With winter barreling down fast, bring on the sparkle!
We don’t do dark and dreary. So when the calendar tilts toward the coldest weeks of the year, we seek out any excuse to create dazzling brightness for the holidays.
To toast the season in style, we often gather family and friends for a cozy affair designed to lift spirits and spark conversation, with abundant candlelit glamour and heirloom-worthy patterns as the backdrop.
For one such soirée, we set a festively formal scene, festooning the table with our finest stemware, serveware, and layers of red and tartan for a traditional Christmas celebration.
Off to the side, we put up a well-stocked self-serve bar so that guests were kept busy moving around and engaging with each other. Ordinarily, when we’re hosting, we tend to limit our drink offerings to a trio of options—one wine, one pre-batched pour, and a festive mocktail for those who prefer sparkle without spirits. But this was no ordinary night! If someone dreamed it, we poured it—shaken, stirred, or spritzed—and always presented in stemware fit for a legendary toast. Even the smallest celebrants felt special with their tiny hands clutching flutes of effervescent apple cider, pinkies out.
Everything about the night crackled with magical energy, thanks to the beautiful table settings, sumptuous food, sharing stories with loved ones, and savoring the kind of connection that never goes out of season. In a world prone to hurry, taking the time to dress up for each other, revel in the beauty of the evening —and perhaps a second (or third!) helping of chocolate cake topped with sugar-crystalized roses—felt marvelous.
On another occasion geared toward family fun, we hosted a holiday pajama brunch that the elves themselves would delight in! We re-created the atmosphere of the North Pole with handmade felted-wool Arctic animals and North Pole dinnerware that made it feel as if we were gathering in the Elf Village itself. This family-friendly affair featured a “hot chocolate bar” arranged in a tower: a three-tiered server stocked full of marshmallows, various candies, and toppings that were lots of fun for everyone to sprinkle into their hot chocolate. To keep little hands busy, we set up a station where little crafters made hand-cut paper snowflakes to take home and hang on their Christmas trees.
Each of these occasions was unforgettable because they offered an activity to engage guests, created a feast for the eyes, and sparked fantastic memories for our hearts.
