect tree decoration. All you need are oranges, cloves, and ribbon to create them. First, wrap an orange in the ribbon with a bow on top. Next, poke the cloves in the orange, either all over or in a pattern of your choice — stripes, circles, etc. This is a great activity to do with kids as they love poking the cloves in the fruit.
Tick-Tock Balloons
I love a chic New Year's Eve party and clock balloons are a unique addition to your other New Year's props (noisemakers, party hats, novelty sunglasses) and are quite festive. You'll need white foil balloons, ribbon, large bold number stickers, gold glitter paper, glue, and scissors. Blow up your foil balloons and stick the numbers in the same way as the face of a clock. Then cut two arrows (hour and minute hand) one bigger than the other and place on the balloon using the glue. Cut the ribbon and then tie around the balloon.