Bells will Fifteen-ing

Holiday Entertaining

This time of year you can see in magazines or on TV that everyone seems to have entertaining tips to share. In the spirit of the season I thought “hey I know about entertaining, I could give some pointers.” So here we are with today’s blog.

According to Martha and Sandra Lee and countless others the table or ‘table-scape’ is a great way to spice up your house during the holidays and up the wow factor when entertaining. Would you be surprised to know that I am largely responsible for our fabulous table setting at our parties? It is true. No really it is. Stop laughing. Do you think that after Kat has spent hours cleaning the housing and making all that delicious food and candy that she honestly really cares what plates go where? Or what food goes on what plates?

Last year our party goers oohhed and ahhed about the “tower of truffles” that was at the center of the table last year. “It is so pretty, how did you ever think of something like that?” we were asked, and we just smiled and nodded. The truth? It is all about real estate, when you have as much food as we do every year, you have to be creative or it won’t all fit on the table. A tower of truffles combined a cut glass Christmas platter, a silver and glass cake stand and a 3 tiered silver serving dish stacked on top of one another to eliminate the need to have 5 silver bowls and a plate or two side by side taking up space. Take that Martha!

Another secret to our great table set up? We have a bajillon serving platters. How did we end up with so many? We don’t throw anything away. For years my mom re-gifted us with Christmas platters or tarnished silver bowls. We put them away and then shine them up and use them at the party. Kat used to get little mikasa bowls or candy dishes as gifts from her office mates when she worked out of Children’s Hospital in OKC. We put M&M’s in them and people ooh and ahh. Friends buy us plates to use, and Kat’s parents have hooked us up a few times too.

I have talked about my silver punch bowl? (eBay with a dent on the side). Do you know where our glass punch bowl came from? Wal-Mart, 1992. It cost me $5.99 and came with 8 punch cups. I have been picking up the rest of the punch cups at garage sales and thrift stores for about 50 cents a cup for the last 18 years or so.

I could talk about table cloths and table runners and things like flowers or holiday decorations on the table, but you know what really says festive? Covering the table with delicious food. What I know about table cloths is that if I have three tables of food, the table cloths should be the same color on each. Or if I only have two that are the same color then the round table for the punch needs to get a plaid table cloth that has some of the colors. Table runners we have, and sometimes use, but once all the food is on the table who knows if I used one or not. Although, if the table cloth has a stain or a hole, a table runner is good for covering that up. That thing where people put a big bowl of decorations on the table or candles or flowers? Do you know what that really is? It is people who are too lazy to cook enough food and think that hungry party goers will be distracted from the empty space and not wonder how come no one thought to add another plate of cookies.

You also see in those entertaining guides stuff about gift bags for party goers. For years I have been doing up a little gift bag for the kiddies to take home with them. You know what is in those gift bags? Left over Halloween candy and a handful of starlight mints. One year I also included a happy meal toy from the unholy pile that my Matthew had been hoarding in his closet.

With great tips like these I wonder why I don’t have a book deal?