Holiday Party Decorations

The holiday season is officially on! After recently enjoying a delicious Thanksgiving dinner (well attended by my siblings this year) my family and I sat back and pondered whether or not we were going straight for dessert or, perhaps, wait a while to enjoy our pie. While my middle brother Andy (a skinny fellow with a massive appetite) decided he was going to do both, we began to clear the dinner plates from the table settings. When we started on our pumpkin pie the family began a debate about the proper setting of the silverware and plates for a formal dining setup. As formality is not an extremely high priority in our family, to say the least, for the sake of discussion we began to check with our respective smart phones to find a site that could confirm our opposing opinions. While the friendly conflict was never firmly resolved, we all agreed that Mom had put out a delicious spread onto a tastefully decorated holiday table.

Now that Thanksgiving has past we must quickly turn our attention to Christmas which, as we all know, is right around the corner. The delicious Thanksgiving feast d at my family home is an extremely small affair compared to our Christmas Eve dinners, where my parents are daring enough to invite the entire extended family. Because of the size and scope of my family’s upcoming Christmas celebration I have started to think about party decorating ideas that will help with the ambience of the party. I did a bit of window-shopping online and got some ideas on how to make any Christmas dinner party as jolly as old St. Nick.

Pick a Good Theme

One of the most important aspects to a good party (and I’ve been to a few) is a good theme. Fortunately, holiday parties already have their own theme with many traditional motifs for decorating. For example, when choosing a color for your Christmas party decorative scheme, there are already colors that have been associated with Christmas for ages: red, green, and white. While there is no rule saying that you must stick with these colors, they are undeniably festive.

Select a Decorative Centerpiece

A good way to decorate for a Christmas party is to first choose a centerpiece to decorate in the same style that you want your overall Christmas theme to reflect. Depending on your location, the Christmas tree or the Christmas dinner table are two good choices to select as your beginning decorative centerpiece. For instance, if you choose your Christmas tree as your decorative centerpiece, you would match your table coverings, table skirting, decorative banners, and even your Christmas tree skirt. Since it is possible to obtain Christmas tree skirts with holiday custom prints, it will look very festive to choose a traditional Christmas image as your print, and then use that printed image as the motif for your decorating scheme.

If you choose the Christmas dinner table as your decorative centerpiece, the first thing to do if you want to provide an attractive decorative presentation is to call for flower delivery. Next, match all of your decorative linens with the same holiday print. In fact, using the same holiday-themed printed table coverings for your Christmas tree skirt can add even more consistency and style to your party. One popular idea for Christmas decorations is to use the “white Christmas” theme. This can be accomplished, of course, by using all white Christmas lights, white tinsel, even white wrapping paper. You can take this look even further by using table linens and Christmas tree coverings that feature snowflake prints, since the idea of a white Christmas is inspired by the snow that usually accompanies the holiday. This is just one of the holiday print ideas that could be used to decorate your Christmas party. There are an endless number of holiday prints that could be used to further your decorative goals. Santa Claus, of course, is a classic figure that can be found on any number of decorative print linens, not to mention figurines, Santa hats (which is a tradition at our home), and maybe even a “real” Santa donning his suit to pass out gifts to the children. The same could be said for snowmen, wreaths, bells, ribbons, and a variety of traditional Christmas icons that can be captured through printed linens, and festive decorations.

Christmas Colors Themes

Tastefully printed Christmas tablecloths, table skirts, wrappings, and all the things you need to make your holiday party look great are widely available. Of course, you may choose to tone down your decorative theme. Perhaps, you are planning a more intimate Christmas dinner and want to use “classier” themes. For instance, instead of going a traditional route and using a Santa Claus or snowflake motif, perhaps you want to capture the holiday spirit with more elegant decorations featuring Christmas colors in a more tasteful way. For example, you could decorate your Christmas dinner table using a red embroidered damask over a fine white satin tablecloth. If you choose a basic two-colored scheme for your dining table (red and white, for this example), you may want to extend the red-and-white pattern to other facets of your decorating such as your gift wrapping paper. For example, by combining the table coverings I just suggested with a gift wrapping system that also used white paper with red ribbons you can create an attractive matching theme for your party. You could even add a white tree with red decorations and match your Christmas tree skirt with the same embroidered color and pattern as your table damask. Because of all the iconic tradition surrounding Christmas, the decorative possibilities are positively endless!

Of course, regardless of how fabulous your Christmas party looks, it is important to remember that the holidays are about family and tradition. While holiday traditions are helpful for thinking of decorating ideas, it is good to keep in mind that these traditions are what bring families closer together. So, no matter how you decide to decorate for the holidays, don’t get so caught up that you forget to appreciate your loved ones. When it comes down to it, a close family experience is special regardless of how you decorate for when everyone comes home.