ENTERTAINING WITH STYLE AND EASE
Must-haves to welcome guests at intimate gatherings or blowout bashes throughout this holiday season
By now, many of us have the house decorated, the tree up and the holiday baking complete just in time to start holiday entertaining.
I am not one for hosting large parties, and if I attend one I usually sit happily in the corner chatting one-on-one with other guests. This year, I am planning to host smaller groups for cocktails, brunches or dinners. For me, this is a wonderful, easy and stress-free way to entertain while getting to spend quality time with visitors.
Whether you are planning a holiday blowout party (better warn the neighbours) or are scheduling intimate gatherings with close friends, here’s my list of new must-haves that will make the entertaining easy, affordable and fa-la-la-la-fabulous.
LAYER A HOLIDAY SCENT THROUGHOUT YOUR HOME
I like my home decor to indulge all the senses during the holidays, from twinkling lights to good food, music and scents.
I use an artificial Christmas tree, so I don’t have that freshas-a-forest natural fragrance in my home. Instead, each year I choose a signature scent for the whole house.
Quebec-based Fruits & Passion’s (www.fruits-passion.com) Aura Snowy Forest scent reminds me of a wintry walk in the woods; in the living room, it adds a lifelike scent to my everlasting tree.
Tip: Use the candle in areas where you can keep an eye on the flame (safety first) and a diffuser to scent areas like hallways, guest rooms and powder rooms. Keep the air spray near the front door to create a scent before you welcome guests into your home.
SAY ‘NO’ TO THE PHONE
When it comes time to break holiday bread with guests, I am going to request no cellphones at the table.
Now there’s a safe place for those phones to go while everyone is eating and enjoying each other’s company. Ace Bakery has designed the “breadblox” (acebreadblox.com), which is a modern take on a bread box, but is designed to hold devices and encourage holiday connections of the human kind.
OPEN A SELF-SERVE CAFÉ
Letting guests create their own iced or hot beverages is a great way to ease the chores of the host. I like to set up a self-serve beverage station with flavoured syrups and holiday-flavoured coffee pods.
The Timothy’s Christmas Blend K-cup pods taste delicious and are recyclable, while the Keurig K-duo coffee maker ($250, www.keurig.ca) allows for a pot of coffee for larger groups or single serve for those one-off drinks. Add a bowl of ice, some sprinkles and other fixings so guests can get creatively festive with their coffee.
EASY DINNER PARTY
I love to cook, but the holidays are an extremely busy time. To get a little help in the kitchen, pre-boxed meal ingredients will let you cut back on grocery shopping, reduce the stress of planning meals and cure overstuffing the fridge with too many meal-specific ingredients, not to mention put a welcome end to wasting unused food.
Hellofresh (www.hellofresh. ca) lets you choose a meal (starting at $11 per serving) and all the necessary ingredients, then get it delivered. It’s a win-win: You save time from shopping and save money on the grocery bills.
THE GROWN-UP BAR
No more plastic cups when entertaining: That’s my new rule for the bar.
I either use those fancy crystal ones from the china cabinet or purchase bulk packs of inexpensive glasses that can be used over and over. Not only is it classier, it’s also a good holiday gift for our precious little planet. I think www.walmart.ca is a go-to for contemporary Champagne flutes and wine glasses (I dislike any glass with a stem) for less than $10 for four.
Do you have a decor dilemma or want to give feedback? You can contact Karl Lohnes on Facebook or Instagram at Karl Lohnes Designer. Karl Lohnes has worked as a home decor specialist and product designer for 25 years. He appears Thursdays during the 8 a.m. hour on Global News Morning Montreal.