A Very Merry Red and Green Holiday Party

A recap of our Festive Christmas Party

This holiday season is such a special one because it’s the first in our new place. Naturally, we couldn’t let 2017 go without throwing one more party to celebrate. In true Magnolia Stripes fashion, we mixed metals, old and new pieces, and kept things classically Christmas. Here’s how we decked the halls, trimmed the trees, and roasted…beef tenderloin.

Our theme and colors

I talked about finding these napkins in this post on holiday entertaining tips. I found them over Thanksgiving and knew right then and there that these are the colors I wanted to bring into our first Christmas party in the new place. Working with bright reds and greens was so much fun. It was probably the wonderfully chic Gray Antiques who said that blue and white loves holiday red. And it couldn’t be more true! We used these fabulous planters from Williams Sonoma for our poinsettias next to the tree. Everything else was mixed metals – silver, brass, and the occasional aluminum.

A close-up of our theme napkins:

We set up a bar downstairs and a punch station with a styled bar tray upstairs (more on this here). Our sweet friend Nancy got us these gorgeous vintage glasses at The Hour in Old Town. We set up our glassware (and these cheetah cups by Emily McCarthy – more on this here), cocktail napkins, bar mix, and these fabulous homemade cheese straws.

Our sparkling cranberry punch (in this post):

We stocked the downstairs bar with different kinds of bourbon and spirits, red and white wines, prosecco, seasonal beer, and Aperol. Aperol is my current beverage of choice. It goes from summer to winter effortlessly with the addition of a few cranberries. And yes, that is mistletoe around its neck (thank you, Makers Mark).

Our menu

With a little over forty guests expected, we wanted to make sure that we didn’t run out of food (or beverages). I talk a little more about this in this recent post (linked once more for y’all).

Here’s what we served:

Snacks scattered throughout: homemade cheese straws, mixed nuts, homemade cheese crackers

Thinly-sliced beef tenderloin with crostini and onion spread

Sweet potato biscuits with ham and mustard spread

Cocktail shrimp

Veggie platter

Cranberry meatballs

Cranberry orange shortbread cookies (recipe for these fabulous DIY slice/bake cookies coming soon to the blog)

Red velvet crackle cookie sandwiches with peppermint cream cheese frosting

We made plenty of each item and refilled them throughout the night to keep everything fresh (and safe to consume).

Our decor

Bright Kate Spade tablecloths and red taper candles (similar here) anchored our tabletops, providing the perfect backdrop for antique silver Revere bowls, trays, and serving pieces. I used our crystal Marquis by Waterford candlesticks on the table above and antique brass candlesticks on our sideboard below.

I wanted to leave our sideboard dressed as an entry piece since we already had two bar stations, a main food table, and a dessert table (set up downstairs on our antique Baker Chinese Chest — protected with a tablecloth, of course). A simple arrangement of antique hydrangea and white hydrangea and brass candlesticks let this piece shine and ushered our guests into the main party space.

We upped the Christmas feels by using live greenery (all about decorating with it in this post here) and plenty of red and green ribbon.

I love spreading our party theme and colors throughout the public spaces in our home whenever we’re hosting. I added these matching disposable guest towels to our half bath. The blue and white tissue box is part of a set that I just love by Kassatex. A small arrangement using some of the red flowers in the main table arrangement rounded out the look.

I also found these fabulous pearl toothpicks online for under $10. They were fun conversation starters and kept our tables light and fun.

I decorated our dessert table with this vintage martini shaker (it’s fabulous, right?!) below, Michael Aram nut bowl (similar here), bright red tray (similar here), and a red candle to tie everything together.

We also decided to take donations of canned goods and other nonperishable goods since so many charities are in need of these items during the winter and holiday season.