IN SEASON

Our top tips for easier entertaining.

It can sometimes feel nonstop, right?

Hosting

during the holidays.

Since Thanksgiving our merry-making muscles have been in overdrive. But now’s the time we should be slowing down and savoring the season. Here we’ve pulled together our best entertaining tips for how you can have your party and enjoy it too.

GO BIG, BUT NOT HOW YOU THINK…

We don’t mean go all out; we mean literally go big. One big pot of pink poinsettias is all it takes to make this lovely living room in designer Alison Kandler’s Santa Monica home look festive and fun. Before you start building your shopping list full of arrangements, table cards and enough candles to light up a cathedral, think about buying one big statement piece—we prefer fresh seasonal plants and flowers—and letting that do all your holiday décor talking.

BEG BORROW AND STEAL—FROM AROUND YOUR OWN HOUSE.

Want to know our home styling secret for all our photo shoots? We don’t always truck in loads of accents and accessories from all the major stores; we borrow from around the house to fluff and preen whatever room we are focusing on. So, if your gathering is concentrated around the kitchen and dining room, steal some ornaments from the back of the tree and sprinkle them on the countertop for décor, and borrow some pinecones from your mantel or entryway to tuck into your dining table for a little more layering and texture. No additional shopping before, nothing additional to store afterward. You’re welcome.

SPEND YOUR TIME ON WHAT MATTERS— TO YOUR GUESTS.

Often we get caught up in the sugarplum vision of the experience we want our guests to have. I know I’m guilty of that. But stop and think about your guests, or as they say in my line of work, know your audience. If you’re hosting a small group of your girlfriends for holiday brunch, skip the extra décor fuss and use that time to make sweet simple favors for every seat. Or if you’re having extended family over for dinner, focus on the meal; trust me, the other things will just be details. If it’s a group of moms and their kids coming over for a gift exchange, sure, now you have permission to really fuss over the tree and mantel so the setting is magical and festive. Know what’s important for each gathering, and give yourself permission to downplay all the rest.