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PARTY ENTERTAINING If you’re planning a Christmas party keep it simple. Have lots of cold nibbles around the house to keep guests helping themselves and to avoid you spending all night in the kitchen. Antipasti platters and cheeseboards are ideal as they can be dotted round rooms and replenished when necessary. Put chilled drinks in ice buckets so that guests can help themselves. This not only helps things feel more informal but avoids the constant refreshing of glasses and mountain of washing up that can occur. A seasonal cocktail will help add that homemade touch. Mulled wine immediately makes the house smell festive and mulled apple juice can be made at the same time. For a cold option, whip up a clementine fizz by mixing 100ml Prosecco with 50ml clementine juice and 25ml cranberry juice. The smell immediately invokes Christmas and gives guests something different to drink.
333333333333333333333333333333 DECORATING THE TABLE
Whilst dressing the table, small touches are the key to enhancing other dressings in the room as you will end up needing as much space as possible for cutlery and other feasting implements. A new table cloth or runner is a good starting point as it helps to create a feeling of something a little more special and elegant, even if it’s your kitchen table. A table centre needs to
create a focus but can be either a single statement or link together several individual items, while crackers are an essential element of Christmas and no table should be without them. I always make my own as they are so simple, cost a lot less than purchased offerings and allow
personalisation for each guest. All you need is some wrapping paper, snaps, paper hats (if you use them!), a small gift such as a homemade treat
or scratch card and an empty toilet roll per cracker. Cut a piece of wrapping paper approximately 30cm x 20cm, and if you have a paper perforator run a line 10cm in from each of the short edges. Lay the snap near to the top of the paper and secure loosely with a piece of tape. Place the toilet roll in the centre of the paper and roll. Fill with your gifts and trivia questions or jokes written onto paper and secure with a piece of tape. Decorate as simply or as elaborately as you wish and if you have personlised the crackers make sure to identify whose is whose.
Place markers make a meal feel more special even if it is for the family that you share most of your meals with. If you’ve personalised your crackers these make a great way to identify place settings.
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Hopefully
these ideas will help you to have a lovely Christmas but most importantly just remember to relax and enjoy it. Happy Christmas!
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