Entertaining at Christmas

Entertaining at Christmas is one of my favorite things to do. The house is lit up with twinkle lights and the smell of fresh greenery is in the air. I had a white elephant Christmas party with a few of my close friends so that we could have some fun girl time. We all brought a small gift for the game and we all had some fun laughs; especially once the tequila was unwrapped and the shots were poured, haha.

Menu:

Obviously, I did my mega charcuterie board along with some sweet treats and homemade butternut squash soap (dairy and gluten free). The soup recipe I came up with myself was delicious! I’ll be making it again this weekend and will write down everything exactly so that I can share it with you. I had never served soup at a party before, but it was cold outside and it sounded like something a bunch of women would enjoy. Plus, I had bought this white soup terrine last year and I really wanted to use it.

Sometimes the things I make and serve depend on what serving pieces I want to use. For example: my mom gave me her crystal punch bowl (pictured below) and I will definitely host some type of girly party punch party next year. In the picture below though, you will see that I used it as a dressy container to hold the wine.

I used a gold and marble board for the sweet treats that included honeycomb, raspberries (for a Christmas color), chocolate pieces (white and dark) and chocolate covered toffee. The honeycomb is easier to clean when it’s on a marble vs. the wood board. The big, black charcuterie board is the same one I just used in my Charcuterie Board 101 post for Thanksgiving. It’s perfect on an island and I like the way the black contrasts with the marble island. You can buy this awesome board at Coton Colors in Atlanta, just call the store 😉

Decor:

The centerpiece on the island is made from greenery I clipped in my yard. I threw two strands of fairy lights in for a cozy twinkle. I raided my candle cabinet and pieced together the rest. Candlelight is my favorite, so I had a flame flickering in every area…including the bar. It is beautiful the way candlelight dances around on the crystal by the bar so I always do a TON in that area.

Two of my favorite things I used that are sentimental to me are the crystal punch bowl. It was my moms and the 12 Days of Christmas glass plates. My grandmother gave those plates to my mom years ago. She would occasionally put a few on display every year in her house. A few years ago my mom gave them to me so I decided to actually use them to serve on instead of just admiring from afar. It was the perfect touch to my Christmas party.  I know my grandmother would have been overjoyed to see her beautiful set on full display.

The last item I was excited to use were the individual soup bowls. If you have ever eaten at the fancy French restaurant Le Bilboquet, they serve their soup in these exact bowls. I had always admired them until one day after my husband finished his soup.  Casually I lifted it up and typed in the name on Amazon. Boom, now I have soup bowls and they are super affordable. Plus, they go with pretty much every china pattern. If you ever go to that restaurant, get their Cajun Chicken, it will change your life and I NEVER recommend a chicken dish!!

I hope y’all have a Merry Christmas!