Simple Steps For Elegant Holiday Entertaining

December 4, 2009 by Kenmore

The holidays are here! Which means days of preparation, hours of revelry and a home packed with guests. At the top of my to-do list: getting my home ready so the environment is warm, inviting and perfect for spending time with family and friends.

These tips and ideas won’t take up a lot of time and they’ll help make your home stylish, organized and ready for holiday entertaining.

Keep kitsch to a minimum

Holiday decorations can border on sensory overload. Elegantly outfit your home by bringing nature indoors. Use holly or pine swags and let seasonal flowers add color and life to rooms. Or try a single color theme and repeat it from room to room.

Each season I take time to sort through the decorations I’ve amassed over the years. I display only those that fit my overall theme or have sentimental value.

Avoid media overload

Watching football games is a tradition, but an overwhelming array of media equipment can detract from your home’s style. Instead, hide televisions and media behind built-in cabinetry or inside an armoire.

Unclutter your cards

Select your favorite holiday cards and place them in frames that normally hold family photos. Or tie a bit of ribbon through a hole punched in each card and hang from a small tree in your entryway.

Four steps to a great party

1 – Select a spacious area: Open space encourages guests to mingle.
2 – Create several furniture groupings; some small and intimate, others large and informal.
3 – Choose a theme or use bright displays of color for a lively atmosphere.
4 – Invoke the senses: fresh flowers, lush fabrics and music that suits the season.

Too many cooks

Guests congregate in the kitchen. And why not? It’s where the food is! But don’t let them interrupt your cooking. Create clusters of stools or chairs on casters, set well away from the main prep area.

It’s in the drawer

Drawer dishwashers are perfect for holiday entertaining. They let you do small loads (for example, just crystal, or your prep pans) in one drawer or large loads in two; and fit anywhere you entertain. Install a Kenmore Elite® Drawer Dishwasher near the wet bar or in the butler’s pantry to save trips back and forth to the kitchen. One on each side of the sink reduces bending to load and unload.

Large French-door refrigerators, like the Kenmore Elite TRIO, also come in handy at holiday time – and any time. They easily hold oversize items like deli platters and holiday turkeys.

What simple steps do you take for holiday entertaining?


Kenmore

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